American figure skaters Madison Schock and Evan Bates, who won the Olympic silver medal in the team championship, emerged victorious in the dancing pairs competition at the first stage of the International Grand Prix series – Skate America. The event took place in Allen, USA.

Based on the combined scores of their two programs, Madison Schock and Evan Bates scored 212.96 points, securing their first-place finish. The second place was claimed by Canadians Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Laga with a score of 196.99. French pair Evgenia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissot took the third spot with 193.47 points.

Russian and Belarusian figure skaters are currently barred from participating in international championships since March 2022. The International Skating Union (ISU) imposed this suspension. In June, the ISU Council upheld the suspension but also announced plans to explore the implementation of the decision made by the IOC Executive Committee. The IOC recommended allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international events on a neutral basis starting from March 2023, subject to certain conditions.

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