Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates claimed gold at the World Figure Skating Championships on Saturday to become the first team in 28 years to capture three consecutive World Ice Dance titles.
Leading by almost four points after their electrifying rhythm dance on Friday -- vast by ice dance standards -- they were virtually flawless as they scored 131.88 points for their sophisticated free dance program to jazz classic "Take Five," for a total of 222.06.
Their final spin in which Chock balanced on Bates's outstretched foot had fans leaping to their feet seconds before the program ended, turning TD Garden into a sea of waving US flags.
"I'm just elated. It was unbelievable," said 32-year-old Chock. "It almost felt unreal and the performance went by so quickly. I felt like we really flowed through everything with ease and flow.
"To share that with Evan and the audience and then have that home crowd standing ovation at the end is unbelievable."
Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier won silver for the second consecutive season, scoring 130.10 for their elegant skate to the Annie Lennox cover of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" for a total 216.54.
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson scored 207.11 for bronze to become the first British world ice dance medallists since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean capped a string of four straight victories in 1984.
Married couple Chock and Bates, six-times US champions, are the first team to win three World titles in a row since Russians Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov claimed four straight between 1994 and 1997.
"(The third title) means beyond words, I can't really describe it, but I'm just so grateful for the performance and the home crowd and the moment at the end," said 36-year-old Bates. "It feels a 100 percent better than last time."
The victory sets the Americans up as favourites for next year's Milano-Cortina Olympics, where they will aim for their first Games ice dance medal. They were part of the US squad that captured gold in the team event at the 2022 Beijing Games.
The free dance capped the latest chapter in the US-Canada rivalry. Gilles and Poirier edged the Americans by half a point to win last month's Four Continents Championships, although the US pair have largely had the upper hand.
"We were so settled from the moment it started," Gilles said. "It was the calmest we felt all year. We just wanted to enjoy this program one last time. I'm so proud of us. I don't think I've ever got that emotional after a program."
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