VINCENT ZHOU

Eight months after finishing behind the Russians at the Winter Olympics, the U.S. team has yet to receive its medals.

China returned to work Monday after a weeklong Lunar New Year holiday muted by the pandemic — and even more so for the thousands of people inside a Winter Olympics bubble.

With poise and precision, American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the discipline with a score of 129.17.

U.S. men’s figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive for the coronavirus, and is out of the individual competition.

World champion Kamila Valieva cemented her status as the gold medal-favorite at the Beijing Games by putting forward a winning short program to help the Russians take the lead in the team event.

The team competition in Olympic figure skating has been dominated over the years by the Russians, the Canadians and the Americans.

Nathan Chen blazed through an entertaining free skate Sunday to win his sixth consecutive title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, solidifying his status as an Olympic favorite.

Clearly back on his game, Nathan Chen set a short program record at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday.

Multiple medals at the World Figure Skating Championships are rare for the United States. Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue collected bronze in ice dance. Hubbell and Donohue figure to be tested by Madison Chock and Evan Bates, with whom they have swapped U.S. titles in recent years. Hubbell and Donohue edged Chock and Bates in January at nationals, reversing the finish for each couple in 2019. “Madison Chock and Evan Bates have only competed once this season, where Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue have been stellar in their events, and I think the momentum is in their favor.

“I’m thrilled with the short program today," said the two-time world gold medalist. "At the beginning of this year at a small, local competition, in Colorado, I scored 103 with a clean program. WOMENNational champion Bradie Tennell and third-place finisher Karen Chen were selected for the world championships team. Tennell won her second U.S. title Friday night; she also finished first in 2018. The 2021 world championships are set for March 22-28 in Stockholm.