The pairing of Madison Chock and Evan Bates needed an epic performance in order to top the 89.66 points set by Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue to nab first place at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

They ended up setting a competition record with the highest score in rhythm dance with 90.10 points.

Still trying to catch their breath, the pair celebrated inside the spectator-less Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Friday as their score was announced. 

Chock and Bates scored 51.66 on their executed elements (including straight-line lift four, diagonal-step sequence four and sequential twizzles) and added 38.44 on their program components, highlighted by a 9.75 on interpretation of music and timing. 

The pair, which has been skating together since 2011, entered the championships as the fourth-ranked duo in the world after the 2019-20 season. They begin 2021 with their third gold medal on the country's biggest stage after previously winning in 2014-15 and 2019-20. 

Championship Rhythm Dance

1. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, 90.10

2. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, 89.66

3. Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, 85.28

4. Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, 80.10

5. Molly Cesanek and Yehor Yehorov, 71.11

6. Lorraine McNamara and Anton Spiridonov, 65.87

7. Eva Pate and Logan Bye, 64.37

8. Livvy Shilling and Alexander Petrov, 53.81

9. Hilary Asher and Ryan O'Donnell, 51.38

10. Breelie Taylor and Tyler Vollmer, 39.40

11. Cara Murphy and Joshua Levitt, 36.62

Full scoring breakdown via U.S. Figure Skating 

Until Chock and Bates took the ice to defend their title, the gold was seemingly all lined up for Hubbell and Donohue, who were the fourth duo to perform and set the bar high. 

Hubbell and Donohue earned 51.66 points on their executed elements and 38.44 on their program components, with their pattern dance-type step earning an impressive 12.34.

None of the next four pairings came close to topping their score as the majority of the field finished well below the 80 threshold. Only the pairings of Caroline Green/Michael Parsons and Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker came close, and the latter still finished four points below Hubbell and Bates. 

The No. 1 pair in the world held on until Chock and Bates, the final performers, entered the rink. Only a few minutes later, U.S. Figure Skating history had been made, Hubbell and Donohue were dethroned, and the return of Chock and Bates to the top of the podium had been cemented. 

Ladies Championship

(Free Skate score in parenthesis)

1. Bradie Tennell, 232.61 (153.21)

2. Amber Glenn, 215.33 (144.50)

3. Karen Chen, 214.98 (143.99)

4. Alysa Liu, 213.39 (137.03)

5. Mariah Bell, 199.95 (127.58)

6. Lindsay Thorngren, 178.89 (116.35)

7. Audrey Shin, 176.82 (119.08)

8. Gabriella Izzo, 171.76 (109.44)

9. Rena Ikenishi, 169.89 (109.75)

10. Pooja Kalyan, 157.46 (99.17)

11. Finley Hawk, 152.84 (100.76)

12. Starr Andrews, 152.13 (95.17)

13. Gracie Gold, 149.05 (95.17)

14. Emilia Murdock, 138.80 (87.55)

15. Violeta Ushakova, 136.26 (86.50)

16. Heidi Munger, 136.05 (83.94)

17. Hanna Harrell, 130.72 (73.79)

Full scoring breakdown via U.S. Figure Skating 

Bradie Tennell is back on top of the women's figure skating world, winning the Ladies Championship for the second time after breaking through in 2018. 

It's a massive accomplishment for the 22-year-old, who earned a bronze medal at the 2018 Olympics and reaffirms what's long been known: Tennell isn't just the future of the sport in the United States, she's the present. 

Tennell finished first in both the Short Program and Free Skate, winning by a nearly 20-point margin as she begins the road toward the Beijing Olympics in 2022. No one even came close to Tennell's score of 153.21 in the Free Skate, though there were plenty of impressive showings across the board. 

Amber Glenn dazzled in the Free Skate after finishing fifth in the Short Program. The Dallas native nailed a triple flip and triple toeloop combo, earning a score of 11.83, her best individual element. The sheer bewilderment on Glenn's face when her scores rolled in said everything viewers needed to know about her performance. Not even Glenn could believe how well she executed. 

It was a less than stellar outing for Gracie Gold, the former two-time U.S. champion who's been missing on the podium since 2016. Gold finished 13th in the Free Skate after a 12th place showing Thursday in the Short Program.

That landed Gold in 13th place overall, a slight decline from last year's 12th-place finish, but considering she was forced to withdraw in 2018 and 2019, it was noteworthy to see her finish at all.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Alysa Liu continued to stun the judges Friday, picking up a fourth-place finish in the Free Skate after placing second in the Short Program. That landed her in fourth overall, just off the podium, but unequivocally one of the skaters to keep an eye on as the Beijing Games draw closer.