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US ice dance champs Hubbell, Donohue set sights on Olympics

FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2018, file photo, Madison Hubbell, center, and Zachary Donohue, right, hug a coach after as they react to their scores which won the pairs skate event at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif. By the time they headed to San Jose for nationals, Hubbell and Donohue _ the four-time U.S. bronze medalists _ were ready to spring upon the skating world a memorable performance. And unlike last year’s world championships, they delivered it in spades. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2018, file photo, Madison Hubbell, center, and Zachary Donohue, right, hug a coach after as they react to their scores which won the pairs skate event at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif. By the time they headed to San Jose for nationals, Hubbell and Donohue _ the four-time U.S. bronze medalists _ were ready to spring upon the skating world a memorable performance. And unlike last year’s world championships, they delivered it in spades. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File) FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2018, file photo, Madison Hubbell, center, and Zachary Donohue, right, hug a coach after as they react to their scores which won the pairs skate event at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif. By the time they headed to San Jose for nationals, Hubbell and Donohue _ the four-time U.S. bronze medalists _ were ready to spring upon the skating world a memorable performance. And unlike last year’s world championships, they delivered it in spades. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

By Associated Press 4 min read

Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue were given six hours to stew.

Six hours to be angry. To be depressed. To wonder whether their free dance meltdown at the world championships, which cost them a spot on the podium, was a sign the six long years they had sacrificed to become the best ice dancers in the world would never pay off.

Ultimately, they decided it was.

So the American couple attacked their training with a renewed sense of purpose, filing away at their two routines until they were sharp as skate blades. Their sultry samba short dance went from something that often put them in a hole to the definition of joie de vivre. Their free dance to Beth Hart’s “Caught Out in the Rain” showcased intricate step sequences and perfect harmony.

By the time they headed to San Jose for nationals, Hubbell and Donohue – the four-time U.S. bronze medalists – were ready to spring upon the skating world a memorable performance.