BEIJING – Longing glances, graceful lifts, bodies that effortlessly interlock with or shadow each other — for many, the chemistry between figure skating partners and their implied love stories is what makes them so compelling to watch.
But some skaters at the Beijing Olympics are tiring of those same old stories.
For partners who are actually couples, like Evan Bates and Madison Chock of the United States — who were to perform on Monday, Valentine’s Day — their connection is apparent, electrifying their routines.
In Beijing they have wrapped themselves around each other and shared lingering kisses on the ice at the end of their dances.
Their personal history — they skated together for five years before dating — is typical of a narrative…
