Figure skating pair Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue are #BreakupGoals at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Figure skating, easily one of the best events during the Winter Olympic Games, has officially begun in PyeongChang. The first figure skating event aired live on NBC on Thursday, February 8th, and while we saw some amazing performances, we didn’t yet get a glimpse of Team USA as a whole. Before they take the ice, meet one of U.S. figure skating pairs, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue. They made a big splash at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and they might do the same at the Olympics.
Madison and Zachary became a pair in May 2011.
Madison has been skating since age 5 and was winning U.S. titles as a kid. Zachary didn’t start until age 11, and won the junior bronze medal at the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Championships. And yes, they dated. The two were a couple for two-and-a-half-years, even though they apparently didn’t like each other as partners on the ice. Right before they started preparing for the 2018 Winter Games, they decided to break up. Zach explained the decision in an interview with Team USA, saying,
"To work harder and do all of these things right, we just realized that to date and be with each other 24-7 with our particular personalities was just explosive, and we weren’t able to keep our focus where it needed to be. We had to ask ourselves what was more important, our on-ice partnership or our off-ice relationship? And we were both very clearly said the on-ice partnership is No. 1."
Madison and Zach really got attention when they beat out the “Shih Sibs,” two-time defending national champions Maia and Alex Shibutani, at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Performing to the instrumental “Across the Sky” and to Beth Hart’s “Caught Out In The Rain,” they won their first national title.
The duo’s beautiful routine was much-discussed:
This is the first time the pair will be heading to the Olympics, and honestly, we can’t wait to see how they perform. These two just might place at the Games.
