Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) will take a 2.56-point lead into the Free Dance on Saturday at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal © ISU
Reigning World Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) danced to the lead in the Rhythm Dance at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal (CAN) on Friday.
World Champions Chock/Bates (USA) on track
ISU World Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) danced to a confident lead in the Rhythm Dance on Friday and are on track for their second World title.
Charlène Guignard/Marco Fabbri of Italy are in second place, followed by Canada’s Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier.
Chock/Bates want it all and they want it now. The U.S. Champions delivered a season’s best performance of their Rhythm Dance to a medley of Queen songs. They collected a level four for their twizzles and rotational lift, while the midline steps were rated a level three and the pattern dance type step sequence a level two. They received 90.08 points.
“We had a wonderful time performing today. The audience was incredible. They gave us such a warm welcome and it was so fun to perform for them,” Chock said. “We certainly had the most fun we’ve had skating this program all season and that, I think, is a huge testament to the audience and just our preparation.”
Bates also enjoyed the moment.
“As I get older and I do more of these World Championships, you realize that they're really a unique opportunity to skate on the biggest stage other than in an Olympic year, I think in particular with Montreal Worlds. (It’s) something we've been looking forward to since the pandemic, and then on top of that having just a lot of family and friends who could make the trip.
“And then, you know, training here and living here for the past five years it feels like home. Our intention today was to go out and, it sounds very cheesy, but to have the time of our lives and to really skate and just entertain the crowd and I think that came across. Just being here in this 11th World Championships together with Maddie and healthy and enjoying it still is like the best victory of all.”
Guignard/Fabbri’s upbeat performance to “Holding Out for a Hero” featured a level-four straight line lift and level-four twizzles, as well as a level-three pattern dance type step sequence. The two-time European Champions scored 87.52 points, a season’s best.
“We were confident. We had very good practices before we came here and we practised very well since coming here as well,” Guignard told the media. “Last year, the stress stopped us from giving the best performances, so this year we decided not to be stressed anymore. It is easy to say, but we told ourselves not to be stressed but just try to enjoy the moment.”
Charlène Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA) are second after Friday's Rhythm Dance at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal © ISU
Added Fabbri:
“We are really super happy about this performance. We are only a bit disappointed to get a level two for the side by side steps, but the score was very good.”
Gilles/Poirier entertained the home crowd with their performance to “No More I Love You’s” and “Addicted to Love”, which included intricate steps and a rotational lift. They earned level four and three for their elements to score 86.51 points.
“The first program of the event, it feels a little almost too exciting, but I think we handled it really well,” Gilles said. “Everything we've been working on came to play today. I think we enjoyed every step of that performance and the crowd.”
Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) were buoyed by the home crowd, finishing third in the Rhythm Dance at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships © ISU
Poirier said it helped to be in Montreal.
“I think we're just so pleased to have these championships here at home. After four years of waiting, it was a pleasure to perform for the crowd. Today, they gave so much energy and really carried us through the performance, and I think we're just really proud of the way we skated. We skated exactly how we prepared to do and we just enjoyed our performance today.”
Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR), the 2024 ISU European silver medalists, finished fourth with another excellent performance to “Sweet Dreams” (84.60 points). ISU Grand Prix Finalists Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (CAN) came back from injury to finish fifth with 82.30 points for their Michael Jackson dance, while 2024 European bronze medalists Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU) round out the top six with 80.99 points.
Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) are fourth after Friday's Rhythm Dance at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal © ISU
Schedule of the event
The schedule of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships is as follows:
Wednesday, March 20: Pairs & Women's Short Programs
Thursday, March 21: Men's Short Program, Pairs Free Skating
Friday, March 22: Rhythm Dance & Women's Free Skating
Saturday, March 23: Free Dance & Men's Free Skating
Sunday, March 24: Exhibition Gala
For full entries and results, please see the ISU event page and the official website. Follow the discussion on social media using #WorldFigure and #FigureSkating.
Where to watch the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2024:
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships will be live streamed on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. Geo-restrictions will apply in markets where TV rights are in place. You will find the full list in the Where to Watch news here.
Subscribe to the Skating ISU YouTube Channel to receive alerts when the live streams start and when new videos are posted.
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