TURIN, Italy — Olympic silver medalists Pang Qing and Tong Jian skated a flawless and elegant short program to take the lead in the pairs competition at the world figure skating championships Tuesday.
Pang and Tong earned a season-best 75.28 points for their short program, the same “The Pearlfishers” that they skated to in Vancouver. The 2006 world champions are two points ahead of Russia’s Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov.
Earlier, Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won what might be the last ice dance compulsories at the worlds.
Pang and Tong soared on side-by-side triple toes and a throw triple loop, and their score was nearly four points higher than in Vancouver. Olympic champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbao are not competing at worlds.
“At the Olympics, we were very stressed. (Tuesday) we were relaxed. I think that might be the reason,” Tong said.
Two-time defending world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy eked into the top three in the pairs short, even though he doubled their side-by-side triple toe loops. But the Germans will have to fight to keep their spot on the podium in today’s free skate.
Savchenko and Szolkowy, bronze medalists at the Vancouver Olympics, scored 69.52 points, putting them a mere .04 points ahead of Russia’s Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov. They are .32 points ahead of China’s Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao.
U.S. champions Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett are in sixth place. Fellow Americans Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig are ninth.
“Going into the Olympics, Jeremy had an injury and we were limited on some of the training we were able to do,” Denney said, referring to a pulled muscle in Barrett’s rib cage. “When we got home from the Olympics, we were able to train and get back to our normal, daily regimen, so we were much better prepared coming into this competition.”
Virtue and Moir scored 44.13 points for the compulsory dance, ahead of Vancouver silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White (43.25). Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali of Italy were third on 40.85.
The Canadians and their training partners, U.S. champions Davis and White, are the vanguard of ice dance, skaters who are trying to reshape the once-staid discipline into something more dynamic — and athletic. To them, compulsories have outlived their usefulness.
“I don’t think it is necessary anymore in today’s sport of ice dance. I think it has come a long way and (compulsory dance) is holding it back,” Moir said. “That’s our opinion. But what do I know? I’m only an Olympic champion.”
