Canada's Gilles and Poirier hold narrow grip on 3rd after after rhythm dance

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier began their quest for an individual Olympic medal during Monday's the short dance program, sitting third after the short dance programs.

Gilles and Poirier currently sit in bronze position heading into the free dance program finals behind Maddison Chock and Evan Bates from the United States who are in second.

Former Canadian Olympian Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron competing for France are currently in first place.

The individual ice dance competition kicked off on Monday with Canada represented by three teams, including Gilles and Poirier, Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac and Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha.

Teams preformed the short dance to music from the 1990s - the set theme for this competitive season.

All three Canadian teams were in the top 20 who qualified for the final free dance programs, which will take place on Wednesday.

Lauriault and Le Gac, who did not compete in the team event, made their Olympic debut Monday in the individual short program.

Performing to You Need Love Like I Do by SexBomb, Lauriault and Le Gac scored 74.35, placing 15th overall after the short dance.

The pair married in 2015 and previously represented France (Le Gac’s birth nation) until changing to represent Canada in 2020 (Lauriault is from Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Que.).

They are also coached by two-time Olympic Ice Dance Champion Scott Moir and Olympic bronze medalist from the United States Madison Hubbell.

Coming off a season’s best in the free dance during the team event on Saturday, Lajoie and Lagha put down a sports theme performance to a medley of Get Ready for This, The Power, Ole in the short dance.

The pair, who have been partners since 2011, are not new to the Olympic