Canadian pair Pereira, Michaud in third after short program at figure skating worlds

Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud are in podium position at the world figure skating championships.

The Canadian pair finished third in the short program with a personal-best score of 75.52 in their romantic routine to "Say You Love Me" by Jessie Ware.

Pereira, of Milton, Ont., and Michaud, of Trenton, Ont., also placed third in the short program in their Olympic debut at last month's Milan Cortina Winter Games, but fell to eighth following a series of mistakes in the free skate.

"This second half of the season for us has just been a real confirmation that we are doing the right things and our coaching staff has been alongside us," the 22-year-old Pereira told reporters at O2 Arena. "We're doing the right training, we're doing the right preparation.

"It's just nice to always come out and do a great performance and just show that 'Hey, we're here."'

Olympic bronze medallists Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany stood in first Wednesday with 79.78 points, just 0.33 ahead of Milan silver medallists Anastasia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia.

Germany's Hase, Volodin lead after pairs short program at figure skating worlds

Pereira and Michaud, who also won their first national title in January, sat 5.6 points clear of fourth-place finishers Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko of Hungary heading into Thursday's free program.

Michaud, 29, said their approach will be "to let the skating take over."

"When it showed at the Olympics, when we focused on the skating, we got the results that we wanted," he said. "We feel great. When we finish a program and we're like, 'Yes, that felt really good' ... our goals will happen."

Fellow Canadians Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Ethier were 12th (63.99).

The post-Olympic world