Figure skating-New French duo Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron lead after rhythm dance

MILAN, Feb 9 : Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France added another chapter to one of figure skating's most compelling revivals on Monday night, winning the rhythm dance at the Milano Cortina Olympics in only their fifth international event.

The duo, who teamed up last March, kept up their breakneck speed to the top of the ice dance world by scoring 90.18 points - their best ever - for their sleek fashion-runway-meets-ice-dance take on Madonna's "Vogue."

In a showdown that felt like the sharpening of a rivalry, they edged triple world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States, who delivered a high-octane rhythm dance powered by rock and roll swagger for 89.72 points.

"We performed as well as we could, and now there's a bit of anticipation to see where we'll finish in the competition because we're very ambitious, we came here to win gold," Fournier Beaudry said.

Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (86.18), British duo Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (85.47) and Italian home favourites Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (84.28) completed the top five ahead of Wednesday's free dance.

Cizeron, the reigning Olympic champion and five-times world champion with former partner Gabriella Papadakis, had said last week that his partnership with Fournier Beaudry is "bonus time" for both skaters after they had believed their respective careers were over.

Papadakis retired after the Beijing Olympics, while Fournier Beaudry's partner Nikolaj Sorensen received a six-year suspension in 2024 for sexual maltreatment, although the suspension has been overturned on jurisdictional grounds.

After teaming up last spring, Canadian-born Fournier Beaudry received her French citizenship in November to pave her way to