The French ice dancing team of Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, four-time world champions and the Olympic gold medal favorites, heads into the free dance portion of the ice dancing competition with a solid lead. Their score of 90.83 in the rhythm dance portion on Saturday broke their own world record, and recognized a dazzling blend of skill and grace that — when they are in perfect form — makes them nearly impossible for their rivals to match.
The American pairs of Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue (87.13) and Madison Chock and Evan Bates (84.14) were in third and fourth place after the rhythm dance.
Twenty-three teams performed in the rhythm dance, with the top 20 advancing to the free skate. Scores from the two events will be combined to determine the medal winners.
As in the pairs figure skating event, ice dancing routines are performed by a man and a woman, often skating hand in hand. But ice dancing strips down some of the more acrobatic elements of pairs skating, prohibiting spiraling jumps and high-flying lifts. Many have drawn comparisons to ballroom dancing.
Papadakis and Cizeron, though, have taken the discipline to a higher level, even as they skipped the European championships last month in Estonia in an effort to minimize their risk of coronavirus exposure, and to ensure that they would not experience a repeat of their disappointment at the 2018 Games. In that event, a wardrobe malfunction affecting Papadakis seemed to leave the couple somewhat unnerved and guarded.
They finished the short program in second place in 2018, and ended the competition less than a point behind the eventual champions, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada.
