ROME (AFP): Italian ice dancers Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri got their title defence off the mark by leading the rhythmic dance section at the European Figure Skating Championships on Friday.
Decked out in pink and turquoise sequined costumes, the reigning champions scored highest, performing to Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ and Phil Collins’ ‘Against All Odds’.
They scored 86.80 points to edge British pair Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, silver medallists last year, who were 1.60 points behind.
The rivalry has been tight between both couples this season with the British beating the Italians at the NHK Trophy and the Italians ahead at the ISU Grand Prix Final.
Lithuanian duo Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius are in third position (80.73) to the delight of home fans.
In the men’s competition, France’s Adam Siao Him Fa leads going into Friday’s free skate final.
The 22-year-old defending champion sits 2.96 points ahead of second-placed Lukas Britschgi of Switzerland.
