Madison Chock and Evan Bates on course to make American history
BySportsbeat
Updated 25/03/2015 at 15:49 GMT
Madison Chock and Evan Bates are on course to become just the second Americans to claim ice dancing World Championships gold after posting a career-best score following the opening short dance routine.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates (Reuters)
Image credit: Reuters
Chock and Bates, who were eighth at the Sochi Olympics and fifth at the 2014 World Championships, scored 74.47 points in the short dance in Shanghai.
That means they hold a 1.79-point lead over Canadians Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje heading into the free dance.
If Chock and Bates keep their lead through the free dance, they will join Sochi gold medallists Meryl Davis and Charlie White as the only American ice dancers to win a world title.
Meanwhile, Italian defending world champions Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte are currently third, 0.29 behind the Canadians.
There was disappointing news for Great British duo Olivia Smart and Joseph Buckland as they scored 44.32 for their routine and fail to qualify for the free dance, finishing 27th with only the top 20 advancing.
Elsewhere, Canadians Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford skated a flawless short program to take a big lead in the pairs event.
The duo, undefeated in five international competitions this season, scored 76.98 points to take a four-point lead over Chinese veterans Pang Qing and Tong Jian, heading into the free skate – with the later competing in their 16th World Championships.
Fellow Chinese pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong currently sit third, while Great Britain's Amani Fancy and Christopher Boyadji just squeezed through to the free skate, their score of 46.69 enough to secure the 16th and final spot for progression.
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