BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Four-time world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France led the qualifications in free dance, while Chinese couple Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyue also advanced after the rhythm dance at the Beijing Olympic Winter Games here on Saturday.
The 2018 Olympic silver medalists Papadakis/Cizeron showed the world why they are still at the top of the ice dance field after collecting 90.83 points in their rhythm dance.
Talking about their loss to Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir by less than a point four years ago, the French duo said they just want to focus on the present.
"We didn't have the performance that we wanted, especially in the short dance, four years ago. But, you know, they deserved to win for sure," said Papadakis after Saturday's rhythm dance.
"So now our goal is to control what we can control, which is our performance," she said.
Placed second were Russian Olympic Committee's Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov, the reigning world and European champions, on 88.85, the only ice dancing couple who have beaten the French once, at the 2020 European championships.
American couples Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue and Madison Chock/Evan Bates were in the third and fourth places respectively on 87.13 and 84.14, followed by another couple from the ROC, Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bunin on 84.09.
China's sole representatives, Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu, who failed to make the free dance at PyeongChang 2018 after the 22nd finish in short dance, earned 73.41 points to advance and came close to refreshing China's best result in Olympic ice dancing.
China has seen the best result for the discipline stand for 30 years after Han Bing and Yang Hui finished 18th at Albertville 1992.
Twenty out of the 23 couples in ice dancing have qualified for Monday's free dance. ■
