Figure skating-U.S. lead team event after strong skates by Chock & Bates and Liu

MILAN, Feb 6 - Madison Chock and Evan Bates ignited the ice with a commanding rhythm dance before teammate Alysa Liu followed with a fearless, free-wheeling skate on Friday, propelling the U.S. to the top of figure skating's team event at the Milano Cortina Olympics.

Three-times world champions Chock and Bates set the early pace by winning Friday's rhythm dance with the best score in the world this season.

Their teammates Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea held that advantage for the U.S. with their fifth-place finish in the pairs.

Liu, 20, closed the day in style, floating through her lyrical programme to "Promise" by Laufey for a score of 74.90, second behind Japan's triple world champion Kaori Sakamoto (78.88) in the women's singles.

After three of the four short programmes in the event, the U.S. lead with 25 points, followed by Japan with 23, and Italy, with 22.

"Team spirit is great. Oh my God, that's the best part, especially about today because I'm so glad I did the team event because that energy is what I crave," Liu said.

"I trained so much and I love my programme," she added. "So it's my dream to go out on such a big stage with so many eyes and perform it for people to see. I want them to see my hair (with dyed blonde horizontal stripes she calls her halos), my makeup, my dress, the way I skate. I want people to see everything about me."

Sakamoto, who has said she will retire after this season, produced a stirring performance to "Time to Say Goodbye" by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli in the spiritual home of opera to propel Japan from fifth to third place.

Lara Naki Gutmann of Italy was third.

Skating with the precision and polish that made them three-times world champions, Chock and Bates scored 91.06 points with their programme to a montage of music by The Guess Who and Lenny Kravitz to ignite the raucous U.S. fans inside the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

"We definitely skated great," Bates said. "I think we both felt the excitement of just getting these Olympics underway. You never know what to expect with the score.

"There was even a little delay, (because) they said it in Italian, we were looking for the score, and once we saw it, we were thrilled. To break 90 is always a great feat, and to do it to open the Games is even better."

FRENCH DUO SECOND

Chock and Bates edged new French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron who scored 89.98 for their skate to Madonna's "Vogue." The Olympics are only their fifth major international competition after they teamed up last March.

"Our goal was to really keep building," said Cizeron, who claimed the ice dance gold with former partner Gabriella Papadakis at the 2022 Beijing Games.

"We've been improving at each competition and adding to our score, obviously, but getting more precise with our technical elements and having more fun, enjoying the performance and giving 100% so I think we're still kind of climbing that ramp a little bit."

Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson were third, but Team GB had slipped to eighth by the end of the day.

Introduced in 2014 in Sochi, the three-day team event features one entry per country in men's, women's and pairs skating as well as ice dancing in both short and long programmes.

Unlike other skating events, the athletes sit in their respective national boxes rink-side to cheer on their teammates.

Skaters are awarded points according to their place in the standings, from 10 points for first place to one point for finishing last.

Only the top five countries after the short programmes have been completed in each discipline advance to the free skates.

Two-times world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the pairs short programme to help lift Japan up the standings, while European champions Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia were second with their performance to Bolero. Home favourites Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii were third.

The men's short programme will feature on Saturday. REUTERS