Milan [Italy], February 7: The United States sat on top while China provisionally ranked ninth in team event after the first-day competition of figure skating at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games here on Friday.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates delivered a strong performance in the ice dancing rhythm dance for a leading 91.06 points, while women's world champion Alysa Liu placed second to help the defending champions build a two-point lead at 25 points.
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara topped the pairs short program and Kaori Sakamoto led the women's, but Japan had to settle for second place, with their ice dancing pair Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita finishing eighth among ten teams.
Host Italy currently sits third with 22 points.
China's returning Olympic champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong got off to a shaky start, as Sui fell on a throw triple flip and the pair finished sixth in the short program.
"A bad start definitely affects the mood, as this is a team battle," Sui said in tears. "I want to apologize to everyone for not performing at my best in the team event."
Chinese ice dance duo Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu placed ninth in the rhythm dance, while Zhang Ruiyang finished eighth in the women's short program.
The men's short program is scheduled for Saturday evening and will determine which five teams qualify for the free dance/skates.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
