The Japan Times - French ice dancers Cizeron and Fournier make golden start to season

Already in the lead on Friday following the rhythm dance -- a dark, moody flamenco set to the music of Rosalia -- they scored a total of 207.57 points after the free dance, a contemporary journey into the musical world of Max Richter.

While their rhythm dance was marked by a minor technical hiccup, their free dance performance on Saturday was, according to their coach Romain Haguenauer, "crystal clear and flawless".

They finished ahead of Georgia's Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin (193.93 points) and Americans Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko (189.36).

Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry returned to the ice in western France for the first stop on the prestigious Grand Prix circuit.

They debuted their two new programmes seven months after winning gold at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

In their first season together, they had also secured the European and the world championship titles.

"The first outings are always important for us as coaches because we get to see the audience's reaction, the little moments of emotion or excitement," said Haguenauer.

"That's what sets the stage for the work to come throughout the rest of the season.

"I am very pleased with how they handled everything. They skated the best they possibly could today."

Their next event will be in Helsinki for the Grand Prix of Finland from November 20–22.

Earlier France's Adam Siao Him Fa took the men's lead with a playful, jazzy short programme.

Skating to Dave Brubeck's famous "Take Five," Siao Him Fa earned an impressive score of 102.46 points.

Heading into Sunday's free skate final, he holds a clear lead over Estonia's Aleksandr Selevko (85.49 points) and South Korea's Seo Min-kyu (83.83).

"Above all, I really enjoyed myself, that was the main thing for me," said the French skater.

The routine incorporated a touch of humour with the two-time European champion's skating characterised by the off-balance movements of an intoxicated person.

"I managed to handle the stress, and even though there were a few minor errors here and there, I was still able to give it my all," Siao Him Fa added.

Meanwhile, reigning Olympic champion Mikhail Shaidorov, who caused a major surprise by winning gold in Milan seven months ago, sits in fourth place following several mistakes.

S.Ogawa--JT