China's Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo are a step closer to their elusive Olympic gold medal after they set a world record Sunday as they won the pairs short program.
With a score of 76.66, the Chinese lead two-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany by just .70 points. That's a slim margin going into Monday night's free skate, a difference that can be made up with one flourish of a hand.
"I am very happy today that we stood up on the ice and made a very good performance," Zhao said. "Today was just the short program. Tomorrow will be more important. Hopefully tomorrow will be as good as today."
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.