Canada 2nd at figure skating's Cup of China after Lajoie, Lagha rhythm dance
2-time European champs in lead; Japan's Sato lands quad lutz in men’s short program
Two-time European champions Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri were first in the rhythm dance with 84.84 points at the Cup of China on Friday in Chongqing.
Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Saint-Hubert, Que., were second with 81.53 points followed by Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko of the U.S. with 79.22.
Last year, Lajoie and Lagha led after the rhythm dance at the Chongqing Huaxi Culture and Sports Centre with a score of 82.02.
The Canadians were second after the rhythm dance in October at Skate Canada in Halifax, where Lagha fell to the ice, but they went on to capture a silver medal with 199.90 points.
At last year's Cup of China, Toronto's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., overtook Lajoie and Lagha in the free dance and edged their teammates by 1.81 points for a gold medal.
Lajoie and Lagha experienced a breakthrough season two years ago with victories at the Budapest Trophy and Ondrej Nepela Memorial before placing second at nationals.
WATCH | Lajoie, Lagha scored 81.53 points for their rhythm dance in China:
Amber Glenn 2nd after short program
American figure skater Amber Glenn faltered on her combination jump to finish second behind Japan's Mone Chiba in a very close women's short program
Skating to This Time by Janet Jackson, Glenn opened with a slightly under-rotated triple axel and stepped out of the landing of the triple flip-triple toeloop combination.
The U.S. champion recovered to deliver a clean triple loop and finished with 70.84 points, just 0.02 points behind Chiba.
"I am happy I was able to recover after a mistake and that is big progress for me," Glenn said. "I haven't been my best since I've been here so I've been just really focused on the mental side and staying strong on that."
Glenn claimed her first Grand Prix title in France this month and is hoping to nail down a spot for the Grand Prix Final next month in Grenoble, France.
Chiba was deducted points for an unclear edge on her opening triple lutz but recovered with a solid double axel and a triple flip to score 70.86 points.
Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., was eighth of nine skaters after scoring 61.10 in what has been an up-and-down season for the 21-year-old.
She was fifth at Skate Canada, falling just shy of the top three with 65.28 after an error-free skate to music from The Lion King.
A year ago, Schizas posted a career-best during the long program at Skate Canada in Vancouver. She went on to place 18th at the world championships in Montreal, where she needed a top-10 finish to earn Canada a second women's spot at worlds in Boston in March.
WATCH | Schizas 8th in women's short program at Cup of China:
In the men's short program on Friday, Skate Canada silver medalist Shun Sato of Japan landed a quad lutz and a quad toe loop-triple toeloop combination to finish first with 98.75 points.
Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakstan was second with 93.21 points.
The Cup of China is the sixth and final event in the International Skating Union's Grand Prix series. It is the last chance for skaters to secure spots at the Dec. 5-8 Grand Prix Final.
WATCH | Canada's Lia Pereira, Trennt Michaud 3rd after pairs short program:
With files from The Associated Press
