With 89.08 points, Papadakis and Cizeron are within one point of their short program world record set in 2019 (90.03 points).

Enough to relegate their closest pursuers, Canadians Piper Gilles and Gilles Poirier, nearly eight points (81.35), and Russians Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin, more than nine (79.89), before the free dance Saturday.

"We don't really compare with our scores from other seasons, but with those from previous competitions (this winter): we are two more points in Turin compared to Finland, again two more points, which was our goal, explains Papadakis. We try to improve our score as we compete and that's what we achieved. "

At the Finland Trophy in October, a secondary circuit competition, their first at the international level for over a year and a half, the French duo had collected 85.58 points.

And in Turin two weeks ago, for their first Grand Prix - victorious - of the Olympic winter, 87.45 points, on their way to the best total score of the season at this stage (220.06).

For comparison, their main rivals for Olympic gold, Russians Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, reigning world champions and 2020 European champions, scored 86.33 points on their international comeback a week ago. in Tokyo.

The pair of dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of the final of the Grand Prix of figure skating in Turin, November 7, 2021 Marco BERTORELLO AFP / Archives

Nothing is going well for Aymoz

On the ice in Grenoble, the 2018 Olympic vice-champions, quadruple world champions (2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019), and quintuple European champions proposed, as in Italy at the beginning of November, their redesigned and more rhythmic short dance, for better meet expectations on the imposed theme of urban music, with another track by John Legend ("U move, I move" instead of "You and I") associated with the track "Made to love".

"We are very happy with the changes, it brings a side that allows us to dance sexier, more nervous, believes Cizeron. We have made good technical progress too, we are gaining consistency."

Ninth of the 2021 Worlds last March, Kevin Aymoz, on the other hand, does not come out of a long pass more than delicate: stopped for two months last summer because of a pubalgia, the skater has well found her training base in Florida at the beginning of October with Silvia Fontana, a year and a half later.

The French Kevin Aymoz during the short program of Skate America in Las Vegas on October 232, 2021, did not shine in Grenoble JAMIE SQUIRE Getty / AFP / Archives

But his short program - a fall, no combination of jumps and an aborted first quadruple jump - relegated him to last position (63.98 pts) on Friday.

Like at Skate America, the first stage of the Grand Prix, where he hadn't even skated the free skate.

Worrisome within reach of the Olympics-2022, and which could even threaten its presence at the 2022 European Championships in January in Tallinn.

Adam Siao Him Fa, his young French competitor, is ranked seventh, with 84.47 points.

It is Yuma Kagiyama, the very young Japanese vice-world champion in 2021 (18 years old), who took control of the men's competition, approaching his personal best (100.64 pts for 100.96 pts).

© 2021 AFP