As expected, Shen and Zhao, the Salt Lake City Olympic bronze medalists, never allowed others to get close to them, taking an easy lead by scoring 5.6 to 5.9 points on technique and 5.4 to 5.8 on presentation.

Skating to the Trans Sibirian Orchestra's Beethoven's Last Night, the pair added some special warmth to their usual acrobat-like difficult routine featuring trademark high-flying twist lifts and throw jumps.

Last year winners Pang Qing and Tong Jian followed with a smooth skate as another Chinese pair Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, the 2001 world junior champions, came third.

"It was a good program today," said Zhao. "The placement isn't the thing we care most about. The most important to us is to skate our best."

Shen and Zhao are the winners of the 1999 event and ranked second in 2001.

Chinese head coach Yao Bin is happy with the three pairs' performances which he rated at a very high level.

In ladies singles, the Japanese skaters boosted a rising Japanese power on the event by occupying the top three spots after the short program at the early competition yesterday.

The 2002 World Championships bronze medalist Fumie Suguri held off strong challenges from compatriot Shizuka Arakawa, who recently beat her at the 2003 Winter Asian Games, to stay top. Arakawa placed second and is traced by Yukari Nakano, the bronze medal winner at the Asian Games.

"I am not satisfied with my skating today and I was a little bit shaky on the triple flip and I know that I could have done each element better," said Suguri, the 2001 event winner.

"I am not satisfied with the quality of the performance, the poor footwork and spin."

Suguri, the emerging Japanese hopeful after 1994 world champion Yuka Sato, said the level of women's skaters in Japan is getting very high.

In ice dancing, Canadian world silver medalists Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Karaatz are right on track to their third title of the tournament which they won at 1999 and 2001, leading the pool after the compulsory dance.

Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev of the United States were the second as another Canadian pair Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon placed third.

(China Daily February 13, 2003)