Gilles, Poirier 2nd after rhythm dance at figure skating world championships

Olympic bronze medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier finished second in Friday's rhythm dance at the world figure skating championships in Prague, Czech Republic.

Gilles, from Toronto, and Poirier, from Unionville, Ont., scored 86.45 points for their routine to RuPaul's "Supermodel" and "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred.

Olympic champions Laurence Fournier Beaudry, a Montreal native representing France, and partner Guillaume Cizeron held a commanding lead heading into Saturday's free dance with a score of 92.74.

"It's our first world championships together so we really wanted to have fun and we really enjoyed the crowd," Fournier Beaudry said. "They were exchanging energy with us and it just reminds us why we do it, we wouldn't be there without them. It's just a very very nice moment for us."

Cizeron said the skaters were not under as much pressure in Prague as they were in Milan, which helped their performance.

"What's really fun of this championships is that, I think I can speak for everyone, we feel it's more like a show and we're little bit less stressed maybe than at the Olympics," he said. "That extra magic from the crowd allows us to perform to our best."

The French couple was created this season when Fournier Beaudry, who previously skated for Canada, was left without a partner after Nikolaj Sorensen faced allegations of sexual maltreatment. Fournier Beaudry teamed with multiple world champion Cizeron, who retired after winning the 2022 Olympics with Gabriella Papadakis.

Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson were third with 85.09 points. Canada had two other pairs advance to the free dance — Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha in eighth, and Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain le Gac in 20th.

Gilles and Poirier, first-time Olympic medallists last month at the Milan Cortina Games, have two silver and two bronze medals from previous world championships.

Women's singles

Later Friday, Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., placed 15th in women's singles after scoring 116.94 points in the free program. She finished with a total of 178.29.

"Today was a little disappointing," Schizas said. "But I'm happy with being done with my season. I really pushed through the whole season, and I think you can see that we're all a little bit ready for a break right now, so I'm happy with how I managed the last three weeks to skate pretty well today."

Japan's Kaori Sakamoto captured gold, bidding farewell to figure skating with a fourth world championship title before retiring as one of the most decorated skaters in decades.

Sakamoto finished with a personal-best total of 238.28 points to beat Japanese teammate Mone Chiba, who won silver with 228.47. Belgium's Nina Pinzarrone took a surprise bronze with 215.20.

Competition concludes Saturday with the men's free program and the free dance.