VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 14: Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China compete in the figure skating pairs short program on day 3 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Pacific Coliseum on February 14, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Posted: Feb 14, 11:51p ET | Updated: Feb 15, 12:05a ET
VANCOUVER (AP) -- Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo are sure to remember this Valentine's Day.
The Chinese married couple broke their own world record with a mesmerizing performance to open the pairs short program competition Sunday, and it took until the very last pair --about three hours later--for anyone to come close to topping the Chinese duo. With a score of 76.66, the pair lead two-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany by just .70 points.
That's nothing going into Monday night's free skate, a margin that can be made up with one flourish of a hand.
"It was a gift for Valentine's Day, and today was just the short program," Zhao said. "Hopefully tomorrow will be as good as today."
Russia's Yuko Kavaguti and Aleksandr Smirnov are in third, giving them a chance to continue what has to be one of the longest winning streaks in sports. A Russian or Soviet pair has won the gold medal at every Olympics dating back to 1964.
Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig , surprise silver medalists at last month's U.S. championships, are 10th after the performance of their career at their first major international event. U.S. champions Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett were 14th.
Shen and Zhao retired after winning their third world title in 2007. But the couple, winners of the bronze medal at the last two Winter Games, couldn't resist one last run at that all-elusive Olympic gold. They have dominated everywhere they've skated this season, and they set the tone with a program from the heart, not just the feet.
At 31 and 36, Shen and Zhao are senior citizens when it comes to pairs skaters, but they still showed the kids how it ought to be done.
"They're the best pressure skaters I've ever seen," American Ladwig said.
Shen and Zhao haven't lost a bit of their athleticism. Their triple twist was so huge he had time to put his hands down--and probably could have ducked out for tea if he'd really wanted. What makes their comeback so impressive, though, is their joy and passion. The big tricks? They mastered those a few years ago.
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Slideshows
Pairs SP
The pairs short program kicks off figure skating action at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
- Vancouver: China's Shen/Zhao
- Vancouver: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Stories
What they lacked back then was the artistry and emotion that makes pairs skating so moving. But Sunday, from her gorgeous black and pink lace dress to the way they touched fans way up in the rafters, every second of their performance oozed elegance.
Perhaps it's because of their experience, perhaps it's because they're married or perhaps it's because they're simply that good, but they appear to be one person when they skate. Everything is done in unison and with perfect timing. When they did their side-by-side triple toe loop jumps, they landed them right on a note of music, as if putting an exclamation point on it.
Their elements were matter of fact, not forced, and never once did the audience have that heart-in-your-throat feeling of "Will they? Won't they?"
Asked if it was their best performance, coach Yao Bin said, "Just about."
Savchenko and Szolkowy skated into the void when Shen and Zhao retired, winning the last two world titles. They will be the Chinese couple's biggest rivals for gold.
Despite getting slightly out of unison on their side-by-side spins, it didn't take away from the overall elegance of Savchenko and Szolkowy's "Send in the Clowns" performance. Their portrayal was spot-on, from the black teardrops on their faces to the sadness that seemed to be etched onto Savchenko's face.
The German couple lost their European title last month when she was just getting over an illness, but they are definitely back on their game. Their throw triple flip was huge, and they did nice side-by-side triple toe loops in unison -- not always their strength in the past.
Their only flaw was the unison troubles on their side-by-side flying combination spin, and they did it twice, once with the first foot and again with the second.
Kavaguti and Smirnov have made great strides in the last year, winning the world bronze medal and upsetting two-time world champs Savchenko and Szolkowy at last month's European championships. And they're definitely in the running here, with a balletic "The Swan" program that has them 2.5 points behind Shen and Zhao.
That's easy to make up in the free skate, especially if they have another performance like this. Their pairs spin was spectacular, filled with unusual positions and done with great speed. Their footwork was expressive, and nicely accompanied by swanlike fluttery hand movements.
Evora and Ladwig have never been to a world championship -- not even close -- but they left little doubt that they belonged on the big stage. Their lyrical program to music from "Love Actually" was so smooth and beautiful, the audience could be forgiven for barely noticing the tough tricks they were doing.
The couple savored every second of the program, with grins spreading across their faces after they landed their throw triple loop, their last high-risk element. Their smiles widened as the program went on, and Ladwig screamed "Yeah!" and pumped his fist several times when they finished.
Denney and Barrett's performance wasn't quite so sharp. The U.S. champions have been on an accelerated track since reuniting in June 2008 (they skated together briefly in 2006) and were ninth in their debut at the world championships last season. But she doubled their side-by-side triple toes, and not even their energy or power could make up for that major error.
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