• ISU European Champions Fournier Beaudry & Cizeron have only been skating together for a year, but have set their eyes firmly at the top of the podium after winning the Rhythm Dance to lead with 90.18 points, a slim margin of 0.46 points. 
• Hot favorites and three-time ISU World Champions Chock & Bates (USA) are determined to fight for gold in their fourth Olympic Games as a team. 
• The couples ranked third to fifth are separated by less than two points and the podium is within reach.
• Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier (CAN) are ranked third on 86.18 points.
• Reigning ISU World bronze medalists Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson (GBR) are fourth (85.47).
• Olympic Team bronze medalists Charlene Guignard & Marco Fabbri (ITA) sit in fifth (84.28).
• The next generation couples Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik (USA) and Marjorie Lajoie & Zachary Lagha (CAN) in 6^th and 7^th place are eager to leave their mark.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates (USA) are targeting a gold medal in Milan © Getty Images

• Chock & Bates hold the highest total score in the Free Dance (138.41 points) and overall (232.32 points).
• The highest scores achieved at Olympic Games so far were 136.15 points in the Free Dance and 226.98 points for the total score, both achieved by Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron in 2022.
• The USA have won Olympic gold in Ice Dance once in 2014 with Meryl Davis & Charlie White.
• France has two Olympic Ice Dance Champions so far: Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron (2022) and Marina Anissina & Gwendal Peizerat (2002).
• Of the 2022 Olympic Ice Dance medalists, only Cizeron is competing again, with his new partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry.
• A total of 23 Ice Dance couples representing 15 NOCs competed in the Rhythm Dance. 
• The top 20 couples after the Rhythm Dance advanced to the Free Dance.

*Photo credit: Getty Images