French skaters retain ice dancing lead

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, March 20 (UPI) -- French skaters Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder own the lead after ice dancing's original dance competition at the World Figure Skating Championships.

Delobel and Schoenfelder totaled 107.98 points two-thirds of the way through the ice dancing event. Russians Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski were in second at 103.97 points.

Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (103.52 points) were in third, with Italians Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali (100.70) in fourth. Fifth place was occupied by Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (99.71).

Delobel and Schoenfelder impressed the judges most on their program component, where the French team's point total of 31.95 was by far the most awarded. Khokhlova and Novitski did edge the French in the Technical Element Score but by only 0.37 points.

The 2008 ice dancing competition concludes Friday with the free dance.