Defending champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany took a commanding lead in the pairs event on the opening day of the European Championship in Zagreb.

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They scored 70.36 points in the short programme to move ahead of Russia's Maria Muhortova and Maxim Trankov (62.73) with Ukraine's Tatiana Volosozha and Stanislav Morozov finishing third on 61.29 points.

Savchenko and Szolkowy will start Wednesday's free programme, the second of the two legs in the pairs competition, as strong favourites to retain the title they won in Warsaw last year.

Earlier, reigning champions Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder of France pipped Russia's Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin in the first of three Ice Dance legs.

Delobel and Schoenfelder scored 41.25 points in the Yankee Polka Compulsory Dance while their closest rivals, who were the runners-up in Warsaw, are second with 40.25 points.

Fellow Russians Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski are third with 37.37 points.

The Ice Dance continues on Thursday with the Original Dance event and ends on Friday with the Free Dance.

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Reuters