(Reuters) - American duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates put the finishing touches on their undefeated season with a successful defence of their ice dance title at the world figure skating championships in Montreal on Saturday.
Chock and Bates, who are getting married this year, earned 222.20 points between Friday's rhythm dance and Saturday's free dance to prevail by 2.52 points over Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (219.68), last year's bronze medallists.
The Italian pair of Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, who were in second place after Friday's free dance portion of the competition, settled for third with 216.52 points.
Chock and Bates were members of the U.S. Olympic figure skating team that learned in January they would receive a long-overdue gold medal after Russia's Kamila Valieva was banned for committing an anti-doping rule violation that rattled the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
The men's competition will conclude later on Saturday when two-time reigning champion Shoma Uno of Japan takes a 1.37 point lead over compatriot Yuma Kagiyama into the free programme. American Ilia Malinin sits third.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
