(March 19, 2005)

Canada had two ice dance teams in the top-10 at the 2005 International Skating Union (ISU) World Championships in Moscow.

Three-time Canadian Champions Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon improved on their eighth-place finish at last year's ISU World Championships to place seventh overall this year.

Dubreuil, 30, of Montreal, and Lauzon, 29, of Boisbriand, Que., skated an impressive free dance that was highlighted by many difficult and innovative lifts. The duo was awarded a total of 100.17 points for their free dance, which brought their combined point total to 198.98. Dubreuil and Lauzon placed fifth in the compulsory dance, eighth in the original dance and seventh in the free dance.

Canadian silver medallists Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe also moved up one spot from their 11th-place finish at the 2004 ISU World Championships, finishing 10th overall. Wing, 29, and Lowe, 30, both of Vancouver, earned a total of 92.79 points for their free dance, which also featured a number of innovative elements. Their combined point total was 180.42. Wing and Lowe finished 10th in all three portions of the event.

Taking home the gold medal for the second straisght year were Russians Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov, who had a combined point total of 227.81.

Americans Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto won the silver medal with a combined point total of 221.26.

Capturing the bronze medal was the team of Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov, of Ukraine. Although Grushina and Goncharov finished behind France's Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder to place fourth in the free dance, their combined point total was 213.95.

Delobel and Schoenfelder finished with a combined point total of 211.15, which placed them fourth overall.

The 2005 ISU World Championships continue on Saturday with the ladies free skate. Check the TV schedule for broadcasts.

See full results at www.isufs.org/events/fsevent00007859.htm.