It’s Olympics redux in world dance compulsories

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No surprise here: The top two couples on the 2010 Olympic podium immediately moved into the same positions after Tuesday’s compulsory phase of the ice dance competition at the World Figure Skating Championships in Turin, Italy. Olympic gold medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada won what likely was the last compulsory dance in history with 44.13 points, followed by silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States at 43.25. Italians Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali of Italy were third at 40.85.

The Olympic bronze medalists, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia, are not defending their 2009 world title.

The No. 2 U.S. couple, Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates, were 10th. The finishes of the top two U.S. teams must add up to 13 or fewer for their country to have three dance spots at the 2011 worlds.

Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre of the U.S. were 14th in compulsories.

The original dance phase is Thursday, with the free dance final Friday.

The International Skating Union is expected to do away with compulsory dance in a vote at its upcoming biennial Congress. Ice dance would become a two-phase event, with an amalgam of compulsory and original dance replacing the current first two phases.

-- Philip Hersh