OLYMPICS: Figure skating-Italy’s Guignard and Fabbri chase another Olympic bronze

MILAN – Italian ice dance duo Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri aim for more Olympic success after helping Italy win bronze in the team event.

Guignard and Fabbri delivered a composed rhythm dance to a Backstreet Boys medley on Monday, earning a score of 84.28 and ranking fifth. They are less than two points behind Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, who hold third place heading into the free dance.

The ice dance competition combines scores from the rhythm dance and the free dance, which is scheduled for Wednesday.

“I think that … it’s not a huge gap, so I think it’s possible, why not?” Fabbri said when asked about the chance of winning another bronze.

Milano Cortina marks the duo’s fourth Olympic Games, following their silver medal at last month’s European Championships.

Italy’s bronze in the team event adds to the country’s Olympic ice dance history, including medals by Barbara Fusar Poli and Maurizio Margaglio at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, and Carolina Kostner’s bronze in women’s singles at Sochi 2014.

Fusar Poli, who now coaches Guignard and Fabbri, praised their determination.

“They’re both absolutely fired up and ready to attack. We’re just a bit off the podium – which is where we belong – but it’s always better to push forward than to sit back and defend,” she told Reuters.

Monday’s rhythm dance was won by Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France, ahead of triple world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States.

The Ice Skating Arena, usually home to the local basketball team Olimpia Milano, had some empty seats, but support for Guignard and Fabbri was strong.

The crowd cheered loudly and rose to their feet for the second-to-last pair on the ice, clapping along in rhythm during their performance.

Viola Malvezzi, 25, said her family had bought tickets as a Christmas gift for her young cousin, a passionate ice-skating fan who waved white, red, and green balloons when the home duo took the ice.

“We are confident about our skaters’ potential. Maybe they are not the clear favorites, but we believe they can do it again,” Malvezzi said, with her cheeks painted in the colors of the Italian flag.

-Reporting by Elvira Pollina; Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters