Figure Skating

MOSCOW - Russia's Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko marked his return to international competition by grabbing the lead with a flawless short programme in the Rostelecom Cup, the second stage of the ISU Grand Prix series here on Friday.

The 26-year-old Turin Games champion presented his short programme to "Concierto de Aranjuez," but despite giving an error-free presentation failed to beat his previous personal best mark as he received 82.25 points.

However, his score -- the season's second best in the world -- gave him the lead with a 6.75-point advantage on second-placed Takahiko Kozuka of Japan, whose sparkling presentation of Jimmy Hendrix's Bold As Love proved popular with the home crowd.

Johnny Weir of the United States is third with 72.57.

"It was tough, nervous but very interesting," said Plushenko, who has not competed internationally since the Turin Games.

"It was unusual to open the competition. But I'm quite satisfied with today's presentation.

"Of course there's still plenty of slight details that should be improved but for the first time, I performed not bad at all."

In the ladies' competition, Hungary's Julia Sebestyen leads after the short with 57.94 points, ahead of American Alissa Czisny (57.64), who resides in second and Japan's Miki Ando (57.18), who is third. Japan's Mao Asada struggled with her short program for a second straight week and sits is sixth with a score of 51.94.

Chinese duo Pang Qing and Tong Jian jumped into the lead in the pairs with a solid presentation of The Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet, earning 65.40 points.

Russia's Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov paid for serious mistakes in their presentation of Camille Saint-Saens' The Swan which cost them a point deduction (61.62).

American pair Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker are challenging the Russians closely in third with 61.34.

America's Meryl Davis and Charlie White dominated ice dancing after the compulsory and original dances in the absence of reigning world champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia, who withdrew with Shabalin's knee injury.

Davis and White, of Michigan, scored 62.21 for their Indian folk dance in the original program, adding to their compulsory mark for a 100.08 total.

Italy's Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte fiinished almost 15 marks behind the strong Americans to end their day in second with 85.31 points, while Russia's Ekaterina Rubleva and Ivan Shefer scored 81.25 in front of a home crowd to finish the day in third.

Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, Canada's only ice dance team in the competition, remained fourth after their Flamenco-themed original dance with a total score of 78.39.