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Papadakis, Cizeron dance to second Paris gold

France's Gabriella Papadakis (L) and Guillaume Cizeron perform during the Ice Dance short dance at the Trophee Eric Bompard ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Paris on November 11, 2016

French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron got their season off to a golden start by claiming a second title at the Grand Prix de France in Paris on Saturday. The two-time world and European champions reclaimed the title they won in 2014 but could not defend last year after 21-year-old Papadakis suffered concussion in a training accident. The Montreal-based skaters lead all the way, sealing victory with an audacious and risky free skate which saw them win by a comfortable 18.92 margin on Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue. The performance earned Papadakis and Cizeron -- who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Saturday -- the top overall score so far this season with 193.50. "We're delighted to start the season with a score like this," said Cizeron. "We felt the energy of the audience and the public reaction was very positive." They next compete in the NHK Trophy in Japan as they bid for a spot in the elite Grand Prix final at home in Marseille from December 8-10. Hubbell and Donohue are already set for Marseille after also finishing second in Skate America. In the pairs competition, Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot booked their spot in the GP final with a second gold after the Cup of Russia last week. The Germans finished 3.65-points ahead of Russia's Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov in the fourth of the six-round Grand Prix series.