Chan, Tuktamisheva lead in Paris

World champion Patrick Chan and Russian teen Elizaveta Tuktamisheva moved closer to clinching their tickets to the ISU Grand Prix figure skating final after leading the men's and women's short programmes in the Paris leg of the GP series here on Friday. The 20-year-old Chan overcame a tumble to score 84.16 points with China's Song Nan achieving 76.53 and Czech Michal Brezina in third on 74.32 going into Saturday's free skate final at the Trophee Eric Bompard, the fifth in the six-leg ISU GP series. Skate Canada winner Tuktamisheva performed a flawless Tango routine which belied her 14 years, scoring 62.04 points, to lead Italy's Carolina Kostner (59.70) and American Alissa Czisny (57.25), both ten years her senior. Wearing black, Tuktamisheva, Russia's hope of Olympic gold at the 2014 Sochi Games, admitted her confidence had been boosted by winning her first senior gold in Canada last month. "I skated very well and earned higher scores than Skate Canada, maybe because the judges know me now and my rating has gone up, maybe because I was more confident today," said the world junior silver medallist. Kostner has already qualified for the GP final after a win in the Cup of China and a runner-up spot in Skate America - and admitted she was weary as she performed to Allegretto by Dmitri Shostakovic. "I feel a little bit tired in my legs. Once the jumps were over I thought the most difficult part was over but I got back to reality when I tripped over my toe today," she said. Reigning Grand Prix champion Czisny is also targetting a ticket to Quebec City after winning Skate America. But her jumps were sloppy as she two-footed a triple jump combination in her performance to Edith Piaf's La Vie En Rose. "It wasn't very good, but I was still happy with the performance apart from the jumps. I want to go out and skate my best tomorrow." Earlier, Chan fell on his opening quad toeloop jump but carried on to give a strong performance to Paul Desmond's Take Five. "I'm proud of myself to get up and gather myself and do one of the best triple axels that I've done," said Chan, winner here in 2007 and 2008. Fellow Canadians Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford are in the running for the Grand Prix final as they are second behind Russian favourites Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov after the pairs short programme. A fall by Volosozhar ensured the Skate Canada winners scored below their personal best with 63.69 points as Duhamel and Radford, third in Canada, are on 61.06 after their routine to Concierto de Aranjuez. "We really want to qualify for the Grand Prix final," said Duhamel of the event from the top six skaters in each discipline from December 8-11 in Quebec City. "It's just two hours down the road from where we live so it's very important for us to qualify for this competition." Song, a bronze medallist at the Cup of China last month, punched the air in delight after achieving a season's best 76.53 for his performance to Requiem for a Dream by Clint Mansell. "Today's performance was better than the Cup of China," said the 21-year-old. But Skate America winner Brezina struggled with his jumps in his Japanese Kodo Drums routine as Japan's Nobunari Oda, runner-up in the Cup of China, is struggling in seventh, ending his hopes of the Grand Prix final. Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada took the lead after the short dance to Latin American rhythms of the Samba and Rumba ahead of last year's winners Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France. Skate Canada winners Virtue and Moir scored 71.18 with the French, runners-up in Skate America, achieving 66.52. Italy's Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte are third (64.62).