Shen and Zhao serve treat

The Chinese husband-and-wife team, who have come out of retirement to make a fourth attempt at winning the top prize, had almost 14,000 pairs of eyes transfixed on their every move as they effortlessly glided around the ice to earn 76.66 points.

"I feel very happy today because we put in a very good performance, it's probably a gift for Valentine's Day," Zhao said.

"Today is just the short programme, tomorrow will be more important and hopefully tomorrow we will put in as good a performance as today."

Gliding around to the haunting melody of "Who Wants to Live Forever" by rock group Queen, they nailed their eight elements to earn a record score for the short programme.

Shen and Zhao, twice Olympic bronze medallists, are the sentimental favourites to break Russian domination in the pairs event which stretches back to the 1964 Innsbruck Games.

But double world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy are just 0.7 points behind with Russia's Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov also within striking distance on 74.16

2006 Turin silver medallists Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao are fifth on 71.28, just behind fellow Chinese Pang Qing and Tong Jian (71.50).

Kavaguti and Smirnov said they were considering attempting a rare quad throw in Monday's free skate to lift themselves further up the podium.

"After the press conference we are going to have dinner and then decide what to do tomorrow," Kavaguti said when asked if they would put in the quad.

The first couple to successfully land a quad throw in competition were Americans Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent in 2007.

British champions Stacey Kemp and David King currently lie 16th after collecting 48.28 points.

Pre-routine nerves were evident but their performance passed off without any of the hitches that have plagued the duo's season, who finished sixth at the European Championships in 2008.

King revealed the duo are desperate to jump in when they take to the ice for Monday's free skate.

"We've been waiting for this moment for five years and we just wanted to get out there and skate cleanly," said King.

"We've made a lot of stupid mistakes recently. We missed the death spiral at Skate America and the side by side spin at the European Championships, so it was nice to do each element well.

"We've nothing to lose, we just have to go out and carry through everything we've been working on in training."