Chan leads Paris figure skating championship

World champion Patrick Chan fell on his quad jump but held on to lead after the short programme as he opened his bid for a third ISU Paris Grand Prix figure skating title here on Friday. The 20-year-old has a 7.63-point advantage on China's Song Nan with Czech Michal Brezina nearly ten points behind the Canadian in third going into Saturday's free skating final at the Trophee Eric Bompard. Chan, bidding to seal his berth in the elite ISU Grand Prix final in his native Canada next month, 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. "Overall the programme was good but it will be better next time. It's a positive achievement because I've done better than Skate Canada." Chan had needed a come-from-behind victory in the free skate to seal gold after trailing in the short programme at Skate Canada. 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. "I felt smoother in my elements and my peformance. I've changed my technique so it's become more consistent this year. I feel better about the quad and was able to do it in my programme." But Skate America winner Brezina, also bidding for a Grand Prix final ticket, struggled with his jumps in his Japanese Kodo Drums routine. "I can't compare it to Skate America," said the 21-year-old. "It's a little bit embarrassing for me. I don't usually have problems with triple-triple combinations. I just want to forget about it and focus on tomorrow." Japan's Nobunari Oda, runner-up in the Cup of China, is struggling in seventh after a sloppy routine which included a fall saw him score nearly 15 points less than his season's best, ending his hopes of the Grand Prix final. Skaters compete in at least two events with the top six in each discipline - men, women, pairs and ice dancing - qualifying for the final. In the ladies event Italy's Carolina Kostner, American Alissa Czisny and rising Russian star Elizaveta Tuktamisheva take to the ice later Friday. Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are looking for their second Paris title after 2009 with Russia's Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov favourites in the pairs after winning Skate America. Short programmes are being staged Friday with free skate finals Saturday in this the fifth and penultimate leg of the ISU Grand Prix series.