TALLINN, Estonia — Italian ice dancers Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri are inching closer to achieving their third consecutive title as the European figure skating championships progressed on Friday. The skating world is grappling with the tragic aftermath of a recent mid-air collision involving a jet and a helicopter near Washington, D.C., which resulted in a number of deaths, including many in the skating community, such as skaters, coaches, and their loved ones.

In their rhythm dance performance, Guignard and Fabbri earned a score of 84.23 points, showcasing their skills to a medley that included tracks by renowned artists like Stevie Wonder. This performance has positioned them almost 1.5 points ahead of France’s Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud, who currently hold the second place.

British duo Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson are in third with a score of 81.57, despite facing challenges during their opening twizzle element, which caused them to fall out of sync.

The European championships commenced on Wednesday and have proceeded despite the heart-wrenching news of the deaths of young skaters, their coaches, and family members in the incident while returning from a U.S. national development camp tailored for promising young talents.

Later on Friday, the women’s free skate is set to take place, where Anastasiia Gubanova from Georgia currently leads after the short program.