Figure Skating: Italians Narrowly Win World Dance

European champions Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy held on to their overnight lead to win the world ice dance title by just two hundredths of a point Saturday.

Canada's Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje finished second and Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France third, just 0.06 points off the winners at the world figure skating championships in Saitama, Japan.

The Italians, sixth at last month's Sochi Olympics, scored 105.73 points, the fourth best in the free dance, to finish on 175.43 points overall with a 0.5-point cushion over Weaver and Poje from the short dance.

The Canadians, seventh in Sochi, marked the third best free skate score of 106.21 points to end on an aggregate of 175.41.

Pechalat and Bourzat, the 2011 and 2012 European champions set to retire after the worlds, scored 107.17 in the free skate for a total of 175.37.

Russia's Olympic bronze medalists Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov topped the free skate table with 108.71 points to finish fourth overall, moving up from the fifth spot they earned in an error-hit short program.

"We have no words. We are shocked," Cappellini, 27, said after the title went to her and Lanotte for their performance to the music of "Overture from Barber of Seville".

"We can't ask for anything more than this. We come after a really long season, really tiring season."

Lanotte said: "We lived our dream tonight."

It was the third world championship gold medal for Italy following the 2001 ice dance title won by Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio and the 2012 women's singles title won by Carolina Kostner.

The Olympic and world gold and silver medals had been monopolized by two couples since 2010 -- Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States and Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.

But Davis and White, who triumphed in Sochi, and Virtue and Moir skipped the 2014 worlds to assess their futures.

"It's so emotional and I think it's just opening a new door for us," said Weaver, 24.

She and Poje have been runners-up to Virtue and Moir at Canada's nationals since 2010.

It was also an emotional day for the French duo.

"We told ourselves this is the last time and we want to skate with our hearts. And this is what we did," said Bourzat, 33.

Asked what will be on her agenda hereafter, Pechalat, 30, said: "Holidays. Shows. Holidays."

"The most important thing for me is that I don't have to wake up anymore thinking about ice skating."