BOSTON -- In the span of two minutes and 40 seconds, Canada's Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford emphatically shook off any negative feelings of a frustrating season.
Duhamel and Radford are in second place after a clean pairs short program at the world figure skating championships. And when they struck their final pose at TD Garden on Friday, Duhamel let loose with several fist pumps.
"It's the best feeling when the music ends and you know you have done your best program," Duhamel said. "I was sick and tired of ending programs feeling frustrated. Eric and I told each other that tonight, we're going to feel proud.
"That was the end of the story, we were really determined and focused."
Duhamel, from Lively, Ont., and Radford, from Balmertown, Ont., scored a personal-best 78.18 points for their skate to Ewan McGregor's "Your Song" from the musical "Moulin Rouge."
Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China are the leaders with 80.85 points. Russia's Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov, gold medallists at the 2014 Sochi Games, scored 77.13 for third.
Lubov Iliushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto were eighth while Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., were 10th.
Duhamel and Radford haven't been themselves this season, uncomfortable in their new role as front-runners. They had swept gold in every competition last season, culminating with their world title -- Canada's first in pairs since Jamie Sale and David Pelletier won in 2001.
"All their lives they had, 'let's chase, let's chase, let's chase.' And after last year it was like, 'what's next?"' said coach Bruno Marcotte, who married Duhamel last summer in Bermuda.
Duhamel and Radford finished second at the Grand Prix Final in December, and a team meeting a few weeks ago helped them reset their season, Marcotte said.
Their goal for Boston was simple: a personal best, and they achieved that by six points Friday.
"I think this was the best we've felt before stepping on the ice, and while we were on the ice getting ready to take our starting position, we finally found that focus that we had last season, and that sort of comfort zone that we haven't really been able to achieve during the rest of this season," Radford said.
The pairs free skate is set for Saturday, and the Canadians know gold is within their grasp.
They added the quad throw Salchow to their long program last season. The element, which isn't permitted in the short program, is worth major points.
Sui and Han are the only other skaters with a quad listed on their planned program.
"If we do (the long program) the best we can, I'm confident it's going to be enough to win a gold medal," said Duhamel, who won world bronze with Radford in 2013 and '14.
"If it's not, but we finish the program like we did today, we're going to be happy with any colour of medal. We came here with more personal goals. After the season we've had, we're a little bit of the underdogs coming in here, and step by step this week I think we're making a bit of a statement and (Saturday) we hope that we can make a bigger statement."
Duhamel and Radford are hoping to add a throw Axel to their program next season.
