PARIS - South Korea's Yu-Na Kim gave warning to her rivals that she has Olympic gold in her sights as she surged to the lead after the short programme in the season-opening ISU Paris Grand Prix here on Friday.

The 19-year-old world champion produced a flawless performance to a James Bond medley on the ice at Bercy to open up a 16.44-point lead on second-placed Yukari Nakano of Japan going into Saturday's free skate finale.

The Korean star nailed all her elements, including a triple lutz-triple toeloop combination, raising both her arms in the air in delight after her new routine proved a hit with the crowd and earned her 76.08 points.

The curtain-raiser in the first of the six-leg Grand Prix figure skating series proved less of a success however for Kim's great rival, the 2008 world champion Mao Asada of Japan.

Asada got off to a bad start when she singled her opening triple axel during her Waltz Masquerade by Khatchaturian, leaving her in third place with 58.96.

Kim achieved her first Grand Prix title in Paris in 2006 and she admitted that her past victory here has given her confidence.

"In 2006 I won here and it was my first time and I was worrying about everything. This is the second time and I feel confident," she said.

"This is my first competition of the season and I didn't make any mistakes.

"Tomorrow will be the first time to skate my free programme and I'm looking forward to it."

Asada, the winner here in 2007, paid for her mistakes.

"I know the short programme doesn't allow for any mistakes. I'll have to concentrate more tomorrow," she said.

Nakano, meanwhile, put her shoulder injury problems behind in her performance to The Phantom of the Opera, to sit second despite fluffing her opening combination jump.

"I didn't expect so much from today's performance," said the 24-year-old from Yokohama.

Earlier Czech Tomas Verner got his Olympic season off to a flying start by taking the lead after the men's short programme.

The 23-year-old performed a fast-moving routine to the music from the film Zorba the Greek to lead Japan's Nobunari Oda.

Two-time world junior champion Adam Rippon of the United States is sitting in third with French hope Brian Joubert crashing into sixth position.

Verner opened with a quadruple-triple toeloop combination, following it up with a triple axel and triple lutz, to score 81.00 points.

"I think it was quite an important step for the season, because usually my first competition starts with a total disaster," he said.

"Every time I compete now I pretend it's the Olympics."

Oda performed to Danse Macabre, scoring 79.20, while 19-year-old Rippon achieved 75.82 for his routine to Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

The Japanese skater didn't do a quadruple jump, and tearfully lamented his low programme components scores, which includes artistry and choreography.

"I was shocked. I didn't expect this, but my coach said it was because I was in the first group," he said. "I thought it was good but I have to work so much on my expression and jumping."

Oda's coach Nikolai Morozov, who led Japan's Shizuka Arakawa to the women's Olympic gold in Turin, said it was early days in the season.

"It's the first competition of the year. We'll just have to see how the other skaters do," said Morozov.

Joubert, the 2007 world champion, disappointed his home crowd with his performance to Rise by Safri Duo, scoring 72.15.

He stepped out of the second part of quad-triple toeloop combination, wobbled on the triple axel and touched down on the triple lutz, giving himself a mountain to climb as he bids to reclaim the title he won in 2006.

In pairs, Germany's two-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy are poised to reclaim the title they won here last year, leading after the short programme.

In ice dancing, Canadian's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are leading France's Nathalie Pechalat and Fabien Bourzat after two of three rounds.