2016 Europeans - ...And Many, Many Quads (Men SP)

The men's short programme is one of the most exciting events of the European Championships even when the winner is pretty much already decided. It's all about the jumps, the speed, the extraordinary stamina the boys possess.

This is my first time seeing Matteo Rizzo, as it is for most, I'm sure. This is his first European appearance and he doesn't do a bad job at all. All the jumps are beautifully landed and the presentation, although not necessarily passionate, is alright. I appreciate the way the transitions fit the rhythm of the music. His score: 74.91. P.S.: That right there is an eruption of happiness.

I expected a funny character from Mikhail Kolyada today, but I didn't really get that. He tries to be funny, but it just looks like he's going through the motions instead of being genuine. It's probably because of the mistakes: fall on the quad Toeloop and a hand down + step out of the triple Axel. He gets 77.58 points.

This is the last competition for France's Florent Amodio

I have a confession to make: I didn't really like Florent Amodio in his glory days. Now, I can't get enough of him. His routines are always unique and entertaining, and Happy ticks the boxes for both. I wish he could have also kept the technical perfection that made him European champion back in the day. He triples out of the quad Salchow and double-foots the landing of the triple Toeloop. Love his step sequence - I'd be happy with a programme of just step sequences from him. His score: 78.28.

I almost didn't recognise Alexander Majorov dressed all in black. I'm more used to his colourful, artistic costumes. He has to look classier for Tango Amore, of course. All his jumps are good, but some of his spins are slightly slow. He also stumbles during a twizzle in the step sequence. He gets 76.34 points.

Ivan Righini has changed his music. It took me a while to register it as I kept expecting him to tell the judges they got the wrong song. But no, his programme is actually set to You Raise Me Up. Not sure I like the change, but maybe I'm too baffled. I was really looking forward to his Nessum Dorma. Anyways, he does a great job until the very end, when he finishes after the music. His score: 82.23.

Deniss Vasiljevs of Latvia gets the prize for the most entertaining fall. He loses his balance and falls on his stomach during the step sequence, but he gets up so quickly and the fall fits the rest of the routine so well, it looks like part of the choreography. Unfortunately, he also falls on the triple Flip. His sit spin though is out of this world. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, go on YouTube right now and check it out. Best spin of the competition, I would say. He gets 68.32 points.

The way Michal Brezina looks tonight is very, very fine. Dressed to impress, he's got plenty of charisma to work with and he makes Jerome Kern's song seem to have been made for him to interpret. He falls on the quad Salchow, but otherwise makes no mistakes. His transitions are delightful, really building the charm of the character. His score: 84.30.

Alexander Petrov is another Russian to debut at the Europeans. He skates to La Leyenda del Beso. He doesn't have a quad, but his triples are all good. Presentation-wise, he doesn't really seem to have his own style just yet, so it gets pretty lost in the crowd for me. He gets 76.95 points.

Russia's Maxim Kovtun skated to music by Genesis

I have to rectify something I said previously: Javier Fernandez doesn't have four quads planned for Bratislava, he has five. He lands two of them flawlessly tonight. Less flawless was the over-rotated triple Toeloop, but hey, who cares anymore? Very nice to see how much he's progressed with his spins, which used to be all over the place just a couple of years ago. His score: 102.54.

Alexei Bychenko was last season's big surprise at the Europeans, and it looks like he's bent to at least repeat the performance. His interpretation of All Alone is mesmerizing, peppered with fluid movements that emphasize the softness of the melody. He gets 84.09 points.

With music from The Scorpions, Daniel Samohin couldn't be more the opposite of his countryman even if he had done it on purpose. He's quite the surprise too, landing two quads. Unfortunately, he falls on the triple Axel. Even if he had aced it, I doubt his presentation marks would have been high enough to reach the podium even in the short. His score: 82.73.

Wearing his cool guitar shirt, Maxim Kovtun claims he can't dance, but his actions speak differently. On the other hand, his fall on the triple Axel might show he can't do that, but we know he's just had bad luck. This routine has really grown on me this season. Can't remember the last time I had this much fun watching him compete. He gets 88.09 points.

Well, I really can't say I didn't expect Javier Fernandez to finish the short first, but I'm very happy he did it setting a new personal best for him and crossing the 100 points line for the first time. Maxim Kovtun, on second, also did an awesome job. But most of all, I'm happy for Michal Brezina, who I didn't expect to finish the short on medal position.

Make sure to check the official results page of the competition to get all the whys and hows of your favourite skaters' scores: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1516/ec2016/index.htm.