Crystal Skate

The results of the men's short programme were quite surprising. Not only did half the world gasp in surprise at Yuzuru Hanyu's score, but they were also amazed by Daisuke Murakami's astonishing debuting performance. Still, all hope is not lost for any of the skaters trying to get to the final as Murakami cannot qualify. Who will most certainly qualify though is Takahito Mura. Let's see who joins him. It's hard to watch Joshua Farris 's free skate. He entirely loses his focus after the fall on the quad Toeloop, so the only good jump is the triple Axel from the very beginning. This is one of those moments when the feel of the music ( Schindler's List ) matches the skater's own state of mind for all the wrong reasons. His score: 111.53 . Overall: 169.88 . Ross Miner from the USA Photograph: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images Asia Ross Miner  fares better despite not being able to jump a quad either. His song is Romanza  by Andrea Boccelli, which gives him ...

Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford's supremacy in the pairs' event seems tough to interrupt, but Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov are not famed for being the most lyrical pair for no reason. Let's see if they manage to get ahead and if Xiao Yu/Yang Jin are ready for their first Grand Prix Final ever. Dee Dee Leng/Simon Shnapir  never take their eyes off each other, which not only proves they have great chemistry, but also makes the presentation of Miss Saigon  more believable. They mess up every jump except the thrown triple Salchow. Their score: 92.33 . Overall: 138.24 . Mari Vartmann/Aaron van Cleave 's Concierto de Aranjuez  is lovely presented, but I'd love to see them push themselves a bit more and do some dance steps; this is Spanish music, after all. They have a couple of mistakes, mostly dodgy landings and lack of synchronicity. They get 96.67  points. Overall: 145.36 . See you in Barcelona! Photograph: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images Asia Vera Bazarova/Andrei...

Last time we saw Yuzuru Hanyu, he got our attention for all the wrong reasons. Let's hope this time skating in his home country helps him get over the nasty incident in China, because if it doesn't, his own countryman, Takahito Mura, will hurry to snatch the lead from him. Jeremy Ten 's start of the competition is not pristine. He struggles with the triple Axel and falls on the triple Flip. His score: 65.81 . South Korea's Jim Seo Kim Photograph: Kevin Lee/Getty Images Asia From the hairdo to the name, Daisuke Murakami  is a look-alike of his more famous countryman, Daisuke Takahashi. His style though is not as well defined as Takahashi's, but he is perfect technically, and his future looks good. He gets 79.68  points. Whenever Ivan Righini  skates, we have a show on our hands. His Michael Jackson routine always gets the crowd going and rightly so. On a technical level though, he has a hand down on the triple Axel and one of the spins. His score: 70.27 ....

The ladies' event in Osaka might feel like a second-hand competition given that none of the superstars are skating here, but it shouldn't be undermined. This is going to be influential for the future of Japanese figure skating as it will help decide their next leading lady. Anne Line Gjersem 's rendition of Celine Dion's Fly  is simply beautiful. The choreography lacks detailed content, but she lands all the jumps cleanly. Her score: 49.09 . Norway's Anne Line Gjersem Photograph: Kevin Lee/Getty Images Asia Anna Ovcharova , who is Russian-born, made a clever choice when she opted to skate for Switzerland, a country which needs individual skaters as of late. She falls on the double Toeloop. She gets 45.83  points. Riona Kato , Japan's host pick, is one of those skaters who interprets with her body, but shows no emotion on her face. She also falls on the triple Flip. Her score: 50.87 . It's a shame, but I've learnt to expect bad programmes tech...

The NHK Trophy is the last event of the 2014 Grand Prix Series before the final. As such, it is also one of the most important. There are still 10 empty places for the final in Barcelona which will be filled by Sunday morning. So for a lot of the top skaters competing in Osaka, the goal isn't necessarily the gold medal, but any medal that might give them enough points to travel to Spain in two weeks' time. So let's see what everyone's odds are. The men have three places left for the final; just enough for the best three contenders here. Everyone's favourite, Yuzuru Hanyu, can't be stopped even by fate, as proved by his determination to skate with a bandaged head at Cup of China, so I'm willing to bet his Grand Prix story doesn't end in Japan. Sergei Voronov is another strong skater who doesn't give up easily. Thirdly, Takahito Mura defeated the European champion last time we saw him, and is very likely to meet him again in the Spaniard's home c...

Less than a point; that is the difference between two of Russia's most successful skaters: Elena Radionova and Julia Liptniskaia. With so little standing between them, they will both have to keep their wits about them if they want to win. More so as every mistake they make will be a boost forward for the magnificent Ashley Wagner. Laurine Lecavelier , the host's pick, is first to go. Her music is beautiful, but the interpretation lacks conviction. Technically, her biggest mistake is the fall on the double Toeloop, but there are lots of smaller mistakes too. Her score: 95.51 . Overall: 139.54 . Funny Girl  is a big theme for someone as new on the scene as Veronik Mallet  to perform flawlessly. I commend her, however, on her effort on choosing the costume and those tap dance moves from the step sequence. She gets 94.57  points. Overall: 139.64 . Giselle aka Haruka Imai Photograph: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images Europe Eliska Brezinova  is feeling better on Frenc...

Tonight's dance final will surely be a preview of the epic battles we'll witness in years to come, as all the top couples competing here have what it takes to become tomorrow's superstars. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron might even achieve that status tonight if they manage to win the French Grand Prix. As for Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier versus Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, their countries' rivalry has been taking figure skating to a new level for years now, and there's no reason for them not to continue the tradition. Rebeka Kim/Kirill Minov  are still too fresh on the senior stage to pull off that vital chemistry that have made other Phantom of the Opera  routines mind-blowing. They also have a mishap here as she falls out of the blue during a transition. Their score: 70.29 . Overall: 115.95 . I'm still waiting for Alexandra Paul/Mitchell Islam 's breakthrough moment. I used to think it might be brought about by more daring routines,...

It's time for the new Chinese pairs to make a name for themselves, or at least that's what the short programme results seem to imply. Wenjing Sui and Cong Han are very close to winning their second silver medal of the season, while Xuehan Wang and Lei Wang would also like another bronze-worthy performance after Cup of China. The gold is undoubtedly going to stay in the hands of Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov. Failed death spirals are a rare sight in figure skating, but unluckily for Miriam Ziegler/Severin Kiefer , they add one to their luggage of technical mistakes today. The fault lies with her as she loses her edge. Their score: 88.91 . Overall: 139.92 . Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro 's costumes are fabulous, depicting disintegrating chessboards. Only one mistake here, his hand down on the side-by-side triple Salchows. They get 108.06  points. Overall: 159.13 . Nicole della Monica/Matteo Guarise  have the same presentation problem as in the short. She is j...

After defeating the world champions merely two weeks ago, France's new ice dance couple, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, are certain to win their first French Grand Prix gold in Bordeaux. The second and third places will most likely go to Canada and the US. Paso doble doesn't get more authentic than Sara Hurtado/Adria Diaz 's version. They know exactly what it is about, being from Spain and all, so it makes me wonder if his strange pants are how a toreador's pants should really look like. Their score: 57.64 . Alexandra Paul/Mitchell Islam  are amazingly fast, which makes their routine masterful and difficult. My only problem with them is that they do the same circular lift in every short programme. They get 55.17  points. Last time we saw Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri , they were close to disastrous. Their paso doble is much improved here, especially on the mirrored twizzles. Their score:  56.57 . Gilles & Poirier's gorgeous costumes Photog...

Tatsuki Machida is fresh off his Skate America victory, but Denis Ten and Maxim Kovtun have a lot to prove, so anything can happen in the men's event. Here we go: Adam Rippon  is much better today than he was at Skate Canada. Tuxedo Junction  suits him perfectly, offering him the chance to go wild without losing charm. Just one question: where is the tuxedo? His score: 76.98 . Denis Ten's Butterfly Photograph: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images Europe Chafik Besseghier  is using last season's short routine and it is still as brilliant as ever. The graffiti-ed costume is still a masterpiece and the breakdown dance moves are still impressive. He's flawless on a technical level as well. He gets 78.22  points. Konstantin Menshov 's Rotten Romance  has an air of desperation and angst about it that the Russian sells very well. His stamina must be incredible because there's not a single moment of rest in the choreography, but he doesn't look exhausted. His score...

Lipnitskaia and Radionova are as different as night and day, so this, their first direct confrontation of the season, is definitely exciting. Maria Artemieva  looks more experienced today than she did at Rostelecom. She can't do anything wrong here. Great start of the competition. Her score: 58.38 . From the yellow costume to the title of the music ( Butterflies Are Free ), everything announces an exceptional presentation by Anna Ovcharova . She doesn't fall far from our expectations, but her elements are not as sharp as they could be. She gets 50.15  points. Mae Berenice Meite 's short routine is just the right amount of delicate to balance the challenging bits. Delicate because of the gospel music, challenging because of the rhythm set by the drums. Her score: 57.61 . Latin music can be very difficult to express if you're a single skater because the elements don't give you enough space to explore the rhythm. However, Samantha Cesario  maintains the rapid p...

There wasn't a lot of groundbreaking action in the pairs' events at this Grand Prix, and the spell is unlikely to be broken in Bordeaux. Stolbova & Klimov have virtually no rivals, while the second and third places will certainly be occupied by someone who's never been on the Eric Bompard podium. But who exactly? Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro  start the competition with a visibly shakier Cell Block Tango than at Skate Canada. She falls on the thrown triple Loop, and he struggles with the exit of the second lift. Their score: 51.07 . Xuehan Wang/Lei Wang 's theme couldn't be vaguer. Their song title simply says: Romance. Overall, they are however better than the Americans because they have no technical errors. They get 63.25  points. Stolbova & Klimov's death spiral Photograph: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images Europe Miriam Ziegler/Severin Kiefer 's C'est pas l'amour  and Zydeko  couldn't be more appropriate for a French crowd...

The poster for the 2014 Trophee Eric Bompard looks like the cover of a best-selling novel. It's by far the most stylish poster of the Grand Prix series, and why shouldn't it be? France has always been the place where beauty and elegance thrive. Thus it's the perfect venue for a figure skating competition to be held in. The poster also boasts with 'the best skaters in the world', which might be a bit far fetched as the only World champions supposed to compete in Bordeaux, Cappellini and Lanotte, withdrew a week ago. But this is ice skating and 'best in the world' doesn't just mean World title holders. The Poster Photograph: International Skating Union The category that gets the closest to the advertised 'créme de la créme' is the ladies'. Julia Lipnitskaia and Elena Radionova are both competing here - yey, I'm getting my wish of seeing them face each other! Consequently, Ashley Wagner might be scowling at her lucky stars because it...

Madison Chock and Evan Bates have secured themselves a first place, it seems, but Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin might just get a bust of energy from the crowd and move a step. The European bronze medalists, Penny Coomes and Nicholas Bucland, are on third. There are too many Phantom of the Opera  programmes for Rebeka Kim/Kirill Minov 's version to leave a mark. The lifts are not very difficult and the spins are really slow. Their score: 72.13 . Overall: 118.27 . The same argument can be brought about Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker 's Romeo and Juliet . The difference is that the Americans don't go for the obvious songs, which makes the theme seem fresh. The speed and lifts are better too. They get 83.47  points. Overall: 136.33 . Chock/Bates are reaching higher than ever this season Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America In comparison, Alexandra Alridge/Daniel Eaton 's Gone with the Wind  has rarely been portrayed by skaters. However, th...

If Javier Fernandez and Sergei Voronov can keep up the pace they set themselves at yesterday, this final is going to be a battle of epic proportions. On third and fourth, Kozuka and Brezina are also fresh off their best performances this season and it would be a welcome change to see them continue in the same way. Ivan Righini  has excellent taste in music. After a Michael Jackson routine, today he skates to the music of another icon, Frank Sinatra. The ladies in the audience are more than enchanted, but the judges won't be pleased with his elements. His score: 125.33 . Overall: 195.07 . Artur Gachinski is still in a dry-spell Photograph: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images Europe Stephen Carriere  is so expressive you get the impression he's not looking at the audience or the judges or the rink, but that he's living inside the story he's telling. Unluckily, there are so many errors from him today. He gets 129.04  points. Overall: 201.24 . Hallelujah  is a difficult...

There's a lot to be proud of in the pairs' event if you're Russian, or if your favourites are any of the top three pairs, for that matter. Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov are unlikely to move from their first place, as are E. Tarasova and V. Morozov from their second. Thirdly, K. Astakhova and A. Rogonov might just take a medal at their first senior competition. Maybe it's because they're a new pair, but Dee Dee Leng/Simon Shnapir 's routine is not ambitious at all - they attempt only a thrown double Loop. They also fall on the side-by-side triple Salchows, lose unison in the side-by-side spins and she puts the hand down on the thrown triple Salchow. The theme choice, Miss Saigon , was clever though because they couldn't look their parts better. Their score: 83.26 . Overall: 128.68 . It's not looking good for Narumi Takahashi/Ryuichi Kihara . Something has definitely happened in the past two seasons to her because she just can't land the side-by...

We must start the ladies' final event with sad news: Joshi Helgesson has injured her ankle and has withdrawn as a consequence. We wish her all the best. Now, about the current affair of things: this might just be Alaine Chartrand's day of glory, but don't write Anna Pogorilaya off so fast. Same as yesterday, Eliska Brezinova 's presentation doesn't come through. She looks tired and slow, and there is just one bit of choreography relevant to The 13th Warrior . It isn't better technically with only six triples and two of those messy. Her score: 87.40 . Overall: 134.04 . Les Miserbales  by Miyabi Oda Photograph: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images Asia Miyabi Oda  is having a much better day. She has no errors whatsoever and her interpretation of Les Miserbales  is lovely. The dress might be a bit too glamorous for the theme though. She gets 107.81  points. Overall: 154.57 . Angela Wang 's confidence slowly decreases as the programme progresses. Her step s...

I've talked about this for way too long, but it's finally time to find out who's better: Ilinykh/Katsalapov or Sinitsina/Katsalapov. Oh no, wait, that's not right, it's Ilinykh/Zhiganshin now. It's probably going to take some time for these two couples not to be mixed up. Meanwhile, Chock/Bates have a shot at beating both of them. Let's see how it goes down. We dive head first into the action. Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov  are first to go. You can definitely see Marina Zueva's touch on their paso doble. It's complex and passionate, with lots of twists and turns, but they have trouble with the twizzles. They're in perfect unison in the step sequence though. Their score: 57.96 . Well, it's settled. At least for now, Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhiganshin  have the upper hand. It's an explosive rendition of Carmen , depicting the tragic love story perfectly. Because of the theme the costumes could have been more flamboyant, but they...

Last time we saw Javier Fernandez, he was slightly short of his best performance. Let's hope this event will give him the opportunity to prove Skate Canada was just bad luck. And what about Max Aaron and Jason Brown? They are fresh from their minor victories, but it's hard to say if they can keep it up in Moscow in front of the array of talented competitors they must face. Moris Kvitelashvili  makes for a wonderful Lestat from Interview with a Vampire . He's funny, looks like a young Dracula and is just accurate enough technically to leave us with a good impression. He falls on the triple Axel though. His score: 62.24 . Misha Ge impresses once more Photograph: Kevin Lee/Getty Images Asia The soundtrack of W.E.  is growing in popularity among skaters. Jeremy Ten  joins the group of skaters who have used it, and his version might be the first that sticks with me. You can see all the elements of the tempestuous love story and many fabulous jumps. He gets 73.91  ...

So far, the pairs' category has been the most faithful to skaters' reputation. And if there is one pair who can keep their heads in the game, it's Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov. However, after what just occurred in the ladies' short, I won't try to predict what place they'll lend after the short. I'll just wait and see what happens. This is the season of break-ups and new partnerships. Dee Dee Leng/Simon Shnapir  are another recently formed pair and it shows. Theirs is a decent routine, but it's filled with errors. Their score: 45.42 . Kristina Astakhova/Alexei Rogonov  are also making their debut here, but they show great chemistry. More importantly, they sell the raunchy sexiness Be Italian  is all about. The only problem is the lack of synchronicity in the side-by-side spins. They get 58.34  points. Bossa Nova is one of the most energetic musical styles in the world, but you wouldn't guess it by watching Narumi Takahashi/Ryuichi Kihara . ...

The only Russian wonder-child present here, Anna Pogorilaya, is a certainty for the ladies' lead. But second and third place is open for almost everyone to take. Let's see who does it. Maria Artemieva  is the first of the two skaters Russia is presenting today. I see poise and the elegance you expect from someone skating to the soundtrack of Coco Chanel , but it is very obvious that she's at the start of her career. Her step sequence is really slow and she falls on the triple Loop. Her score: 51.88 . Ashley Cain took the lead from the Russian novices Photograph: Kevin Lee/Getty Images Asia Maria Stavitskaia , the second new face, has just as much class. She is equally inexperienced, although her mistake, a hand down on the triple Loop, is less serious. Her music: Slave of Love . She gets 54.78  points. Ashley Cain 's ambition will get her far if she improves her skating skills. She aces every element, never afraid to attack them. I'm not sure that Mission ...

This year's Rostelecom Cup, hosted by Moscow, lacks significantly in Russian power. Olympic champions Adelina Sotnikova and Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov are just some of the Russian skaters who are off ice due to injury. That doesn't mean though that the event will lack in excitement, as we've got European champions, World medalists and aspiring winners competing here. Let's begin with the men's event, where the obvious winner is Javier Fernandez. However, last time we saw him the odds weren't quite working for him. But there are no mindbogglingly talented Japanese skaters here, just very ambitious Europeans. Sergei Voronov will fight for a chance at the gold, but he'll more likely end up battling Michal Brezina for a lesser spot on the podium. And what about Jason Brown? Will his successful streak continue even when faced with quadruple pros? Elena and Ruslan have passed the test; how will their rivals do? Photograph: Kevin Lee/Getty Images Asia ...

The one discipline the Chinese are acing at their own Grand Prix is the pairs. Leading are Cheng Peng/Hao Zhang, followed by Xuehan Wang/Lei Wang, who are ahead of Xiaoyu Yu/Yang Jin. But Vera Bazarova/Andrei Deputat's fourth place is just close enough to snatch a place on the podium. Arina Cherniavskaia/Antonino Souza-Kordyeru  are first to go with a fun Glenn Miller song. However, what should look like a window into a 1930 party, is just elements done to a song. No worries though, they are a new couple and they've got plenty of time to improve their chemistry. Their score: 86.71 . Overall: 133.45 . Lots of passion from Nicole della Monica/Matteo Guarise  as they skate to The Mask of Zorro . They have lots of errors though; in fact every single element has some sort of flaw. They get 102.42  points. Overall: 155.90 . Jessica Calalang/Zack Sidhu  have plenty of technical errors in addition to the interpretation of Romeo and Juliet  not being anywhere near ...