Crystal Skate

Figure skating used to be a sport safe for bets. The few extremely talented would get to the top and stay there for as long as they wanted. That was then, and this is now, and I wouldn't go back for the world. Because now we have enough excellent skaters to fill every inch of the ice were they all crammed together. Now, it's a jungle out there in the best of ways, because tough competition makes legends. Nowhere is this as obvious as in the ladies' discipline. Stay tuned for the best of Japan, Russia and the USA tonight in Barcelona. We start in great style with Ashley Wagner . Love the sparkling black outfit looking like the perfect little dress to wear to a party. Unfortunately, she steps out of the triple Flip, falls on the triple Toeloop and likely under-rotates the triple Loop. Her score: 60.04 . Elena Radionova skating to Je T'aime  by Lara Fabian Elena Radionova  has matured so much since last season, I forgot she's still only 16. This short programme...

Six events, six countries, tens of talented skaters, and it's all wrapping up in a three-day final that is sure to be spectacular. Welcome to Barcelona and the 2015 figure skating Grand Prix Final! The boy's event is undoubtedly going to be the most thrilling. It reunites three great rivals for the first time in two years: Yuzuru Hanyu, Javier Fernandez and Patrick Chan. After the Japanese's record-breaking performance in Nagano a couple of weeks ago, it's not hard to see the balance leaning in his favour. But you can never be sure of anything in figure skating, so let's see what happens: The fact that Daisuke Murakami  is the underdog here shows what a high level figure skating is at right now. Despite the hand on the ice on the triple Lutz and doubling out of the triple Toeloop, his artistry is sublime. The song is Bring Him Home  by Josh Groban. His score: 83.47 . Patrick Chan 's style is more relaxed than ever, but maybe that's a problem. Or maybe ...

Three weeks ago, in Beijing, Mao Asada was almost defeated by a younger Japanese skate. This time, she has another fierce co-national to face, and Satoko Miyahara seems more than capable to take her on. What about Ashley Wagner and Anna Pogorilaya? The first to skate here in Nagano is Kaetlyn Osmond . Life is still a little blue for her as she falls on the triple Lutz and doubles out of the triple Toeloop. Nonetheless, it's an improvement since last time we saw her. Her score: 57.07 . Mariko Kihara  skates to Sakura Sakura , showing us a fully Japanese programme. The music is inspiring and the choreography is beautiful. She's got potential, even though she falls on the second triple Toeloop. She gets 54.96  points. Maria Artemieva  looks very elegant, despite the simplicity of the gray and pink dress. The style matches beautifully with Etta James' At Last . She falls on the triple Lutz though. Her score: 55.68 . Zijun Li 's programme is very tranquil. Despite on...

The second short programme from Nagano, that of the boys, is bound to bring the home crowd on their feet because it features figure skating's golden boy, Japan's very own Yuzuru Hanyu. The Olympic champion hasn't had the best of seasons, finishing sixth after the short programme at Skate Canada. Still, he is undeniably the favourite here, competing against Maxim Kovtun, Takahito Mura and China's new star, Boyang Jin. There's a softness to Grant Hochstein 's routine that not many boys can interpet. The music, Due Tramonti  by Ludovico Einaudi, is absolutely beautiful. His use of arms is quite balletic, but he doubles out of the triple Toeloop. His score: 74.30 . Elladj Balde  has a lot of swagger, but double-foots the quad Toeloop. He skates to Duke Ellington's Echoes of Harlem , which would fall flat in the hands of other skaters. He gets 69.47 points. Keiji Tanaka  is the first Japanese of the day. The choreography is full of accurate tango moves, wh...

The NHK Trophy 2015, held this year in Nagano, was supposed to bring the most anticipated pair duel on the ice: Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford versus Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov. However, due to an injury suffered by Tatiana, the Russian skaters had to withdraw. This leaves the Canadians' way to the gold medal absolutely unobstructed, but raises a question as to who will climb on the other two steps of the podium. Amani Fancy/Christopher Boyadji  skate to La Vie en Rose , but the presentation is missing a spark. The dark costumes don't help with the mood either. Technically, she puts a hand down on both jumps. Their score: 42.52 . Vera Bazarova/Andrei Deputat  seem stronger than I've ever seen them, to be honest. The music is Nocturne No. 2  by Chopin. Love the transition out of the thrown triple Loop and into the death spiral. They get 64.06  points. Jessica Calalang/Zack Sidhu 's choreography is very clever. It's a Man's, Man's World  is a song ful...

The most exciting news about Rostelecom Cup 2015 is that Adelina Sotnikova returns to competition. The Olympic champion suffered from a nasty ankle injury last season which forced her to take the entire year off. Now that she's back, there are a lot of questions on everyone's mind. The most important is: how will she fare against Russia's fresh new stars? The first to skate is Hannah Miller from the US. Absolutely gorgeous purple costume covered in Arabic embellishments, as befitting Arabesque . She double-foots the triple Flip and steps out of the double Axel. Her score: 47.98 . Dasa Grm  is the first skater to perform on music by Hugh Laurie (Dr. House), as far as I know. She's also wearing an unusually long dress for the ladies' discipline, which makes her stand out fashion-wise. She's very nervous at the start, and singles the triple Lutz. All in all, I see potential. She gets 44.72  points. Riona Kato  is also very nervous because this is her first G...

The pairs' short programme is the third event of the competition. Historically, this has been the least prone to surprises from the four disciplines of figure skating, and today is unlikely to change that. There are simply no pairs on the list who can shockingly defeat Stolbova/Klimov or Kavaguti/Smirnov or even Peng/Zhang. The centre-rink battle, therefore, will be held among these three power houses. We're off with a brand new pair: Hayleigh Bell/Rudi Swiegers . I'm not sure their music, November Rain  by Guns and Roses, is very 'skatable.' The first half of the song seems hard to follow because of the monotonous pace of the music; the second has a lot more nuances. He falls on the triple Toeloop. Their score: 46.53 . I have to say I'm not as excited about Natalja Zabijako/Alexander Enbert 's routine as everyone else. Maybe it's because I don't understand Russian (although that's never stopped me before), but I find their song very disengag...

The men's short programme is set to bring less drama than the short dance on the ice. There is a clear favourite here: Javier Fernandez; and he hasn't got many direct rivals. In fact, the only one I can think of is Sergei Voronov, but last time these two met, the difference between them was of 50 points, which makes the Russian very unlikely to pose a threat in Moscow. The first skater, Mikhail Kolyada , has a very dance-like routine: a combo of tango and foxtrot. Not a lot of dance comes through though, but he does seem like a funny character. The crowd loves him despite the fall on the quad. His score: 79.64 . Did you know Ivan Righini  is from Moscow? The Russian-turned-Italian steps out of the triple Axel and falls on the quad Toeloop. Presentation-wise, I love how the intensity slowly builds to the climax, which is emphasized by the final spin - clever choreography. Much better than last time we saw him, when the performance was swallowed by the errors. He gets 68.90 ...

It's day one of the 2015 Rostelecom Cup, and as all the attention is directed at the skaters, Russian fans must be at a loss. Who to cheer for - Sinitsina/Katsalapov or Ilinikh/Zighansin? Past history aside, they're the best the host has got competing in Moscow, and the decision must be hard. Not that picking a favourite couple for the gold medal is any easier. Weaver/Poje and Cappellini/Lanotte have both been outstanding this season. The ruling will likely be in the details. We start with Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov , who are very literally at home in Moscow. Their routine is a classic Russian waltz with music by Tchaikovski and balletic costumes. Although elegant, it's not as sharp as at Skate America. The twizzles, in particular, are messy. Their score: 63.63 . Rebeka Kim/Kirill Minov  choose a Parisian theme for the short. Not good, not bad, they have a few cute moments in the choreography. Nice twizzles and rotational lift. They get 51.83  points. Elena ...

Russia has always brought great, sometimes outstanding, figure skating on the ice. It's no wonder then that every time the sport returns to Moscow, it feels as if it's returning to its roots. Lately, Russian figure skating has been all about young people doing extraordinary things. We're going to get a chance to see some of them this weekend. Let's start with the ladies. The biggest event of the competition is the comeback of Adelina Sotnikova. She's got a lot to prove in the eyes of many, as this is her first competition after the Olympic controversy. Personally, I just can't wait to see her back on the ice and I hope she can face the pressure with the same strength of character she's always had. She'll be competing against Elena Radionova, the happy, chirpy teenager who's also famous for knowing how to keep her cool in tough situations. The Olympic champion's second rival is Evgenia Medvedeva, who won Skate America, thus raising the number of...

Welcome to the 2014 Trophee Eric Bompard v. 2.0. This season, the event will take place in Bordeaux, in the exact city and venue (Meriadeck Ice Rink) it took place in last year. Even the hotel the skaters are staying at is the same. The poster still looks like a book cover and maybe the Kiss & Cry will be similar to last year's too. All in all, in terms of the event organisation, there is nothing new here. When it comes to the rooster of skaters, though, we will see some season debuts, but nothing too crazy. The event's beautiful poster Photo: ISU The most exciting to watch will probably be Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov. The undisputed Olympic champions are back swinging if we're to judge by their choices of programme: Bollywood for the short and Dracula  for the long. They're also newlyweds, so the chemistry between them will be off the charts. Artistically more impressive, it will be interesting to see how they fare on a technical level with the Canadi...

The free dance of the Cup of the China 2015 starts with a withdrawal: Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker from the United States have had to call it quits. In their absence, there is an opportunity for Testa/Csolley to make a lasting impression, although given that the Americans were never threatening the podium, the Slovaks can't possibly get a medal. Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu  are first to skate. This is the second time I see their Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon  routine, and I still really like it. You can tell they're more comfortable doing something culturally relevant than the Ravensburg waltz. The twizzles are out of sync though. Their score: 76.09 . Overall: 126.73 . Federica Testa/Lucas Csolley 's Malena  seems really long, but not in a bad way. The medley of songs make the routine complex and tell the full story from the merry beginning to the tragic end. They get 82.27  points. Overall: 136.17 . Elena Ilinkyh/Ruslan Zhiganshin 's costumes are great. You can i...

The man's event in Beijing doesn't seem set up to produce any major surprises, but past experience has taught us figure skating is often disguised as a certainty, only to end in shocking results. We start with someone I don't know skating to a song I've never heard of:  Grant Hochstein   and Due Tramonti  by Ludovico Einaudi. The music is beautiful and the presentation, delicate. Unfortunately, he messes up the quad and steps out of the triple Toeloop. His score: 74.27 . I don't know what happened When Michael Met Mozart , but when Nan Song  met Beijing 2015, he aced it. Love the intricate choreography and how it mirrors the many nuances of the music. The only mistake is doubling out of the triple Toeloop. He gets 76.46  points. It used to be that when a new Russian skater made his debut, alarm bells would ring in our heads. That's not the case here with Moris Kvitelashvili , who falls on the triple Axel and steps out of both the quad and the triple Toeloo...

Whenever a legend returns to the ice, the event is watched by hundreds of eyes - the rivals, who wonder if their own positions are threatened, the fans, who await impatiently to see their favourite shine again, and the judges, who get ready to witness something great. I have no doubt that a lot of eyes are turned towards Beijing today, as Mao Asada prepares to get back in the game. But before that happens, let's see how the other contestants perform: Rika Hongo is Japan's newest start Photogaph: Lintao Zhao / Getty Images Asia This is a big day for Lu Zheng as well, as she debuts on senior ice. Unfortunately, she doesn't yet have the grace to express the beautiful fragility of Amelie . Her score: 47.23 . Ziquan Zhao 's interpretation of Caravan  is practically nonexistent. She is technically a little sharper than her co-patriot though. She gets 48.66  points. Zijun Li  is China's favourite skater, and you can see why. She is the only Chinese to actually p...

Cup of China sets off as the first important competition of the season for not just two big names, but four: Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte of Italy and Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhianshin of Russia. I'm very curious about their new routines, and I can't wait to see how they perform against the USA's best. Yue Zhao/Xun Zheng 's routine looks taken straight out of a fairytale. I love his green velvet costume, but not so much her dress (it doesn't look as sophisticated). Good twizzles and lift, even though the latter isn't very difficult. Their score: 51.02 . Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu 's short dance takes a whole different direction. Their costumes look more fit for a Latino song, and although the song is one of the best ever written ( Piano Man  by Billy Joel), they do not interpret its sadness at all. They get 50.64  points. Federica Testa/Lucas Csolley 's presentation is miles away from that of the Chinese. The Slovaks are graceful and elegant, a gentleman a...

Has anyone else noticed that some Grand Prix events are changing their name? You probably have, and you're probably already aware that it's because the sponsors are changing. So Hilton HHonors Skate America became Progressive Skate America, and the Lexus Cup of China has switched to the Audi Cup of China. The name change doesn't really have much importance unless you want to discuss finance and politics, which I really don't, but I thought I'd at least acknowledge it. Another change we'll witness this season in Beijing, where the competition is held, has to do with German pair skating. No, it doesn't concern Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot (both officially German skaters now), but another, less troubled pair: Mari Vartmann/Rubert Blommaert. The two got together at the beginning of the season, after splitting up with their former partners Aaron van Cleave and Annabelle Proelss. The rest of the pair rooster doesn't bring any surprises on the ice. Wenji...

The waltz part of this event left us dreaming about handsome princes spinning their ladies in brilliant ballrooms, but the competition gets real tonight. Canada, the US and Russia are the top three couples right now. Will their order change? Elisabeth Paradis/Francois-Xavier Ouelette  skate to the peaceful Bridge Over Troubled Water . Their minimalist outfits go very well with the style of the music. Their score: 83.28 . Overall: 131.05 . Another simple routine, from Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Nicolaj Sorensen . Their is more dramatic, but the lifts and step sequence could be more difficult. He messes up the twizzles again. Unluckily, he also cuts his finger. They get 81.29  points. Overall: 134.94 . This is the first time Ksenia Monko/Kirill Khaliavin  have stood out for me. The routine is dark, but uplifting, modern, but epic. The lifts are daring even though they are not very complicated. Their s 90.13 . Overall: 147.57 . Kaitlyn & Andrew look at the Canadi...

This may be just a Grand Prix event, but the stakes are as high as ever because the competition is fierce.Half of the ladies competing today have a chance at the podium, which means they will be ready to give their best on the ice. This is going to be a thrilling final. Elizabet Tursynabaeva  is off to a nervous start and misses the initial combination. Her prayers are heard though, and she finishes without error. Her score: 115.32 . Overall: 165.16 . Isabelle Olsson  dives right into Summer  by Antonio Vivaldi, and that is the problem. She rushes everything, which makes her put her hand down on the first triple Lutz and both triple Salchows. She gets 91.35  points. Overall: 141.58 . I'm not quite sure what the concept behind Alena Leonova 's free skate is. It seems to be about a good girl gone bad from the '60s. Technically, she double-foots the second triple Toeloop and misses the triple Salchow. Her score: 108.29 . Overall: 160.37 . Veronik Mallet  sk...

It's time to get ourselves in the ballroom! This season's imposed rhythms for the ice-dancers' short programme are waltz combined with march/polka, so expect to see lots of gorgeous gowns and men in tuxedos and military uniforms. Cue sadness! Elisabeth Paradis/Francois-Xavier Ouelette  tell the story of a soldier who dies in battle and the girl left at home waiting for him. The first half of it is quite touching, but the song they use for the march takes something away from the melancholy mood. The lift is also messy as he loses his balance mid-way - luckily, no fall. Their score: 47.77 . Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev  skate very early due to missing last season entirely because of a serious injury. Their waltz is beautiful, but because they do classical music 90% of the time, I feel like I've seen it before. It just doesn't stand out to me. They get 64.38  points. Best waltz costumes of the season? Yes, I believe so! Photograph: Skate Canada Internatio...

It is becoming increasingly frequent that figure skating competitions count so many astonishing skaters, it's really hard to predict an outcome. This is, of course, great news for the sport itself, so let's enjoy what some of the best ladies of the US, Russia and Japan have to offer today in Lethbridge. The first to skate is Kaetlyn Osmond , who we've missed a lot last season. She was out last year due to health issues, and her start here is also unfortunate. She falls on the death drop into the first spin, which throws her off and makes her also fall on the double Axel. Her score: 59.21 . Veronik Mallet  skates to Waltz No. 7  by Frederic Chopin. It's pretty, but not flawless - the second triple Toeloop is double-footed. Love the ribbon in her hair. She gets 52.17  points. Isabelle Olsson  seems to set her goals by choosing Beyonce's I Was Here . She timed it perfectly, as this is her first important senior competition. She is also trained by her mot...

There are some things you can rely on in figure skating: that Canada will make a trailer for its competitions, that Canadian fans are extraordinary and, lately, that Canadian pair skaters are going to smash their rivals wherever they go. Welcome to Skate Canada International 2015, the pairs' short programme. We start the competition with the first outing of a brand new partnership: Melissa Castelli/Mervin Tran . The two skate to Summertime  by B. Walsh. Their side-by-side triple Salchows are slightly out of synch, but otherwise, this is a decent programme. Their score: 61.85 . Vanessa Grenier/Maxime Deschamps  skate to Por Una Cabeza . Despite the fact that this is one of the most famous tangos of all time, they fail to express its sweet melancholy or even the passion of the dance. Plenty of errors too: he barely catches her out of the triple twist, she puts a hand down on the thrown triple Salchow and also singles the side-by-side triple Toeloop. They get 45.45  poin...

The ice-dancers' short programme saw Madison Chock & Evan Bates waltz their way effortlessly to the first position, but that's something we all saw coming. The pleasant surprise was the second place of Victoria Sinitsina & Nikita Katsalapov, who are indeed trying to improve their image after last season's fiasco. On third came the always-innovating Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier from Canada. Let's see what happens in the free: I am amazed at how much I love Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Wang 's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon . My only experience with this story is Stolbova/Klimov's free skate from last season, which is probably why I like the dance version more. It's more complex in terms of story and music, displaying a softness I wouldn't have thought existed. I'm very glad they kept the Chinese lyrics. Their score: 80.22 . Overall: 129.59 . I need to make a note to count the positions in Alexandra Nazarova/Maxim Nikitin 's straight-line lift b...

This is a very important moment for Russia - they are about to break the record for the highest number of brilliant skaters competing for one country at the same time. Elizavet Tusynbaeva  falls on the triple Flip, but if I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have known. She moves on from the error as if it was just in her imagination, which is something more mature skaters can find impossible to do. I'm impressed! Perfect choice of music for her age and style - Papa, Can You Hear Me?  Her score: 119.30 . Overall: 178.56 . Julia Lipnitskaia  is visibly insecure before her jumps, which leads to a single Lutz instead of a triple and missing a combination. Her acting skills are still as good as ever though, and her blue dress is very elegant. She gets 108.39  points. Overall: 170.63 . Karen Chen 's blue, white and red costume is pretty, but I would have wanted to see her in something more 'miserable' or period-accurate. Apart from that, her presentation of Les Miserab...

Figure skating is an ever-fighting battle - newbies fight to prove themselves and superstars fight to stay on top. Who will be victorious today? There is a lot of mystery in Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov 's The Man and the Shadow , and an aura of unease. Love the two original lifts, but they make quite a few mistakes: she steps out of the thrown triple Salchow and falls on the side-by-side one, the synchronised spins are not in sync and they finish behind the music. Their score: 125.65 . Overall: 189.06 . I'm not sure why Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau  are wearing dark blue for  A Whiter Shade of Pale , but the performance is so good, I don't really care. Love the difficult entries into their lifts. One error: they are out of unison on the side-by-side triple Toeloops. They get 124.64  points. Overall: 189.49 . The medalists Photograph: Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images Xuehan Wang/Lei Wang  are another pair specialising in difficult entries into lifts. I a...