Crystal Skate

Out of all the short programmes in Marseilles, the men's was the only one not to have any elements of surprise for me. I expect the final to be the same in this battle of the continents - will the gold go to Asia, stay in Europe or move to North America? Shoma Uno  starts the event by proving yesterday's bad performance was an accident. The only error is the over-rotation of the quad Toeloop. He maintains the stance of a tango dancer throughout the routine, which helps link everything together. My favourite element is the triple Axel, set perfectly against the music. His score: 195.69 . Overall: 282.51. For  Adam Rippon  the detail that connects the different parts of the routine is the bird movement he adds to every transition and element. As beautiful as this detail is, it can't save his routine today. He falls on the quad, steps out of the triple Axel, falls on the triple Lutz, doubles out of the triple Loop and possibly double-foots the last triple Lutz. He gets 1...

Against predictions, the top three places of the ladies' event are not occupied by Russian skaters. Evgenia Medvedeva may be first, but Canada's Kaetlyn Osmond is second and Japan's Satoko Miyahara is third. That doesn't mean the podium cannot still end in a full Russian victory. Elena Radionova  seems to have transitioned to a more mature style this season, skating to music like Turandot . I'm not sure if that has something to do with the fact joy seems to have been taken out of her programmes. At least in Marseilles, part of the reason is the fall on the triple Lutz and the mistake on the triple Loop. Her score: 119.83 . Overall: 188.81 . Evgenia Medvedeva, the winner Photo: Tom Szczerbowski Getty Images North America Maria Sotskova  has become the one who's got nothing to lose. She seems to display a newbie attitude, something we've seen so many times before, even from Elena when she first debuted. As the most recent Russian star, this is certai...

Comebacks haven't quite risen to expectations in the past two seasons, but Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's return is unlike any other. After breaking the world record in the short programme, they're looking more likely than ever to win the gold. On second, the Shibutani siblings have just finished ahead of World champions Papadakis and Cizeron for the first time in their career. Can they hold onto the silver medal? Madison Chock/Evan Bates  probably didn't expect to start the final as 6th place holders. They skate to Queen's Under Pressure , keeping the rock style they showed in the short. Their free is not smooth either, but they make no errors per se, just little moments of hesitation in lifts and such. Their score: 108.45 . Overall: 179.32 . Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev  have some original twizzle positions, but their lifts are not at all impressive when compared to the difficulty level of the others. Also, they didn't manage to get into the right posi...

Figure skating is often about momentum. When the favourites make errors, it's up to their rivals to grab the chance to skate away with a gold medal. In Marseille, Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov are given the rather rare opportunity to defeat world champions Meagan Duhanel and Eric Radford. Will they rise to the occasion or will victors' experience win the title? Before all that, Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau  start the competition with a much better performance than yesterday's even if he falls on the side-by-side triple Toeloops. Elements like the side-by-side spins and the throw jumps are beautifully set to the rise and fall of the soundtrack of Cinema Paradiso . Their score: 125.99 . Overall: 186.85 . Natalia Zabijako/Alexander Enbert  make great use of the epic intro of Cry Me a River  to set their triple twist against a dramatic musical background. Unfortunately, their presentation doesn't convince me - not sure smiling all the way through the routine...

How many times have we said Russia is going to take the first three spots in a competition in the last few years? There is no denying where the most talent is coming from at the moment, especially since the four Russian ladies in Marseilles are not even the ones we were betting on at the beginning of the season. That doesn't mean we should ignore the Japanese and Canadian competing here. They are both powerhouses when at their best. I'd like to start by appreciating how gorgeous Satoko Miyahara  looks in her crystal blue costume for Musetta's Waltz Song . Her jumps may not be high, but they are very fast. There are some exquisite exits out of those jumps too. Her score: 74.64 . Kaeltyn Osmond is finally in top shape after the injury that set her back a couple of seasons ago Photograph: Tom Szczerbowski Getty Images North America Kaetlyn Osmond is pure sophistication on Sous le ciel du Paris  and Milord . Her body language is that of a girl in a French fashion ad ...

Different is always exciting, and I can definitely appreciate how unique each and one of the couples competing in Marseilles are. So although I can't say if the winners of this competition come from Canada, France or the US, I can at least be sure all routines will leave their mark on the viewers. Madison Chock/Evan Bates are grungy, but have it rough not just metaphorically. She falls during a transition, which must be why she messes up the twizzles. Their score: 70.87 . Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir go with a pop classic and a ballad from Prince. Every element of their routine flows into the next naturally. I've said it tens of times before, and I'm happy I get to say it again: their chemistry is the best in ice-dance. They get 80.50  points. It's seduction and a swing party for Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron . I actually like the first part more than the routine of Tessa and Scott, but the swing comes out of nowhere and kind of ruins the mood. There ar...

Do you remember that awkward season when Ilinykh/Zhiganshin and Sinitsina/Katsalapov had just switched partners? Well, we're experiencing that in the pairs' event this season. The swap between Peng/Zhang and Yu/Jin seemed to have been a good decision at the Cup of China, at least for the Yu/Zhang pair, but how will their fare against rivals from Canada and Russia? Let's start with their former partners, Cheng Peng/Yang Jin , who are not doing badly at all. I really like their short routine - it's funny, the costumes are great, the choreography is interesting, the technical is pretty good as well... The only problem is that they don't really look at each other unless they must. I imagine it's not easy being told one day you've a new partner, so it's natural that chemistry will take some time to develop. Their score: 70.84 . The unlikely winners of the short programme, Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov look like t...

One of the most famous rival trios in the history of figure skating is back on ice, competing against each other. Javier Fernandez, Yuzuru Hanyu and Patrick Chan are all World champions looking to take the title in Marseille. In the meantime, newcomers from Japan and the US might threaten their podium positions if they make mistakes. The competition is not exactly off to a great start as Javier Fernandez steps out of the quad Salchow and falls on the triple Axel. His jumps look very awkward tonight as he desperately tries to save the last two. In fact, he almost seems to have super powers to manage to stay on his feet at the end of the quad. The crowd is very supporting despite the errors, as they should be. His score: 91.76 . Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan sets himself on the right path to a gold medal on Prince's music Patrick Chan 's short programme is very laid-back and relaxing, set to Dear Prudence  and Blackbird  by The Beatles. His jumps are all clean and beautiful, ma...

The pairs' final does not predict a lot of changes for the competition, as Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot are set for the win, but Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov are only a point behind, so anything could happen. It's a rough start of the competition as Miriam Ziegler/Severin Kiefer  make mistake after mistake. They both fall on the side-by-side triple Lutz, then he over-rotates the triple Toeloop and steps out of the double Toeloop, she falls again on the throw triple Flip, they only manage a single twist, and the side-by-side spins are out of sync. Their score: 92.95 . Overall: 145.01 . Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres  make their home crowd proud. She lands the throw quad Salchow, but double-foots it; same mistake with the throw triple Flip, and the side-by-side spins are not in sync at the very end. Their first lift is innovative and their death spiral is incredibly low. Their music is a cover of Sound of Silence . They get 132.53  points. Overall: 198.58 . ...

The ladies' short programme is going to keep us at the edge of our seats from the very start as the best skaters in Paris are all competing in the first group. Is this the ISU's new way to attract more viewers from the very start of the competition? Let me know what you think, but first, let's see what the girls bring on the ice tonight. This season is not going well for Gracie Gold . She double-foots the triple Toeloop, doubles out of the triple Flip and singles the Axel. This is nothing short of a disaster for a skater who came close to wining the Worlds last season. Her score: 54.87 . Mao Asada getting ready to be 'witchy' Photo: Tasos Katopodis Getty Images North America Evgenia Medvedeva  offers a staggering contrast to the American. Her ability to tell a story gives me goosebumps, from her expressions to the way the programme, set to River Flows in You , is put together. Her stamina is also incredible, doing all the jumps after the step sequence. She...

The boys' competition in Paris is about to start. Spain's Javier Fernandez looks like he has no rival here, but all it takes for that to change is a good start of the season for Denis Ten. But first,  Adam Rippon , my first choice for a bronze medal if the two men afore-mentioned blow their performances out of the water. He makes no mistakes here. His score: 85.25 . Brendan Kerry  falls on the quad Toeloop, doubles out of the triple Toeloop and double-foots the triple Axel. I do like the invisible umbrella he is 'holding' during the camel spin and in several parts of the routine. Nice detail to present Singing in the Rain . He gets 70.67  points. Brendan Kerry of Australia Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America Chafik Besseghier 's also got troubles with his opening combination - hands down on the quad, doubles out of the triple Toeloop. The first part of his step sequence is not in sync with It's a Man's World , but his spins are much ...

Ladies and gentlemen, Trophee Eric Bompard is no more. The French Grand Prix event is now officially called Trophee de France after changing its name for the fourth time since 1987. Originally known as Grand Prix International de Paris, its name changes happened in sync with main sponsor changes. Thus the competition was also called Trophee Lalique, after a French glass company, and of course, Eric Bompard, after a French fashion company. Does this mean it'll likely get a new name once a new sponsor is welcome on board? Likely so, but we'll have to wait at least another season to see. In the meantime, let's see who are the main skaters to watch this weekend in Paris. MEN Javier Fernandez  - nothing's changed since last week when I listed the top skaters to watch at Rostelecom Cup. The Spaniard seems an even surer bet with none of his main rivals present in Paris. Javier Fernandez during the free skate in Moscow Photograph: Joosep Martinson – ISU/ISU via Ge...

The pairs short programme saw another unexpected result as the ones we all thought were going to win this without difficulties suddenly ended on second place. Here is what happened with the top five pairs yesterday. First of all, Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau , the winners of Skate America, ended on fifth place to everyone's dismay. They both fell on the side-by-side triple Salchow and she had a hand down on the throw triple Flip. Perhaps the pressure was too great going against the Germans. Their routine was set to Skokiaan  by Louis Armstrong. Their score: 61.72 . Aliona and Bruno's lift Kristina Astakhova/Alexei Rogonov  were another pair to under-perform in Moscow. They both double-footed the side-by-side triple Salchow and the side-by-side spins were not entirely in sync. The choreography for Io Ti Penso Amore  was so clever though - the lift was set to the highest notes and the death spiral to the soft part of the song. They got 65.61  points. Vale...

Over in the men's event, my predictions were shook until they shattered to the ground. Well, actually, not really, but there were a few bittersweet surprises for me in the top five. The first pleasant surprise came from France. Chafik Besseghier  exceeded my expectations and landed himself in fifth place. His music was Seal's It's a Man's World . I find his spins very interesting - some he needs to work on (camel), others he's really good at (low spins). His score: 80.68 . Alexei Bychenko  stayed true to his worth and ended right on the tails of the podium contenders. His quad Toeloop looked effortless and his personality on the ice was very endearing. The music, Chambermaid Swing , fit him like the gloves he was wearing. Again, some spins, like the umbrella spin, were not quite perfect, knees bent and all. He got 86.81  points. I've said this before about Mikhail Kolyada , but it is still true - he needs to make sure his comedic body language reaches his ...

The ice dancers got the party started in Moscow, quite literally, with tunes from the likes of Elvis Presley and  Grease  that got people moving their feet. Let's see what the top five couples of the competition brought to the game. Tiffany Zahorski/Jonathan Guerreiro  ended up in 5th place with music by Christina Aguilera and Parov Stelar. I have to say I'm not a big fan of this musical combo. The first part was super sexy, but the second was silly and completely destroyed the vibe they had going at the beginning. They also still need to work on their chemistry, but this is their debut at the Grand Prix Series, so there's time for that. Their score: 64.28 . Madison and Evan's dance was the grittiest of the day Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri 's concept was at an entirely different level. They chose to skate to the soundtrack of Grease , and everything about the concept, from the costumes to the rock 'n roll touches of the choreography, was perfect. Absol...

Privet, everyone, or  привет!  Think it's too early for me to Google how to say Hello in Russian? Well, so did I before discovering Rostelecom Cup had moved out of its usual place in the Grand Prix Series. The trip to Moscow comes early this season, but it's not leaving any of its drama behind. By drama, I actually mean, difficulty level and by difficulty level I mean, Hello, world medalists! Sorry, I meant Privet, world medalists! So, who to look for? In no particular order... Shoma Uno after his victory as Skate America 2016 Photograph:  Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America MEN Javier Fernandez  - the double World champion and his Elvis Presley routine pretty much have this in the back of his pocket if everything goes according to plan. Shoma Uno  - the future of Japanese male skating just got a new Personal Best Total Score (279.34), so he's in everyone's predictions for a spot on the podium. Mikhail Kolyada  - Russia's best known athlet...

The Shibutani siblings are on a roll after the extraordinary season they had in 2015/2016. They're leading the ice dance competition here at Skate America, with co-nationals Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue hot on their heels. On second, Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev, whom I'm happy to see back in competition. It's bound to be tough tonight with this three going head to head, so let's get on with it. Yura Min & Alex Gamelin  start us off. Having seen Cinema Paradiso  recently, I can tell you the love story is not as dramatic as the music might imply, but they present the angst well enough. The twizzles are slightly wobbly, but altogether not bad. The stationary lift is my favourite element from this. Their score: 85.25 . Overall: 141.50 . Kana Muramoto & Chris Reed  skate to music by Vincente Amigo. I really like the flamenco details they added to the spin, and the lifts are all innovative. Again, his twizzles are a bit shaky. They get 91.18  p...

The third final of this season's Skate America is about to start. Is it going to be a reversal of the outcome as seen in the pairs' final or are Shoma Uno, Adam Rippon and Jason Brown going to keep their current standings? Let's start by looking at those most likely to reach the podium. Boyang Jin  has been working over the summer to improve his presentation. Choosing the comedic, but melancholic Avenue  helped a little, but he's still got a long way to go. Love his interactions with the judges though - talk about getting up close and personal. Technically, he steps out of the quad Salchow and falls on the quad Toeloop. There's also a double-footed Axel. His score: 172.15 . Overall: 245.08. Shoma Uno, from Japan, at the end of his short programme in Chicago Photograph: Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images North America The atmosphere stays jazzy thanks to Nam Nguyen 's An American in Paris . He seems very comfortable with this musical style. The only mistake ...

The Grand Prix Series have started! Hooray, woohoo, finally! Taking place in Chicago, Illinois, Skate America has already begun and given us the first potential winner. After an amazing performance at the World Championships, Ashley Wagner secured the best spot for winning the first Grand Prix event of the season. Mai Mihara, of Japan, is on second despite this being her first Senior Grand Prix event ever, ahead of Gracie Gold and Mao Asada. Kanako Murakami 's disappointing performance in the short means she gets to start the final. She skates to E lucevan le stelle , a piece of music that starts softly and ends grandly. She double-foots the landing of the triple Flip and altogether looks a little disheartened. Really feeling for her, so I hope her season goes only up from here. Her score: 97.16 . Overall: 145.03 . We change the musical style with Angelina Kuchvalska 's Carmina Burana . This is more dramatic than Kanako's programme, and I can see the potential of the r...

Let's go on a little time trip. Do you remember those cold nights you spent watching the ladies' events, with absolutely no clue who your favourite was because all the girls were so unbelievably good? I sure do. 2015/2016 brought us amazing comebacks, record scores, new stars and a lot of fabulous programmes. Here are my top 5 short routines of the season: 1) Mao Asada's Bei mir bist du schoen Mao greeting the public in Boston, at the World Championships Photograph: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images North America Japan's ice queen might not have had the greatest season of her career in 2015/2016, but her short programme is still my favourite. She was bringing people to their feet all throughout the season as if it had only been a day, not two years since she won the World title. Her short routine was a perfect representation of her image in figure skating. She is glamorous, strong, charismatic and sophisticated. She can also do no wrong when it comes to presentation...