Crystal Skate

The pairs' competition hasn't looked so even in a while. Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot have a lot of potential, but have yet to establish themselves as a top pair, Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov look like they might be the next big thing, and Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov are in theory contenders for the gold, but haven't skated on international ice yet this season. So really, it's anyone's game at the moment. Let's start by taking a look at Lola Esbrat/Andrei Novoselov . They skate to Memoirs of a Geisha , with a programme whose transitions are pepperred with pretty choreographic lifts. He puts a hand down on the side-by-side triple Salchow and she double-foots the throw jump. Their score: 52.51 . Arina Cherniavskaia/Evgeni Krasnopolski   skate to a selection of Chopin melodies. He doesn't quite catch her right during the triple twist, and she falls on the side-by-side triple Salchow. They get 47.92  points. A bit of drama happening during the routi...

About a week ago, while I was enjoying a perfectly lovely evening next to a good book and a cup of chai tea, I started to hear this little voice inside my head that nudged me to check the dates of the European Championships. I had at some point got it into my head that they were going to be held in February, so I wasn't really stressing about it. Well, imagine my surprise when I saw how very wrong I was. So I got my pen, my notebook and my laptop, and now here I am. Kudos, little voice of reason. I have to admit I am unusually excited about these championships, because I realised, as I was going through the list of skaters, that there would be a lot of faces I didn't know. Maybe the next big star of European figure skating is still to come out this week? Before we find out though, I've compiled a list of the top five figure skaters of each discipline I'm going to keep an eye on. MEN Maxim Kovtun Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America Javier Fernand...

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 . ...

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...

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 pairs' short programme left us all a bit dazed. The Olympic champions, Tatiana Volosozhar & Maxim Trankov finished on third place despite a great (albeit not flawless) routine. Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford exceeded expectations and finished ahead of them, but the biggest surprise were Wenjing Sui and Cong Han, who did a terrific Spanish Romance , which got them the first place. Will they be able to hold onto it? Alexa Scimeca/Chris Knierim  skate to one of the most beautiful soundtracks ever, that of Elizabeth: The Golden Age . It's glorious music, but a flawed performance. She falls both on the thrown triple Salchow and the side-by-side triple Toeloop, as well as steps out of the triple Flip. The side-by-side spins are not entirely in unison either. Their score: 118.69 . Overall: 190.06 . Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov  are not a lot better off than the Americans, but the quality is clearly higher. She singles out of the third triple Toeloop and falls on the side...

Aliona Savchenko fought with all she had to be able to come back with a new partner and challenge her old rivals, Tatiana Volosozhar & Maxim Trankov. She and Bruno might be second after the short, but with only four points behind, they are going to give it their best to beat the odds. Kudos to Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres  for attempting a thrown quad Salchow at 11 in the morning. She steps out of it, but it is fully rotated. The other mistake is her double-footing out of the side-by-side Triple Toeloops, which were out of sync. The music is Romeo and Juliet , and I'm glad to see they are finally wearing costumes that fit the music rather than just being pretty. Love the exit out of the pair spin with him lifting her. Their score: 123.45 . Overall: 185.55 . Russia's best pair ever is back with a bang in Bratislava Photo:  AP Photo/Petr David Josek Valentina Marchei/Ondrej Hotarek  have sync issues both in the side-by-side triple Lutzes and the side-by-side spin...

Saitama, March 2014: Just a couple of days after winning their fifth world title, Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy tell the press that they aren't retiring as previously planned, but splitting up. The decision comes as a shock to many fans as it means that they are unlikely to ever skate together again, not even in shows. It also means that we have to say goodbye to Robin Szolkowy, but not to his partner. First European title Photograph: Koici Kamoshida/Getty Images Sport Ukrainian-born Aliona Savchenko teamed up with German-born Robin Szolkowy in 2003, after they had both failed in achieving success with their former partners. They became German national champions that very season, giving Germany hope for international recognition in pair skating for the first time since 1998, when Mandy Wotzel won a Bronze Olympic medal with Ingo Steuer, Aliona and Robin's coach. Their first European medal, a silver, was won just two years later. But the real breakthrough ha...

This is Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy's last chance to win a World gold medal and more than probably, Germany's last presence in the spotlight for a while. Will they succeed or is it time for a new pair of World champions? Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres  give us a scare with a terrifying fall right at the end, a mistake you can see he's more than sorry for. The rest of the programme is very good despite a very small error in the Triple Twist. Their music is a mash-up of the soundtracks of Angels and Demons  and Requiem for a Dream . Their score: 119.89 . Overall: 183.90 . The jumps, the lifts, the spins, the interpretation... Kirsten Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch  are in perfect sync. They even do a risky lift with only one leg on the ice. The only mistake is her hand on the ice while landing the thrown Triple Salchow. Great speed as well while looking like veritable movie stars on Nino Rota's music medley. They get 136.21  points. Overall: 205.52 . Cheng Pe...

Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy have postponed their retirement to win one last World gold medal and you know they're not going home without an epic fight. Will any of the other couples be able to defeat them? Here's the first act: Maylin Wende/Daniel Wende  may not be the top German pair, but once in a blue moon, they have a performance you just can't take your eyes off. This is one such performance. Skating on November Rain , they ace every element. Their score: 58.19 . Julia Antipova/Nodari Maisuradze 's senior debut is not at all bad. Skating on Beethoven's Five Secrets , this pair is excellent technically, but the presentation is nowhere near as good. Everything is pretty, of course, but there is no personal mark on the routine, no story. The costumes are again quite standard, emanating a classical Russian air. They get 66.78  points. Cheng Peng/Hao Zhang  have grown immensely in just one year of skating together. I'm glad they proved me wrong...

It's official! The 2014 Figure Skating World Championships have begun, and if previous competitions held in Japan show us anything, is that they're hosted by one of the greatest, if not the best audience in the world. As it usually happens in an Olympic season, most of the Olympic champions have decided to skip the Worlds, understandably so - after winning the most supreme of medals, they are entitled to a well deserved holiday. The only victor who will compete is Yuzuru Hanyu, probably because the Championships are held in his native country. The other notable absentees are either Olympic medalists (the same right to a holiday applies) or skaters for whom the Olympic Games were the final chapter in their skating careers. Patrick Chan and Brian Joubert are missing from the Men competition, with the Frenchman clearly retiring and the Canadian unsure about his future in figure skating. Another favourite of the audience who won't be attending is Florent Amodio due to lac...

Germany and Russia are famous in history for their rivalry. Tonight they're going to compete head to head, skate to skate in the most glamorous of sports for the biggest prize of all: an Olympic Gold Medal. There is hardly any difference in quality between Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov and Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy, so let's wish them good luck, knowing that whoever takes the title home, is fully worthy of it. The start of the competition is in good hands with Felicia Zhang/Nathan Bartholomay . Skating on Les Miserbales , they finish with no error and stand out with some amazing lifts. Their score: 110.31 . Overall: 137.86 . Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers need a bit of help from the Wizard of Oz today, as their routine is peppered with flaws. They both mess up the second Triple Toeloop and she can't hold the landing of the thrown Triple Loop. They are lovely to watch, but could have interpreted the characters a bit more, maybe even have the Wicked Witch make an ...

The first act of the epic battle between Russia and Germany for the supreme gold medal is here. Both Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov and Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy know that while a short programme cannot get you a victory, it can sure make you lose it. They've got three and a half minutes to get the advantage and not a single second can be ignored. Maylin Wende/Daniel Wende 's November Rain is almost perfect. All the jumps are landed, the costumes are very beautiful, but she falls right after the death spiral. Sometimes luck will work against you in figure skating. In terms of interpretation, they could have turned the volume up on the sadness, but we'll forgive them as they were clearly too excited to be skating at the Olympics to pull off a tragic mask. Their score: 59.25 . It's all a bit too simple, too slow and too inexpressive for Julia Lavrentieva/Yuri Yudrik , but these are their first ever Olympic Games, so just being here is a success for them. She ...

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy have withdrawn from competition due to a cold, after finishing the short on second place. With their biggest rivals out of the way, it is almost certain Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov will claim the European gold once more. The biggest question now is who will finish second? Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov seem the obvious answer, but Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov are anything but quitters. Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres bring back Requiem for a Dream , the song that used to be skaters' darling. They pair it with Angels and Demons , but except for the costumes, there isn't much that mimics the epic battle. Choosing the fastest music part to do the slowest elements doesn't help either. The only technical mistake was her fall on the second Triple Toeloop. They earn 122.45 points. Overall: 185.48 . Married life suits Maylin Wende/Daniel Wende , who are more in sync than ever before. Their music is the soundtrack of Your Highness...

DANCE Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron  put the mishap from the short in the past, and did a terrific job in the free. Their somewhat futuristic concept features the music of Woodkip ( Iron  and Run Boy Run ) and Olafur Arnalds ( Brotsjor ). Their score: 79.78 . Overall: 124.27 Siobhan Heekin-Canedy/Dmitri Dun  skated on one of the most beautiful tangos, El Tango de Roxanne . Her dress was gorgeous, but his shirt looked a bit like a waiter's. The real problem was that although she tried her best to express the music, he was not feeling it at all. Where there should have been anger and passion, there was nothing. They obtained 78.57  points. Overall: 123.57 Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier  have really struck gold with their Hitchcock  theme. Unfortunately, Paul lost his balance in the twizzles. The costumes were superb and the way his is both symbolic for Hitchcock and makes hers stand out is brilliant. Their score: 82.52 . Overall: 133.66 Ksenia Monk...