Crystal Skate

The men's short programme was without a doubt the most thrilling in Helsinki. Not only did we watch top skaters compete against each other, but we also saw how easy the leader can change at this level. It all culminated of course with Yuzuru Hanyu being first at a very comfortable distance from Michal Brezina, who is on second with also quite a gap between himself and Boyang Jin, who is third. I'm sure the final will provide some equally exciting action. We're not off to a good start, I'm afraid. Philip Harris  doubles out of the 3Toeloop, Flip and Loop, puts a hand down on the second 3Axel and falls on the 3Toeloop. The song he skates to, Coldplay's Fix You , is one we've often seen in figure skating lately. Score: 123.67  -> 182.66 . Valtter Virtanen  is a slight improvement both from the Brit and from his own performance yesterday. He steps out of the 4Toeloop and singles the 3Axel. Choreography-wise, I really like the storytelling approach to La Strad...

Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu set a very high standard with his programme The Grand Prix of Helsinki is undoubtedly the most exciting one for a lot of figure skating fans. One of the reasons is the presence of the Olympic champion, Yuzuru Hanyu. Another is the fact we get to see Michal Brezina and Junhwan Cha skate again. They both achieved great results at Skate America, so I hope they manage to keep up the same level here. Philip Harris  is first to go, with a self-choreographed routine set to Bloodstream . He double-foots the landing of the 3Lutz and doubles out of both the 3Flip and the 3Toeloop. His spins are not the most flexible, but the programme is enjoyable. Score: 58.99 . Andrei Lazukin  impresses today with no mistakes and a charming interpretation of I Put a Spell on You . I love the way his step sequence matches the different nuances of the music, slowing down and speeding up with the song. Score: 82.54 . Alexei Krasnozhon  is another newbie to perform wel...

Determined to win - Japan's Shoma Uno The men's short programme left us all in awe. The host's Keegan Messing defeated Japan's super star, Shoma Uno, who is exactly 0.01 points ahead of South Korea's newbie, Junhwan Cha. Hold onto your hats. This final is by no means already settled. Jason Brown   is first to skate with a medley from Simon and Garfunkel. He still doesn't land a quad, as he doubles out of the Salchow. I have to say, and this is just personal opinion, I don't feel his new programmes are as spectacular as some of his old routines. Score: 158.51  -> 234.97 . Kevin Aymoz 's expression stays the same throughout the routine, but it's a testament of his fabulous presentation skills. Very expansive, open movements and lots of displays of flexibility. Making no mistakes sure helps. Score: 151.26  -> 230.09 . Roman Sadosky  steps out of the 4Toeloop and 3Toeloop, falls on the 3Axel and double-foots the 2Axel. Some of his spin p...

Canada's Nam Nguyen performed much better home than he did at Skate America Photo: Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images North America Guess who miscalculated the time difference between Lavac, Quebec, Canada and London, United Kingdom? Yep, yours truly. Long story short, the men's short programme is the first competition I'm commenting on because I tuned in for the pairs' about 10 minutes before it ended. Oh well, I'll watch that one after. Roman Sadovsky  is the first skater to go out. He puts a hand down on the 4Salchow and falls on the 3Axel. However, he also lands a 4Toeloop, which shows a lot of potential. He does finish behind the music this time. Score: 67.72 . Kevin Aymoz 's routine is so much fun! He skates to Horns by Brye Fox. Great idea to sync the spins to the softer parts of the song. His face isn't relaxed enough to interpret the music during the tougher elements, but he'll learn that in time. He over-rotates the 3Axel. Score: 78.83 . B...