Crystal Skate

Italy's Matteo Rizzo was the underdog of the night The men's final might not have been the main event of the competition in Hiroshima (see the ladies' for that), but there were still some amazing skaters - rising stars, solid veterans or established prodigies - to look forward to. June Hyoung Lee  started the event with a couple of big mistakes - a fall on the 3Axel, another on the 2Loop and a hand down on the 3Salchow. The music was Piano Concerto Number 2  by Rachmaninoff. Score: 122.10  -> 188.26 . Kevin Reynolds  has a lot of fans in Japan, and they cheered him on, despite his doubling out of the 3Axel and 4Toeloop, as well as stepping out of the 3Lutz. Kevin has had a bad Grand Prix experience all season long, and the performance in Hiroshima was unfortunately not an exception. Score: 121.53  -> 182.67 . Hiroaki Sato  received loads of support as well, but he would have also probably liked to do much better. He doubled out of a 3Toeloo...

Who says you can't wear fake armour on ice? Not Natalia Zabjiako and Alexander Enbert If you ask me what my favourite Grand Prix event is, I will say without a doubt that it's the NHK Trophy. Why? It's easy! The atmosphere in the ice rink is second to none. Japanese fans can appreciate great figure skating louder and more energetically than any other nation. That energy is felt even by far away viewers like me. So although it is always being held nine hours ahead of my timezone, I never fail to catch up on it. Hosted by Hiroshima, this season's NHK Trophy was as exciting as ever, particularly in the ladies and men's events. Despite the fact Elizaveta Tuktamysheva  was the main rival of all their best skaters (and indeed finished first with 76.17 points), the Japanese crowd rained gifts on her as soon as she finished her brilliant performance. She reminded me of Mao Asada, the last skater who got the crowd on their feet because of perfectly executed 3Axels. It...

The men's short programme ended after a few pleasant surprises and, at least for me, interesting scores. The final seemed to have brought some order back into the universe by re-establishing the value of some skaters who have been around for quite some time. These were the top five men of Skate America 2018: I don't think there was ever any doubt in anyone's mind that Nathan Chen  was going to keep the gold in the US. He skated to Land of All , which is apparently a song that always asks for grey costumes. 😊 With three quads, two of which were in combination, he didn't have any difficulties in becoming the new Skate America champion. Score: 189.89 . Overall: 280.57 . The crowd loved Michal Brezina  and for good reason. You could feel his rock routine suited him like a glove. I always say it's obvious when the skaters enjoy their music, and it definitely was here. He's known to have some of the best step sequences out there and he didn't disappoint in Ev...

When scores are very close to one another in figure skating, you know you're in for quite a ride. This is even truer in the men's event, where the technical score has a lot of weight, so in consequence, mistakes do too. The final in Osaka was a perfect example of this exact situation, so let's see how and why the top 5 changed in the free skate. Keegan Messing  was one of two skaters to maintain their short programme position. He skated to a medley of Charlie Chaplin soundtracks, which made me want to wish he had skated last week in Beijing, so we could have compared it to Javier's interpretation of the same theme. Keegan's got the silly act down, so this was a great choice of music for him. The quad was so low though, his free leg touched the ice. His free score: 155.67 ; his total score: 235.80 . Jason Brown   avoided the quad in the free skate, which was probably for the best given that there were so many errors in his performance. He fell on both 3Axels and ...

The men's competition in Osaka started with a fiasco for Japan and sad news for figure skating fans worldwide. The sport's most iconic male skater in recent years and Japan's (and my personal) absolute favourite, Yuzuru Hanyu, injured his ankle during practice and had to withdraw. This also means he can't make it to the Grand Prix Final, which will be particularly upsetting for him as it's being hosted in Nagoya, Japan. Still, let's not dwell on the negative, but wish him a speedy recovery, and move our attention to what went on in his absence. The gold was suddenly and unbelievably reachable, and here are the 5 men who are closest to it at the moment: Keegan Messing  did not expect to come to Osaka at the beginning of the season. Patrick Chan's withdrawal is the reason why he could participate. I think he rose very well to the occasion, despite the fall on the 3Axel. His transitions were surprisingly difficult, peppered with the steps we all know from Sin...

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 ...

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...

If figure skating were a job you had to apply for, the ideal candidate would have to be more than just a skater. They'd have to also fulfill all the following requirements: talent, creativity, hard work, flair and an eye for detail. On their CV, under skills, they'd probably put: great taste in music, masterful presentation skills, ability to choose a great costume, lots of charisma and, yes, of course, outstanding skating skills. Anyone lacking one of these attributes would not even be called for an interview. In the real world though, there is no such thing as an ideal figure skater, which is why we end up with bits and pieces of perfection spread all over the place rather than concentrated in one athlete. The best programme, the best costume, the best choreography, the best music choice, the best jumps, the best spins, the best presentation, etc. cannot all be found in one place. That's why it is no surprise that the best costume worn this season by a man in the free s...

The men's event is usually the most high-profile, and that does not change here, where we've got skaters like Yuzuru Hanyu, Javier Fernandez and Denis Ten striving to get as high on the podium as they can. We're bound to get a show out of this short programme. Jason Brown, from the US, gets groovy Source: Xiaolu Ghu/Getty Images Asia China's poster boy Han Yan  makes him homeland proud with a programme set to If I Were a Rich Man . I've said before that this needs to be funnier, and I stand by it - perhaps mouthing the words or expressing the audible sighs that punctuate the song might help. He also steps out of the quad Toeloop. His score: 84.45 . Jason Brown  knows that costumes are an important part of the showmanship, which is why he always takes great care in choosing them. He's got so much going for him artistically, but until he lands a quad, he can't play with the 'big boys' at the top, I'm afraid. Love the triple Lutz jumped with...

The second final of these European championships belongs to the boys. After the short skate, Javier Fernandez leads with over eight points ahead of Sergei Voronov. Michal Brezina managed to take the third place, but there are only two points separating him from Maxim Kovtun, who is on fourth. Let's see if the standings remain unchanged. Adian Pitkeev is at the start of his career Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Europe Adian Pitkeev  shouldn't be stressed tonight as he's not up for any medal, but the amount of talent that has recently emerged out of Russia has surely put pressure on him to prove himself. He shows us he's good enough to be here, but there's nothing unique about him yet, probably because he's only sixteen. Also his interpretation of a heavy song like Sarabande Suite  is not as profound as an experienced skater's would have been. The only real mistake is the stepping-out of the last jump. His score: 141.09 . Overall: 210.87 . ...

Someone once said about Stockholm that here "everything works. Everything looks good." As it prepares to host its first European championship of figure skating since 1912, we can only hope that the saying can be applied to the skaters' performances as well. We start off with the men's short programme, where the favourite is Spain's Javier Fernandez, followed by Maxim Kovtun, Sergei Voronov and Michal Brezina. Let's see how it all goes down. Florent Amodio hasn't quite returned to his best form, but he's getting there Photo: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images Europe Alexander Majorov  gets the crowd on their feet despite the fall on the triple Loop. He chose a famous Pink Floyd song for the short, The Great Gig in the Sky . His score: 68.10 . Pavel Ignatenko  from Belarus chose to skate on a cover of Adele's Skyfall ; this version is more energetic than the original, but it lacks the sophistication associated with James Bond. He falls on the tr...

Last night left us with the bitter taste of disappointment as we watched Javier Fernandez crash under the pressure of competing on home ice for the first time. But it also gave us hope that the Olympic champion, Yuzuru Hanyu, has put behind him the collision that cost him not only one, but two Grand Prix wins. The results aren't cemented though; anything can happen in figure skating and there's never a better time for anything to happen than right now. Takahito Mura  starts the competition as the underdog, but you wouldn't know it from his performance. The only mistake is singling out the triple Loop. His interpretation of Phantom of the Opera  is quite dull though; he needs to express the desperation of his character a bit more. His score: 157.02 . Overall: 235.37 . The medalists Photograph: David Ramos/ Getty Images Europe Javier Fernandez  is visibly more relaxed than yesterday. Still, he's not quite able to convey the carefree feeling of The Barber of Sevi...

Finally, we have arrived to the short programme Barcelona has been waiting for most impatiently: the men's. All of Spain will place their bets on Javier Fernandez, who has never before skated on homeland against such powerful rivals. Will that help or deter his performance? We wish him, and all the other skaters, the best of luck. Yuzuru Hanyu  seems to have recovered from the accident that made him skate first here, at a competition where he would normally skate last. His music is a frantic piano ballad by Chopin, but he manages to express every single change in the music. He loses his axis on the triple Lutz though, which prevents him from aligning the Toeloop right, which is why he falls. His score: 94.08 . Sergei Voronov  has nerves of steel, which is why he seems unaffected by Hanyu's amazing performance. Still, you can tell he's being extra careful with every move because he's slower than usually, too slow to match the rapid pace of  Danse Macabre . He gets 84...

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 ....

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...

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  ...

Sergei Voronov and Tomas Verner have returned in the spotlight when no one expected them to, but will they manage to keep up with Javier Fernandez, the skater who has already proved there is nothing he cannot do? Chafik Besseghier 's Passion of Christ is all over the place. In the first half of the programme, he misses every single jump, then recovers slightly in the last half. The story of his routine is not as obvious as it seems - there's no mention of Christ in the choreography and his Egyptian costume doesn't make much sense, at least at first glance. He earns 127.22 points. Overall: 198.07 . La vie en rose looks awfully blue for Florent Amodio . The only jump he managed to land perfectly was a Triple Salchow. Artistically, it is almost painful to see him trying to keep up a happy, carefree face. His score: 111.53 . Overall: 190.13 . Jorik Hendrickx 's Rhapsody comes in a warmer shade of blue than the Frenchman's, but it doesn't shine. His mistake...