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...

The Challenge Cups, the Grand Prix events, the Nationals and even the continental championships have all been a built-up to the most important figure skating event of the year. The World Championships are back in Europe this year, in one of the few capitals of the world that;s often associated with the word cold, Helsinki. So, who am I keeping an eye on this week? MEN Javier Fernandez - the Spaniard's already got two World titles in his bag, and a third one seems pretty likely if we're to judge the array of golds he's already won this season. There was a tiny stumble at the Grand Pix Final, but if he keeps at least one feet firmly on the ice, he's a good bet. Yuzuru Hanyu - opposite Javier, his training buddy is hungry for another World gold after losing the last two. Yuzuru hasn't had the smoothest of seasons, with only a silver at the Four Continents and Skate Canada, but his average is miles better than other skaters' best, so keep him in the rooste...

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...

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...

Ironically, the only final that seems predictable at the moment is the men's. Japan's hold on the gold  is strong, but can it be taken from Hanyu? Fernandez has great chances of taking the silver to Spain, while Chan could easily snatch the bronze. That doesn't mean we should underestimate the likes of Shoma Uno and Boyang Jin, who are waiting for the top three to make the kind of mistake that would knock them off the podium. Denis Ten 's beautiful Romeo and Juliet  suffers from a few technical errors. His biggest mistake is falling on the quad Toeloop. He gets himself back together in the second half of the programme, but this is not going to be good enough to get on the podium. His score: 151.58 . Overall: 230.13 . Deniss Vasiljevs  skates to Adagio for Tron  by Daft Punk. The medley is very smartly put together, but I'm not sure Jeff Bridge's voice makes much sense for the routine. It is a cool detail though. I love his camel combo spin - it's got an ...

The men's competition has always kept us on the edge of our seats. Each season the World Championships seem more difficult for them, as the number of quads rises and the artistry gets more important. With three men reaching for the gold and at least three others targeting the other two spots on the podium, this season's Worlds won't be any less exciting than the ones before. Let's start with  Misha Ge , who surprised us last season by finishing the Worlds on 6th place. That's very unlikely to happen here. His programme is clean, but he has no quads. Did you know he's one of the few skaters who can change direction during his camel spin? The music is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 . His score: 77.43 . Adam Rippon  doesn't attempt his famous Quad Lutz, but does land a triple with his arms aloft. The music is Who Wants to Live Forever  by Queen. The crowd gets wild cheering for him. Beautiful spin at the end. He gets 85.72  points. If we didn...

As we prepare for the 2016 World Championships, there seems to be only one question on everyone's minds. It's not about how Boston's first ever Worlds will measure up to the rest, it's not even about the drug scandal which took one of the best ice-dance couples out of the competition. The one and only question seems to be: how do you beat the three world champions going head to head in Boston? The logo of the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships I don't even have to say their names for you to know exactly who I'm talking about. Their rivalry is so famous in the figure skating world, they might as well start calling themselves The Three Rivals of the Ice, or some other cheesy name you're bound to find plastered on some ice show poster. No matter which country you're in, Hanyu, Fernandez and Chan are starring in all the headlines related to this year's World Championships, just as they did last year (even if Chan wasn't even competing) a...

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 ...

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...

Every sport has a defining element without which it cannot survive. Football has the ball, tennis has the racket and figure skating has the music. Yes, not the ice, not the skates, but the music because without it there'd be no figure attached to the skating. I've been meaning to talk about music for a while now, but never really got around it before. So now I am dedicating the next five posts to this wonderful invention that gave colour to the world and helped create our favourite sport. Patrick Chan performing his 2013/2014 free skate Photograph: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images Europe There is only one genre of music you can begin this discussion with; the father and mother of all melodies, the king and queen of grace, the god and goddess of sophistication: classical music. Classical music started it all. If today we have the likes of Rihanna, Coldplay, Adele and millions of other performing artists, it is because hundreds of years ago, people like the Italian name...

The odds are incredibly high for Yuzuru Hanyu, Javier Fernandez and Denis Ten, who are currently occupying the three podium positions. While the Japanese will look to keep his World title, the Spanish will want to upgrade last season's bronze, going head-to-head against the Khazakh. Good luck! Maxim Kovtun 's problems with the quad Toeloop continue; they might need to have a chat because for whatever reason, he can't land it. He also steps out of the triple Axel, but otherwise his performance is on the up since yesterday. His score: 159.98 . Overall: 230.70 . Nam Nguyen, the event's underdog Source: Xiaolu Ghu/Getty Images Asia What a performance from Nam Nguyen ! The Canadian training alongside the top two contenders enjoys himself out there, which sends off a nice vibe to everyone watching. La Strada  is a story dominated by two opposite genres - comedy and tragedy - and he pulls both of them off fabulously. One detail of the choreography that gets my attentio...

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...

Patricia Marx once said about Shanghai that you don't have to spend much time in it before you start to think about the meaning of authenticity. China's most populated city is a hub of innovation, which is why it makes sense that when time came for China to host its first ever world figure skating championships, Shanghai was picked as the host city. Over the next few days, the city will see a fair share of originality and innovation, as the world's best figure skaters will step on the ice of the Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre. Most of them are incredibly young and are looking to win their first world title, so the audience will get the chance to see history being made. Out of all the favourites for the gold medal, Yuzuru Hanyu is the only one who has won the World Championships before. He comes here after a nightmarish season filled with health problems and a nasty collision that occurred in the very venue the Worlds are held in. Let's hope that doesn't affect ...

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...

After almost two full months of beautiful skating and shocking outcomes, the 2014 Grand Prix Series is finally drawing to a close. The host of the final is Spain's most visited city, a world-renowned centre of Hispanic art, music and sports: Barcelona (cue the triumphant trumpets). The city's cultural wealth is not the main reason it was picked to organise the Final though. The real reason was to celebrate Spain's newly formed relationship with figure skating, which has only recently acquired popularity on the Iberian Peninsula. Responsible for this popularity is Javier Fernandez, whose chances of getting on the podium are extremely high. Of course, ideally he would win the competition, but that's easier said than done when he has to beat an unbelievably determined Yuzuru Hanyu and a very ambitious Maxim Kovtun. Nothing is impossible though. Javier Fernandez, Spain's leading man in figure skating Photograph: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images Europe Speaking of impo...