One of the best men's skating events ever?

Tracy Wilson

TSN Figure Skating Analyst

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The men's competition at the Grand Prix Final this weekend In Barcelona promises to be a fantastic showdown with one of the deepest and most intriguing men's fields ever.  

After taking last year off, Patrick Chan is taking on Olympic Champion Yuzuru Hanyu and defending World Champion and hometown favourite Javier Fernandez. It’s the first time since Sochi that the three have met in competition.  

While Patrick has shown moments of brilliance this season, he’s also struggled with competition nerves.  He was sensational in his free skate at Skate Canada, but struggled in his short programs in Lethbridge and Bordeaux. 

This field that he’s up against will exploit any weakness, so Patrick will not be able to flounder at all if he’s to win the title.  

What I love about Patrick's short program, which has been his nemesis this season, is that it pushes him out of his comfort zone artistically and plays to the audience. And that allows us to see his likeable personality.  

What makes this program difficult for Patrick to deliver is exactly what I like about it - it takes his focus outside of himself. It's a style he has found to be disconcerting in the competitive arena and more suited to shows. It is however, artistically in line with his objectives in his comeback and more than worth staying the course for.

   
Hanyu, who finished second to Chan at Skate Canada, is coming into the Grand Prix Final on a high after his sensational showing in Nagano at the recent NHK Trophy.  He set records in both the short and free programs with two clean skates, including two quads in the short and three in the free.  

He now holds the top scores of all time across the board and thus becomes the man to beat.  Since the Olympic season, Hanyu, for various reasons, has shown us to be a somewhat mercurial performer, but in Nagano he showed that he can find his groove and thus the zone which delivers the consistency that had been somewhat elusive for him until then.

The only man to win both of his two Grand Prix events this season is Spain's Javier Fernandez - the defending World Champion.  His on-ice presence and charisma make him a favourite wherever he skates but in Spain, where he’s the lone skating hero he is justifiably adored.  

Last year, Javier competed in a big event at home for the first time ever and was somewhat unnerved by the added attention in the short program and finished fifth. He was able to settle in and deliver in the free skate to move up to second and will likely try to draw on that experience in an effort to turn competing on home ice from being a hindrance to an advantage.  He’s had strong back-to-back competitions coming in here and will need to continue in that vein to hold off this field. 

Skating is so fortunate to have these three men in the mix this season.  Over the last few seasons, all three have relentlessly pushed themselves and each other to new heights and have been able to lead this sport both technically and artistically in equal measure.  Gone are the days of being either the athlete or the artist. These three have it all.

The top six finishers on the Grand Prix circuit will compete for the title in Spain. We will also get a look at two of the sports rising stars, China's 18-year-old Jin Boyang and 17-year-old Shoma Uno from Japan. 

When these skaters were coming up the ranks, they knew that having a quad was not going to be an option. It was a necessity and they both mastered it at a young age. Especially Jin, who has four planned in his free skate. If he lands them, it will be a first ever.  He can also execute three different types of quads including a quad lutz, a jump which no other skater does in competition. 

His quads, done well, score big and make him dangerous, but his lack of artistry leaves him somewhat vulnerable. On the other hand, Uno has enough technically and a spirited emotional delivery that he too can be a threat.  Daisuke Murakami, from Japan, who is proving to be a steady, consistent performer, rounds out the field. 
 
In a group of this calibre, mistakes are magnified and exploited. Consistency is king. Knowing that, makes the stakes higher and the nerves more taut.  Each skater knows he has to bring his best and that there is little room for error.  This has the makings of being one of the best men's events ever and I can't wait to see if it lives up to its billing.