Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final: It all comes down to this
Spain's Fernandez has home-ice advantage vs. Hanyu, Chan
This is it. The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final comes to Barcelona for the second time and all Spanish hopes for glory are pinned on the country's favourite skating son and reigning world champion, Javier Fernandez.
There's only one problem: Yuzuru Hanyu. He's fresh off a win in Japan, where he smashed all previous records in the short and free scores, eclipsing the seemingly unreachable 300-point barrier with a total of 322.40.
Truth be told, this year's Final talent is top notch. There have been years where withdrawals or competitive anomalies have allowed for skaters to qualify whom we would not normally see. Added to this year's competition, for the first time, are synchronized skating teams from the top five countries in the world: Canada, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
All together, this will make for a spectacular event and is great news for fans.
Hanyu the man to beat
In the men's event, they are all front runners. Three-time world champion Patrick Chan, world junior silver medallist Boyang Jin, last year's Junior Grand Prix Final winner Shoma Uno, and Daisuke Murakami are all capable of sneaking out in front.
What makes me lean towards Hanyu, and not Fernandez, is the confidence that comes from Hanyu's decisive win at this event last year. Fernandez finished second, about 30 points behind Hanyu. Fernandez faltered in the short but made it all up to the adoring Spanish fans by delivering a solid free program. It was a case of too little too late.
Sentimentally, it would be wonderful for Fernandez to win in Spain but, practically speaking, it is a big mountain to climb.
Asada vulnerable
For the women, I am wondering if prior Grand Prix Final event experience will come into play or if it won't matter at all. Half of the skaters are making their first trip to the Final and half have already made their mark, like Japan's Mao Asada.
On paper, this should be Asada's event to lose, with four prior Grand Prix and three world titles to her credit. In reality, Asada's return to the world of competitive figure skating after a season off has been a bit sluggish off the top. For that reason, I think Asada is vulnerable. I think the Grand Prix Final first-timers — Gracie Gold, Evgenia Medvedeva and Satoko Miyahara — are the ones to beat. Gold needs to stay focused in the short program and follow it up with a solid free program if she wants to stay at the head of the pack.
Canadians, Russians battle in pairs
The world pairs champions, Canada's Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, will arrive in Barcelona as the team to beat. They have the highest posted score among the pairs on the Grand Prix circuit and are the only team to have won both of their Grand Prix events this season.
They are at their best when they are being chased and I think veteran competitors Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov will be doing the chasing. In the end, it will all come down to the short program. If the Russians can get ahead of the Canadians with enough of a margin, they have what it takes to make it to the top of the podium.
Dance wide open
World ice dance champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron have not been seen this season while Papadakis recuperates from a concussion. In their stead, the rest of the dancers are looking to establish their own domination.
The top four teams have all been on the podium at worlds, including 2014 world champions Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte. A win in Barcelona would help set the stage for the second half of the season. They can all do it.
The edge in my mind goes to Canadians Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, the defending Grand Prix Final champions. Weaver and Poje are also the only dance team to have won both of their Grand Prix events while posting the second-highest Grand Prix dance total score (173.79) this season.
Fierce competition in synchro
The top five synchronized skating countries in the world are led by two-time and reigning world champions Nexxice from Burlington, Ont.
Although the competition will be fierce with each team only skating their free programs, my pick is for Nexxice to come out on top based on superior technical skill, creativity and outstanding preparation.
Pj's Podium Picks
Men: Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan)
Ladies: Gracie Gold (United States)
Pairs: Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford (Canada)
Dance: Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje (Canada)
Synchro: Nexxice (Canada)