Patrick Chan skates tomorrow in the Olympic debut of the team figure skating event. Then on Feb. 13, he’ll compete in the men’s short program, giving Canada another shot at its first gold in men’s singles figure skating. Here’s a look at some of the skaters who he must outdo in order to reach that milestone.
Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan: Representing a country where figure skaters are treated like stars, the 19-year-old Hanyu serves as Chan’s greatest possible foil for Olympic gold. And with Brian Orser as his coach, Hanyu has already defeated Chan once at the Grand Prix Final this past December, beating him by more than 10 points in both the short program and the free skate.
Hanyu’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ free skate routine high-paced, with even higher jumps. He opens with a quadruple salchow, though he has yet to land it in competition this season. But the rest of his program more than makes up for his fall. The level of difficulty of many of his elements is very steep, earning him high grades of execution. Along with a clean triple axle, he’s got the technical and artistic weapons to challenge Chan at the Olympics and beyond.
Javier Fernandez, Spain: Fernandez is the first figure skater to earn a podium finish for Spain, and fresh off defending his European Championship title for the second straight year, he is ready to take aim at earning his country’s first Olympic medal in figure skating.
Another Orser pupil, Fernandez is a skater who has one of the most reliable quad jumps in the field. He includes three in his free skate, a sassy jazz routine, one of which comes in the latter half of his performance in order to score bonus points.
He hasn’t yet matched Chan or Hanyu in execution and precision. However, given his 2013 World Championship bronze over Hanyu, who finished fourth, he has enough skill to more than make himself a contender.
Daisuke Takahashi, Japan: When Takahashi finished fifth at the 2013–14 Japan Figure Skating Championships, some thought it was the end of the 27-year-old’s Olympic dreams. But Japan, in recognition of his international credentials, elected to send him to Sochi over national bronze medallist Takahiko Kozuka.
Takahashi has had a tough season. He battled an injury that forced him from the 2013 Grand Prix Final and, at nationals he cited a lack of confidence for his poor skate. But one need only look at his 2013 NHK Trophy free skate to a soaring Beatles medley to know that, when he has his feet working for him, very few can match his speed or talent.
Evegeni Plushenko, Russia: Plushenko has a lot working against him going into these Olympics. He’s 31 years old and has been fighting back problems since 2012. He hasn’t fully competed at an international skating event since the 2012 European Championships. And he lost the Russian national title this past December to teenager Maxim Kovtun.
Yet, he was still elected by the Russian skating federation as their lone men’s singles representative at the Olympics. You certainly can’t count out Plushenko on home soil. He’s still one of figure skating’s top jumpers and he likely better understands how the new judging system works this time around.
Jason Brown, USA: It may only be his first full season on the men’s senior circuit, but the 19-year-old is already drawing eyes. His free skate program, done to lively and energetic Riverdance music, has gone viral online and has proven to be a phenomenal crowd pleaser. That, along with his charisma and high performance factors make him someone to watch out for as the future of figure skating.
However, he currently lacks a functional quad jump and that likely contributed to his second-place finish behind Jeremy Abbott (who has a quad in his routine) at the U.S. Nationals. And the reality is: It’s not 2010 anymore. Enough competitors can jump a quad as well as execute other elements now, so not having one puts skaters at a real disadvantage.
There is certainly room in Brown’s program to execute a quad, but the question remains whether he can perform one so as to earn the points needed to get on the podium.
Denis Ten, Kazakhstan: Despite winning the silver medal at the 2013 World Championships in London, Ont., falling short of Patrick Chan by only 1.3 points, Ten remains a dark horse when it comes to the Olympics. That is because, prior to those championships, Ten never finished higher than sixth place. It took career-best performances by Ten to earn his silver medal, and the expectations of him repeating are not high.
Despite some early struggles that saw him withdraw from one Grand Prix competition and finishing fourth in another, he is proof that anyone can challenge for a medal in this field.