Figure skating: Fernandez in spotlight on Barcelona ice

Spanish figure skating star Javier Fernandez will be centre stage despite a strong Japanese and Russian contingent as the ISU Grand Prix Final gets underway in Barcelona on Thursday.
It is largely thanks to the achievements of Fernandez, the first Spaniard to medal at an ISU figure skating event, that the elite six-skater final has made its way to football-mad Spain.
A provisonial 5,500-seater ice rink has been specially constructed to host the three-day event in the Catalan capital's International Conventions Centre.
Two-time European champion Fernandez, who finished just off the podium at the Sochi Olympics, booked his ticket to the final with a gold in the Cup of Russia and silver in Skate Canada.
"I couldn't miss a competition like this," said the 23-year-old skater from Madrid, of the second most important event of the season after the world championships.
It puts the focus on ice sports in Spain just two months after the Spanish Ice Sports Federation elected a new president Frank Gonzalez.
"I have been told that things will change, there will be major reform," said Fernandez, a two-time world bronze medallist, who left Spain for the United States aged 17 to train and is now coached by Brian Orser in Canada.
"The idea is that those who come after me will not have to emigrate to reach the elite. Being forced to leave your country is hard," said Fernandez.
Japan hold half the the men's berths in the final with Fernandez's training partner, Olympic and world champion Yuzuru Hanyu, competing alongside compatriots Tatsuki Machida and Takahito Mura, and Russians Maxim Kovtum and Sergei Voronov.
"I hope to do the programmes of my life because I know that my rivals are going to make it almost impossible, but I'll give it 100 percent to be on top of the podium," added Fernandez.
Kovtum, 19, was the only man to make it to Barcelona with an unbeaten record in both the Cup of China and the Trophee Eric Bompard.
- Conquer all lingering doubts -
"I'm happy to win a place in the GP final for the second consecutive year. I don't think I shall make any changes in my technical elements," he explained.
"I just need to fine-tune my programmes."
Hanyu scraped into the final after finishing fourth at the NHK Trophy, having ignored pleas not to compete following head injuries suffered in a collision during the Cup of China in which he took silver.
"I've focused harder and pushed myself more in training than ever for this," said 20-year-old Hanyu.
"I feel like an underdog here so will give it everything I have and leave everything out there. My aim is to conquer all the lingering doubts (from China accident)."
Machida, the world silver medallist, added: "I'm looking to plunge in 100 percent and give it everything even though I'm definitely not in the best of condition.
"I'll trust the people around me. I looked out of the plane window and saw the sunrise and it made me feel I could channel Barcelona's beauty and power into my skating."
In the women's field, Russia have four of the six competitors in teenagers Elena Radionova, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Anna Pogorilaya and Julia Lipnitskaya.
Radionova, 15, won gold in both Skate America and the Trophee Bompard and believes she is steadily improving.
"I skated much more confidently in Bordeaux," explained the two-time world junior champion. "For me there's no serious difference between the GP finals and any other tournament."
Veteran Ashley Wagner, 23, competing in her third GP finals, will be carrying American hopes after Gracie Gold withdrew injured, which allowed Japan's Rika Hongo to snatch her first Grand Prix final berth aged 18.
In pairs, Russia's Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov are the favourites along with Canadian's Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, in a field that also includes Russia's Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov and three Chinese couples.
Ice dance will be hotly contested as France's Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron; Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates; and Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Canada, all won gold medals in both their GP events.
Schedule (all times GMT)
Thursday, December 11
19:15: Pairs short programme
20:30: Ladies short programme
Friday, December 12
18:45: Ice dance short programme
20:00: Men's short programme
Saturday, December 13
15:00: Pairs free programme
16:25: Ladies free programme
18:25: Ice dance free programme
19:45: Men's free programme
Source: AFP