Hanyu hungers for Helsinki haul

HELSINKI - As Yuzuru Hanyu prepares for his Olympic title defense, the Japanese star said conditions are perfect for him to recapture the men's world figure skating championship from reigning two-time champ Javier Fernandez of Spain.

Despite a record-setting season in 2016, Hanyu, who captured the 2014 world championship, has had to settle for silver the past two years behind Fernandez, who is his training partner.

They are coached by former world champion Brian Orser of Canada.

The battle for the men's crown looks set to be a quadruple-jumping free-for-all between Fernandez, former winners Hanyu and Patrick Chan and a string of young guns looking to shine before the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

"I've done everything I need to do to this point and I have to make sure I get the job done here. Condition-wise I feel perfect," said Hanyu, with the men's competition getting underway on Thursday in Helsinki's Hartwall Arena.

The 22-year-old Hanyu - who set world records for the short, free program and overall score in 2015 - has had a mixed pre-Olympic season, winning the Grand Prix final and the NHK Trophy but finishing behind Chan in Skate Canada and American Nathan Chen in the Four Continents.

The 17-year-old Chen, who landed a record five quadruple jumps in one program on his way to the US national title in January, joins Japan's Shoma Uno and China's Jin Boyang as top challengers.

Fernandez, 26, captured a fifth consecutive European title but has had a mixed season, finishing fourth in the Grand Prix final.

The Spaniard is bidding for a third straight world title - last achieved by Chan, 26, between 2011-13.

Triple-triples

As the four-rotation quadruple jump is the pinnacle of the men's event, Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva was promising a "cascade of triple-triples" to defend her women's title.

"I've set two new records at the European championships and it has boosted my self-confidence ahead of the world championships," said Medvedeva, born in 1999, the year that Maria Butyrskaya became the first Russian woman to capture the world title in Helsinki.

"For the moment a cascade of four triple jumps is my maximum, but I'm set to add another triple in the near future. I'm very interested to try the new combination."

The battle looks set for the silver and bronze with American Ashley Wagner, 26, and Russia's Anna Pogorilaya, 18, filling those spots last year in Boston.

Veteran Italian Carolina Kostner - the 2012 world champion and 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, back after two years off - prevented a Russian sweep with her bronze at the Europeans.

With Satoko Miyahara out injured, Four Continents winner Mai Mihara will be carrying Japanese hopes of keeping their three spots for the 2018 Olympics.

"I want to claim an Olympic spot but it could affect my performance if I dwell on that too much," said Mihara.

"The first job is to knuckle down and have a great skate with no mistakes."

Canadian gold rush

Canada is looking for a double gold in pairs and ice dancing.

Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford can win a third straight pairs title, a feat last achieved when Soviet skaters Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev won six between 1973 and 1978.

But China's Sui Wenjing and Han Cong managed to top the Canadians at the Four Continents and Russia's Evgenia Tarasova and Vadimir Morozov won the Grand Prix final.

In ice dancing, 2010 Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have been unbeatable on their comeback season.

The world champions in 2010 and 2012 set record short dance and total scores on their way to capturing the Grand Prix Final, the only title previously missing from their collection.

Reigning two-time world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France have struggled for consistency this season, finishing behind Virtue and Moir at the NHK Trophy and Grand Prix Final.

The competition gets underway on Wednesday with the women's and pairs short programs.

Agence France-Presse