2015 World Figure Skating Championships: Results, Updated Schedule Info and More

The ISU World Figure Skating Championships is one of the most prestigious events on ice anywhere on the planet, and 2015's instalment treated the Shanghai spectators to a plethora of artistic, dramatic and encapsulating displays throughout the week.

Various disciplines took centre stage across a scintillating tournament, with skaters from around the globe marrying poise, precision and purpose in their routines and the lucky few taking a coveted place on the podiums.

Read on for recaps from the competition in Shanghai and a closer examination of some of the star performances.

Day 5 Recap

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The final day of the World Figure Skating Championship saw the Men’s Free Skating gold medal go up for grabs, and it’s safe to say that the curtain came down on the tournament with a bang.

A three-horse race between Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, Denis Ten and Javier Fernandez took centre stage, with the latter emerging victorious to claim his first-ever title—per Figure Skating:

Fernandez is also the first Spaniard to win the gold medal, and he did so in style thanks to a dazzling performance.

The event didn’t get off to the best of starts for Fernandez, though, as Hanyu put together an excellent display in the short programme to take an early lead.

Former Olympian Johnny Weir reflected on just how close it was at the top of the leaderboard:

It looked as if the Japanese star was going to go on to take the gold, but Fernandez quite simply sparkled to win by 2.82 points after the free skate.

The variety was extraordinary, and although he fell on a quadruple jump, he landed two with flair and elegance. Crucially, that was two more four-revolution jumps than Hanyu managed to land.

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That was enough to see the Spaniard land gold, and following the announcement of his triumph, he spoke of his disbelief as to what he had achieved—via Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports:

“I still don’t believe it. To beat Yuzu, the Olympic champion, one time, is unbelievable. I don’t know if it’s going to ever happen again.”

Elsewhere, American Jason Brown enjoyed a fruitful day on the ice, as he took fourth place with a score of 248.49.

Here’s a look at the rest of the scores from a superb event in Shanghai:

Position	Athlete	Country	Points
1	Javier Fernandez	ESP	273.90
2	Yuzuru Hanyu	JAP	271.08
3	Denis Ten	KAZ	267.72
4	Jason Brown	USA	248.29
5	Nam Nguyen	CAN	234.89
6	Mishe Ge	UZB	234.89
7	Maxim Kovtun	RUS	230.70
8	Adam Rippon	USA	229.71
9	Florent Amodio	FRA	229.62
10	Han Yan	CHN	229.15

While the likes of Brown and Ten put together good displays, the day belonged to Fernandez, whose reaction to his winning score being announced summed up the competition as a whole.

Ng Han Guan/Associated Press

The Spaniard put his head in his hands in complete shock, shaking with ecstasy and pride at the same time.

It was a fitting way for the World Figure Skating Championships to close, as underdog victories, beautiful displays and heartfelt moments have been the cornerstone of a remarkable competition.

Day 4 Recap

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Elizaveta Tuktamysheva won the gold medal in the Ladies Free Skating after another dazzling performance on the ice in Shanghai.

The Russian was immaculate once again in her second outing, comfortably securing the top spot on the podium ahead of Japan’s Satoko Miyahara and compatriot Yelena Radionova.

This triumph caps a remarkable ascension for the 18-year-old sensation, who has emerged from a tough 2014 as the standout lady in the discipline. Here’s a look at the results from the ladies event in Shanghai and a closer examination of another Tuktamysheva masterclass.

Place	Name	Country	Score
1.	Elizaveta Tuktamysheva	Russia	210.36
2.	Satoko Miyahara	Japan	193.60
3.	Yelena Radionova	Russia	191.47
4.	Gracie Gold	United States	188.96
5.	Ashley Wagner	United States	185.01

For the full breakdown of results from the event, follow this link.

Ng Han Guan/Associated Press

After landing a magnificent triple Axel in the short program on Thursday, Tuktamysheva had this title pretty much sewn up. The Russian led by 8.11 points coming into the second section of the competition and a barring a disastrous skate, was always going to land the gold.

But she shone again before an enchanted Shanghai crows. While she didn’t quite repeat the astonishing feats of earlier in the week, her run contained seven triple jumps and that was enough to further cement her status as the standout woman at the competition.

Here’s a look at her engrossing effort:

The teenager was the Russian champion two years ago, but suffered a tough time of things in 2014. Having only finished in 10th at her national championships, she also failed to make it to the Sochi Olympics and look poised for regression. But she’s bounced back magnificently since then to claim this title on the back of the Grand Prix Final and European Championships.

As noted by Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports, Tuktamysheva’s margin of victory here was almost unprecedented:

It’ll be intriguing to see just how well the teenager fares going forward and after two season’s of hugely contrasting fortunes, she’ll be desperate to showcase some consistency to her skating. Next year her biggest competitor is likely to be reigning Olympic champion Adelina Sotnikova, who is continuing her recovery from ankle ligament damage.

Day 3 Recap

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Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron won gold in the couple’s free dance in Shanghai, coming from behind to beat the American pair of Madison Chock and Evan Bates by a narrow margin. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Canada took bronze.

The French duo were in fourth spot coming into the second stanza, with Chock and Bates setting the pace in the short dance. But Papadakis and Cizeron—aged just 19 and 20 respectively—dazzled in their final performance and a triumph here caps off an amazing ascension for the French pair over the past 12 months.

Here’s the full results from the couple’s free dance and a look back at the action from Shanghai.

Place	Couple	Country	Overall
1	Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron	France	184.28
2	Madison Chock / Evan Bates	USA	181.34
3	Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje	Canda	179.42
4	Anna Cappellini / Luca Lanotte	Italy	177.50
5	Maia Shibutani / Alex Shibutani	USA	172.03

For the full breakdown of results from the event, follow this link.

Chock and Bates held a slender margin coming into the second half of the competition and, although victory for the twosome was by no means sewn up, few expected Papadakis and Cizeron to be stood on top of the podium come the competition’s climax.

But to their immense credit they turned in an immaculate performance, as we can see here:

As noted by Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports, this stunning display means that Papadakis and Cizeron are now the youngest world ice dance champions in 40 years. When you consider they finished in 13th position at their senior-level world championship debut a year ago, winning here represents a pretty stunning achievement.

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As we can see here courtesy of sports journalist Beverly Smith, it was a win achieved in some style too:

Needless to say, both performers were in shock afterwards, per Zaccardi’s piece. “It’s a big surprise, I have no words,” said Papadakis. “The summer before this season, our goal was to be in the top 10,” Cizeron said.

For Chock and Bates, a loss here represents a big disappointment after leading from the short dance. But they certainly didn’t disgrace themselves as they turned in an encapsulating performance in the second stage; they were merely beaten by a young couple that produced the performance of their lives.

Day 2 Recap

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Elizaveta Tuktamysheva was in a class of her own on Day 2, as she sashayed to victory in the Ladies Short Program with a historic performance.

The 18-year-old Russian notched a personal best score of 77.62 to take the gold ahead of compatriot Elena Radionova (69.51) and Japan’s Satoko Miyahara (67.02), becoming just the fourth lady in history to land a triple Axel manoeuvre in the World Championships.

Here are the results from the short program:

Position	Name	Nation	Overall
1	Elizaveta Tuktamysheva	Russia	77.62
2	Elena Radionova	Russia	69.51
3	Satoko Miyahara	Japan	67.02
4	Kanako Murakami	Japan	65.48
5	Rika Hongo	Japan	62.17

For the full breakdown of results from the event, follow this link.

Tuktamysheva was the big favourite to grab gold coming into this particular competition and she thrilled the crowds in attendance here with a magnificent routine.

Here’s a closer look at her performance, including that breathtaking triple Axel:

It means that Tuktamysheva boasts a substantial early lead of 8.11 points over fellow Russian Radionova as they look ahead to the free skate.

At this juncture, it’s looking incredibly unlikely that any of the competitors will have enough to reel in the leader, especially when you consider she’s the only woman in the world currently performing the triple Axel in active competition.

Indeed, as we can see here courtesy of Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports, only two women have scored higher totals in the current format than the 77.62 the teenager totted up here:

While the Russians and Japanese flourished, American athletes endured a difficult day in the short program. Ashley Wagner suffered a fall in her final routine and is down in 11th place, while Polina Edmunds and Gracie Gold are in seventh and eighth respectively.

Although we’ve got a week ahead that will inevitably be jam-packed with thrills and spills, even in the infancy of the competition it’s perilously difficult to see anyone getting close to Tuktamysheva. She’ll be just as wonderful to watch of course, but the battles for the minor medals should make for equally fascinating viewing.

Day 1 Recap

The Championships began on Wednesday with the pairs short program in the ice dance. The theme was a Spanish dance with Matador-style actions from the men.

American pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates set a swift, yet delicate pace with a quality skate to lead the way early on. By dominating the event, they've set themselves up for a run at the world title.

Here are the results from the early event:

Place	Name	Nation	Overal
1	Madison Chock / Evan Bates	USA	74.47
2	Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje	Canada	72.68
3	Anna Cappellini / Luca Lanotte	Italy	72.39
4	Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron	France	71.94
5	Elena Ilinykh / Ruslan Zhiganshin	Russia	69.46

For the full breakdown of results from the opening event, follow this link.

U.S. couple Chock and Bates set a personal-best mark to top the standings in the short dance. The American pair earned a cumulative 74.47, according to NBC OlympicTalk reporter Nick Zaccardi.

Chock and Bates will take a lead of 1.79 points into the vital free dance event. Victory there will guarantee the duo a world title.

Ng Han Guan/Associated Press

That would put them alongside Meryl Davis and Charles White as rare American gold winners in the sport. The latter duo claimed gold at the Sochi Olympics last year.

Chock and Bates earned plaudits for the way they outshone European competition in a Latin-style, Flamenco-based event.

Russian pair Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin couldn't match a personal-best score. Their long stretches and speed lacked the elegance Chock and Bates produced.

The individual program becomes the focus on Day 2. Here's how the schedule breaks down, per the event's official site. For a full breakdown of the schedule on each day, follow this link.