American Marconi Wireless News - Siao Him Fa 'confident' for Europeans after skating on thin ice in Beijing

The 22-year-old beat Japanese double world champion Shoma Uno to claim the Cup of China, and also joined an elite group of men to score over 300 points (306.78) on his way to victory in the Grand Prix in France this season.

But he slumped to fourth in the Grand Prix final in Beijing in December, a victim of stress generated by the high expectations.

"It was really new for me, I had never entered a competition as number one and world number one at that," the skater from Bordeaux told AFP.

"I was the only skater to have won his two Grands Prix, and on top of that, I was performing last in the group. It was additional stress and pressure that we had to learn to manage."

"It taught me a lesson," he continued.

"It's an experience that will help me for the rest of my career and for this second part of the season. I had the experience and now I see how I must manage the competition."

"I had a good start to the season, and now I'm starting the second part of the season feeling quite confident," he added with the world championships in Montreal in March.

On the ice of Kaunas starting Wednesday, Siao Him Fa will try to defend his title with two ambitious "complicated programmes from a technical point of view".

"We have increased the difficulty and this start of the season shows that I can do it and that the work I have done throughout this summer has paid off."

Among his rivals are compatriot Kevin Aymoz, fourth last year but boosted by two Grand Prix podium finishes this season, Italy's Matteo Rizzo and Swiss Lukas Britschgi.

In the women's competition, in the absence of the Russian skaters, Belgian Loena Hendrickx could dethrone reigning champion, Georgian Anastasiia Gubanova, a surprise winner last year.

In pairs, reigning Italian champions Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii will try to check the rise of young Germans Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin.

In ice dancing, in the absence of French Olympic champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, still on sabbatical, Italians Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri hope to retain their title.

A.Mahlangu--AMWN