Yuzuru Hanyu is well on his way to a record fourth straight Grand Prix Final title.
The Olympic champion landed two quadruple jumps while his closest rival, Spain’s Javier Fernandez, nearly fell twice in the short program in Marseille, France, on Thursday.
Hanyu tallied 106.53 points, the third-highest short program score under the decade-old scoring system. Hanyu owns the five best short programs, all compiled in the last two seasons.
Hanyu is trying to become the first singles skater to win four straight Grand Prix Finals in the event’s 22-year history.
He leads three-time Canadian world champion Patrick Chan by 6.