Figure skating's blend of beauty and artistry has captivated audiences for centuries.

With a legion of passionate fans across the world it was top of the viewing charts when a record-breaking two billion people tuned in to watch the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Now Milano-Cortina 2026 aims to triple flip and quad Axel its way to all-new heights.

CGTN spoke to figure skating legend Javier Fernandez, a pioneer of the sport who pretty much single-handedly put figure skating on the map in football-crazy Spain.

Fernandez won Spain's first ever world championship title in Shanghai in 2015, then its only ever Olympic medal at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Korea.

"Winning my first world championships in Shanghai, in China, it was beautiful," Fernandez tells CGTN, but his most cherished memories are having his family there for the big moments.

"When you can share that competition, that moment with the people that you love the most, it's just incredible. They were at the Olympics when I won the medal, and I think they celebrated more than me!"

Five Spanish figure skaters qualified for the first time ever at these Italian Games, perhaps Fernandez's greatest legacy, and he still helps coach and motivate new generations of Spanish skaters.

So, who should we look out for at these Games?

"I am very excited," he begins. "In men's skating Ilia Malinin has been unbeatable these last few years, so he's expected to win."

Malinin is a U.S. skater known as the 'Quad God' for his flawless quad (That's four rotations in the air!) jumps, but 2025 world silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan from South Korea, along with the Japanese duo of Miura Kao (Four Continents champion) and Kagiyama Yuma will be podium contenders too.

Fernandez says we need to watch a skater from another non-traditional figure skating nation too:

"We have a Mexican skater that is very special, everybody loves him because he has this charisma, so watch Donovan Carrillo!"

"On the women's side it's a little bit more interesting this year," says Fernandez.

"Because Russia is coming back and people who watch figure skating know that the Russian women's skaters are the strongest in the world. So it's going to be exciting to see what's going to happen."

The Russian women will skate under a neutral flag, led by Adeliia Petrosian, another young quad queen, but they'll have to overcome the considerable challenge brought by reigning World Champion Kaori Sakamoto from Japan and US champion Amber Glenn.

Sui Wenjing and Han Cong: Box-office comeback?

A big comeback story could be on the cards with China's reigning Olympic champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong coming out of retirement to defend their title in the pairs discipline.

"This Chinese pair is unbelievable," says Fernandez. "Everyone in the skating world loves them, they skate so good, their interpretation is amazing, I think that they have a very good chance to be Olympic champions again."

Javi is hoping for a Spanish surprise too with two pairs qualified for the ice dance discipline: Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck, on the one hand, and Asaf Kazimov and Sofía Val, on the other.

"It's going to be fun to watch them to see how they skate and hopefully in the ice dance we can have a big surprise and bring home a medal. You never know, sport is sometimes magical."

Expect fireworks on ice at the greatest show in figure skating.