MARSEILLE, France -- Yuzuru Hanyu took the lead with an electrifying performance in the short program on Thursday to stay on course for a fourth straight Grand Prix Final figure skating title.In perfect rhythm to the funky sounds of Lets Go Crazy by Prince, the Olympic champion brought the crowd to its feet at the Palais Omnisport, as he earned his season-best score of 106.53.This program cant be completed without the audience, Hanyu said through a Japanese translator. When I got out on the ice this morning I felt really comfortable. I feel like my body was well rested.Two-time former champion Patrick Chan of Canada was second, and defending two-time world champion Javier Fernandez was third after sloppy errors.Although Hanyu had to slightly correct a landing on his opening quad loop, he was clean on his quad salchow and triple toe loop. Even coach Brian Orser was dancing along to the routine beside the rink as the crowd got increasingly louder.Hanyu was probably the only one not totally impressed.My skating skill can still be improved and I can improve my jumps, he said.Chan, a three-time world champion, put some pressure on him with his season-best score of 99.76.I felt pretty happy about todays performance, said Chan, also a two-time Olympic silver medalist. Its my first good short program internationally for a long time.But Fernandezs bid to upstage Hanyu at the Final after finishing runner-up in the past two years looks like a long shot.The Spaniard just about recovered from a fall on his quad salchow and fell again on his flying sit spin to score 91.76.I wasnt happy for sure, more than one mistake this time, he said. We just have to go back to practice to find out what is going on with this short program. When I go to competition there are always mistakes. I just have to keep myself strong for the free program on Saturday.A comeback has precedence: At the worlds in April, he clawed back a considerable deficit on Hanyu to win.The Americans lagged behind, Nathan Chen in fifth place and Adam Rippon in sixth.I was at the Final last year as a junior skater, he said. Its a huge step for me and its cool to be competing with these top-level skaters. Im excited.Rippon admitted to being nervous.Its great to be here. Its a bonus, he said. I want to put out good performances. I got the crowd on their feet today, so thats what my main goal was. Im trying the least amount of quads, so my focus is to skate well overall.Russians Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov nailed all of their jumps for a season-best 78.60 to lead the pairs.We have managed to skate at the same level we trained for, Morozov said. Hopefully we can keep that trend going into the free program.They are ahead of Yu Xiaoyu and Zhang Hao, who also scored a season best, 75.34. The Chinese pair is working well in its first season, having won the Cup of China in Beijing last month.Canadians Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford have a lot to do to win back the title they lost to Russians Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov last year. Duhamel and Radford were recent winners at the NHK Trophy in Sapporo, Japan, but the two-time world champions are in third place here with 71.44 points after Duhamel made a couple of errors.She put one hand on the ice landing slightly awkwardly on a triple lutz, and fell over backward on the throw triple axel.Well, it wasnt the way I wanted to have my birthday go, said Meagan Duhamel, who turned 31 Thursday.Radford was also dejected.Were trying some really difficult elements, the triple Lutz and the throw triple axel, he said. Its frustrating because they were really good in practice, but theyre not transferring into the performance and today they werent even close. Were going to have to review this when we get home.It proved to be a tricky night for the Canadians, with Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau in last place with 60.86. They fell once each. Bilodeau fell back on the triple salchow, and Seguin tumbled forward on the throw triple lutz.Natalia Zabiiako and Alexander Enbert of Russia skated with elegance to the melancholic sound of Georgi Sviridovs Snowstorm but a lack of technical difficulty put them in fifth (65.79) behind Chinas Peng Cheng and Jin Yang (70.84).Kosuke Fukudome Jersey . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. Rafael Palmeiro Cubs Jersey . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. https://www.cheapcubs.com/2200t-nico-hoerner-jersey-cubs.html . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Bill Madlock Jersey .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Justin Steele Jersey . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187.If you need some inspiration today, or are just looking for some motivation to get you to the gym, look no further than golfer Liz Young. The 33-year-old is playing at the Womens British Open in her native country and just so happens to be SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT.Joined by her husband Jonathan as her caddie, Young, a fixture of the Ladies European Tour, shot an impressive 1-over in her opening round on Thursday and is in contention to make the cut for the weekend in Woburn, England. While aspects of her game have changed considerably over the past several months, she revealed to Golfweek, she has steadily remained playing throughout her pregnancy.After Thursdays opening round, she admitted she was pretty tiredd, but just happy to be out there.dddddddddddd My backs hurting, swollen ankles, sore feet. But it was the first time I have played 18 holes [this week] so I was quite pleased to get round.The Womens British Open will be her final event prior to giving birth, but she hopes to return to competition next spring. I have a feeling shell have quite a number of new fans for the rest of her time at Woburn, and when she returns in 2017, after this amazing performance.See something entertaining on social media that you think deserves to be shared? Let me know on Twitter, @darcymaine_espn. ' ' '