FIGURE SKATING: Brendan Kerry has been on the ride of his life, skating from near obscurity to the Olympics at a rate of knots.

At just 19 years of age, Kerry is the fifth youngest athlete in a talent-filled pool of 30 skaters from around the world, and he heads into the men’s individual figure skating looking to be competitive and gain essential big event experience.

Kerry was born to be an Olympian. His mother, Monica MacDonald, competed at the 1988 Calgary Olympics in Ice Dancing. Despite growing up in a family of figure skaters (Kerry’s sister Chantelle competed at the 2012 Innsbruck Youth Olympics), he did not instantly take to Figure Skating, preferring the thrills and speed of Ice Hockey.

But as time progressed, Kerry’s love of the sport grew and he made the tough choice to leave Australia to train under coach Tammy Gambill in California, USA.

Since making the move, Kerry’s skating has gone from strength to strength, securing his Olympic berth with a brilliant performance at the final qualification event in Germany in September last year.

When Kerry takes to the ice for the short program on Day 6, Thursday 13 February, he will do so against some of the fiercest competitors in the sport.

Canadian Patrick Chan is the outright favourite to win gold. At 19, Chan competed in the 2010 Winter Games in his home country but had trouble with injuries and illness in the lead up, ending with a disappointing fifth place. Since Vancouver however, Chan has established himself as the world's premier male figure skater, winning the last three consecutive World Championships (2011, 2012, 2013).

Jason Brown won hearts and nearly 4 million hits on youtube with his silver medal winning performance at the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. He is the first teenage male to make the USA Olympic Figure Skating team since 1976.

Another teenager threatening his more experienced rivals is Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu. The 2010 Junior World Champion, Hanyu defeated Chan to win the 2013 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and won the bronze medal at the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships.

And of course, all eyes will be on the one and only Evgeny Plyushchenko. Competing at his fourth Olympics, Plyushchenko will be the oldest competitor in the field, but he has proven that he is still one of the best in the world. The Olympic Champion in 2006, Plyushchenko also won silver in 2002 and 2010 and most recently helped Russia to gold in the Figure Skating Team Event her in Sochi. His Olympic swansong will send the crowd into a frenzy.