Javier Fernandez of Spain took a major step towards a third consecutive European men's figure skating title when he led the standings after the short programme on Wednesday.
Despite a number of errors, Fernandez finished on 89.24 points with Friday's free programme to come.
That left him well clear of his closest challengers, Sergei Voronov of Russia, who was second on 81.06 points, and Michal Brezina of the Czech Republic with 80.86.
"I dealt with the pressure well, this time my problem was that I was too relaxed, in fact Brian (Orser, coach) said to me that I was working at "level 2" (second gear), sometimes it is very difficult to find a good balance between being very excited and/or skating too relaxed," he said.
Last year's runner-up Voronov, 27, had been strongly tipped to push Fernandez all the way, despite the Spaniard, a two-time world bronze medallist, coming to the Swedish capital after finishing runner-up at the Grand Prix final.
His participation had been in doubt after a painful foot interrupted his training programme, but he declared himself "100 percent" fit before his journey to Sweden.
The 23-year-old is aiming to become the first skater to win three straight men's titles since Alexander Fadeev, competing for the former Soviet Union from 1987 to 1989.
"I had an injury on my left foot, hence I couldn't train for a couple of days," added Fernandez.
"To sort that situation out we moved around our training schedule using those days as resting days.
"I would like to win my third title in three years and add my name to the list of skaters who won three titles in three years but if it doesn't happen it wouldn't be the end of the world."
Source: AFP