Yuzuru Hanyu retires
Japan’s Ice Prince, Yuzuru Hanyu, has announced via a press conference in Tokyo on 19th July 2022, that he will be retiring from competitive figure skating.
Yuzuru Hanyu retires from competitive figure skating
Image credit: International Olympic Committee
Widely considered to be Japan’s and even the world’s greatest male figure skater of all times, two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu has officially announced his retirement from the competitive sport.
In the press conference that was held at around 5PM JST, the 27-year-old athlete shared that his intention to retire from the realm of competitive figure skating, hoping to instead “continue to do his best as a professional figure skater”.
His announcement marks the end to a slew of debate speculating his future, after he unexpectedly placed fourth at the Beijing Winter Olympic earlier this year.
To continue his quest for the Quadruple Axel
Image credit: International Olympic Committee
Despite his retirement as a competitive athlete, he assured the press and his fans that he will work even harder to execute the quadruple axel, a notoriously difficult jump that requires four and a half rotation in the air.
No skater has ever pulled off the jump, though Yuzuru Hanyu’s attempt at the Beijing Olympics gives us hope that he is on his way to success. While he failed to land, the International Skating Union (ISU) acknowledged that the two-time Olympic champion was the first to attempt it in a ISU-sanctioned competition.
Image credit: International Olympic Committee
He added at the press conference that the experience at the Beijing Games was a “good experience”. Doing ice shows also “helped shape his perspective, making him feel that he can become even better in the future”. Lastly, he shared that he sees “room for growth [for himself]”, a sign that we can expect more to come.
Yuzuru Hanyu retires from competitions
It’s a sad day for all Fanyus out there, and an end of an era in the world of competitive figure skating. Nevertheless, with the legendary Ice Prince’s promise to continue as a professional athlete, we’re sure it wouldn’t be long before we can see his elegant movement on ice again.
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Cover image adapted from: International Olympic Committee