Japanese determine skating icon Yuzuru Hanyu introduced he’s retiring from competition Tuesday however will proceed his bid to land the elusive quadruple axel as an expert exhibition skater.
After lacking out on his third straight Olympic gold on the Beijing Games in February, the 27-year-old world champion from 2014 and 2017 left it unclear whether or not he would ever once more compete on the ice.
Two-time Olympic determine skating gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu smiles throughout a press convention in Tokyo on July 19, 2022. The 27-year-old introduced his retirement from competition. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
“I’ll no longer be able to be compared with other competitors,” he stated throughout a press convention in Tokyo, the place some 150 media personnel flocked to report on the worldwide star’s phrases. “But I’ll keep fighting my weaknesses and my past self.”
“In terms of results, I’ve achieved everything I could achieve. I stopped wanting to be evaluated.”
IN PHOTOS: Memories of Yuzuru Hanyu, undisputed king of the ice
He narrowly missed turning into the primary athlete to land his childhood-dream quad axel in competition throughout his free skate in Beijing, falling on his try on the four-and-a-half-rotation leap.
Composite picture taken Feb. 10, 2022, exhibits Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan trying a quadruple axel in the course of the males’s determine skating free skate on the Beijing Winter Olympics on the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Hanyu, additionally the winner of 4 straight Grand Prix Finals from 2013 and a six-time nationwide champion, withdrew from the world championships in March as he had not recovered from the ankle sprain he sustained in Beijing.
“I carried on until Beijing in pursuit of the quad axel, but I feel I can do it not necessarily in competitions,” Hanyu stated. “I actually feel it gives a chance for more people to witness it (in person).”
“I made the decision (to stop competing) after Beijing…I’ve thought through many things and felt I no longer need to be on the same stage, while also feeling more determined to get better and stronger.”
A local of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan’s Tohoku area, Hanyu started the game aged 4 and impressed victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the realm along with his victory on the 2014 Sochi Games.
He was the primary male determine skater not from Europe or the United States to win the Olympic competition.
Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan smiles on the awards ceremony after successful the gold medal within the males’s determine skating occasion on the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, on Feb. 15, 2014. Hanyu grew to become the primary Japanese man to win an Olympic determine skating gold. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Uncompromising along with his jumps and never afraid to mince phrases along with his teaching workers if mandatory, Hanyu additionally had a singular choreographic expertise that noticed him skate to basic, Japanese and even rock music amongst different themes throughout his profession.
He made a historic defense of his Olympic gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, turning into the primary to realize the feat within the sport in 66 years, since American Dick Button.
Hanyu grew to become the youngest recipient of the Japanese government’s People’s Honor Award at age 23 that 12 months.
“They are the proof of my life,” he stated on his two Olympic gold medals earlier than stating that he’s skating even higher now.
“It was almost like a regular thing for those at 23, 24 to hit a brick wall. I was 23 at the Pyeongchang Games and managed to develop significantly up until this moment, including my jumping skills. I think I’m at my best now.”
Hanyu revealed he might have give up competing after the Olympic win in February 2018, when he triumphed on his return from proper ankle ligament harm suffered simply three months earlier.
Japanese determine skater Yuzuru Hanyu performs his free skate on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, on Feb. 17, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
But he stored on combating as he had not but received the Four Continents Championships, which he received in 2020 to comb all the foremost titles within the sport.
Fellow sporting figures from Japan praised Hanyu’s profession and character following the newest announcement with pace skating star Nao Kodaira, Hiroyasu Shimizu in addition to determine skaters Miki Ando and Kanako Murakami just some on the listing.
Shoma Uno, the 24-year-old who received silver within the 2018 and bronze within the 2022 Olympics, stated his rival was “a big milestone” in his profession.
“I’m filled with a sense of resolve and hope,” Hanyu stated on his new chapter, though he admitted he’s discovering it “very hard” to attract a line mentally between a competitor and an exhibition skater.
“There are plans in progress but I’m holding back from giving you details…I think there are more ways to exhibit figure skating befitting this time and age,” he stated. “I hope to make the fans who never came to watch want to come.”
“I’ll treasure the sporting value of figure skating as a professional athlete while pursuing my ideals. I have no sense of loneliness.”
“I can categorically say so (that I won’t miss competitions). I’ll try to offer that sense of tension with my future activities.”
Combined picture exhibits numerous facial expressions by two-time Olympic determine skating gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu throughout a press convention in Tokyo on July 19, 2022. The 27-year-old introduced his retirement from competition. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Hanyu finished fourth at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February.
After an unsuccessful three-peat bid in Beijing, Hanyu stated he had “nothing more to give” and that he wanted time to consider his future.
“It doesn’t matter what field it will be in,” he stated of his subsequent step after the Olympic gala. “It could be an ice show or a competition.”
Hanyu returned to the ice for the four-stop “Fantasy on Ice” present which happened in May and June in Japan.
Japanese determine skater Yuzuru Hanyu performs within the Fantasy on Ice present at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, close to Tokyo, on May 27, 2022. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Related protection:
Figure skating: Hanyu sharp in 1st efficiency since Beijing Olympics
IN PHOTOS: Yuzuru Hanyu Fantasy On Ice
Figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu’s dwelling rink quickly closes on account of earthquake
