Yuzuru Hanyu

Yuzuru Hanyu was born on December 7, 1994, in Izumi ward, Sendai, Japan, as the second and younger child to father Hidetoshi Hanyu, a junior high school teacher, and mother Yumi Hanyu, a former clerk at a department store.^[18][19] Hanyu's given name 結弦 (Yuzuru, lit. 'tie the bowstring') was chosen by his father, wishing that his son may "live a dignified life like a tightly drawn bowstring",^{[20][21]: 1} symbolizing confidence, strength, and straightness.^[22] Hanyu's father was an advisor to the baseball school club and recommended the sport to his son, but Hanyu eventually decided to pursue a career in figure skating. His mother used to make the costumes in his early career,^[18] including the free skate costume for the 2010–11 season, which was designed by American figure skater Johnny Weir.^[22][23] In 2012, she moved with Hanyu to Toronto, Canada, and accompanied him during training, while his father and older sister, Saya, stayed in Japan.^[18]

At the age of two, Hanyu was diagnosed with asthma, a condition that gradually improved with time yet negatively affected his stamina, especially during his junior career.^[22] He began skating at the age of four at Ice Rink Sendai [ja] (formerly Konami Sports Club), Izumi,^[24]: 2 after his sister's coach Mami Yamada had suggested him to try out the sport instead of being a nuisance during his sister's training.^[25] Yamada noted Hanyu's impatience when he first got onto the ice but also praised him for his sincerity.^[26] After coaching him until the end of his second grade in elementary school, Yamada had to move to another prefecture and asked Shōichirō Tsuzuki [ja], former coach of Japan's first World medalist, Minoru Sano, to train Hanyu and "not put his talent to waste".^[26][27] Hanyu described Tsuzuki's practice sessions as particularly strict and exhausting, tempting him to skip lessons at times, but he appreciated Tsuzuki's approach to build a solid foundation of skills and focus on basic training, noting: "He placed so much emphasis on skating and the Axel [jump]. Perhaps that made me confident to this day that the Axel is my forte."^[28]

Discover more about Family and early life related topics

Izumi-ku, Sendai

Izumi-ku, Sendai

Izumi-ku (泉区) is the northernmost ward of the city of Sendai, in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 July 2017, the ward had a population of 215,048 and a population density of 1470 persons per km2 in 90,336 households. The total area of the ward was 146.61 square kilometres (56.61 sq mi). Izumi-ku is the twelfth-largest ward in Japan in terms of area, and third-largest in Sendai. Formerly the independent city of Izumi, the population of the area expanded extremely rapidly from the mid-1970s onwards as a bedroom community for central Sendai. In 1988, the city of Izumi was annexed by Sendai.

Sendai

Sendai

Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. As of 1 June 2020, the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the daimyō Date Masamune. It is nicknamed the City of Trees ; there are Japanese zelkova trees lining many of the main thoroughfares such as Jōzenji Street and Aoba Street . In the summer, the Sendai Tanabata Festival, the largest Tanabata festival in Japan, is held. In winter, the trees are decorated with thousands of lights for the Pageant of Starlight , lasting through most of December.

Baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball that a player on the batting team, called the batter, tries to hit with a bat. The objective of the offensive team is to hit the ball into the field of play, away from the other team's players, allowing its players to run the bases, having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called "runs". The objective of the defensive team is to prevent batters from becoming runners, and to prevent runners' advance around the bases. A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate.

Figure skating

Figure skating

Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance; the four individual disciplines are also combined into a team event, first included in the Winter Olympics in 2014. The non-Olympic disciplines include synchronized skating, Theater on Ice, and four skating. From intermediate through senior-level competition, skaters generally perform two programs, which, depending on the discipline, may include spins, jumps, moves in the field, lifts, throw jumps, death spirals, and other elements or moves.

Free skating

Free skating

The free skating segment of figure skating, also called the free skate and the long program, is the second of two segments of competitions, skated after the short program. Its duration, across all disciplines, is four minutes for senior skaters and teams, and three and one-half minutes for junior skaters and teams. Vocal music with lyrics is allowed for all disciplines since the 2014—2015 season. The free skating program, across all disciplines, must be well-balanced and include certain elements described and published by the International Skating Union (ISU).

2010–11 figure skating season

2010–11 figure skating season

The 2010–11 figure skating season began on July 1, 2010, and ended on June 30, 2011. During this season, elite skaters competed on the ISU Championship level at the 2011 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. They also competed in elite competitions such as the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final.

Johnny Weir

Johnny Weir

John Garvin Weir is an American figure skater and television commentator. He is a two-time Olympian, the 2008 World bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, the 2001 World Junior Champion, and a three-time U.S. National champion (2004–2006). He was the youngest U.S. National champion since 1991, in 2006 the first skater to win U.S. Nationals three times in a row since Brian Boitano in the late 1980s, and the first American to win Cup of Russia in 2007.

Asthma

Asthma

Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. These may occur a few times a day or a few times per week. Depending on the person, asthma symptoms may become worse at night or with exercise.

World Figure Skating Championships

World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships ("Worlds") is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Generally held in March, the World Championships are considered the most prestigious of the ISU Figure Skating Championships. With the exception of the Olympic title, a world title is considered to be the highest competitive achievement in figure skating.

Minoru Sano (figure skater)

Minoru Sano (figure skater)

Minoru Sano is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. He is the 1977 World bronze medalist and a five-time Japanese national champion (1972–76).

Axel jump

Axel jump

The Axel jump or Axel Paulsen jump, named after its inventor, Norwegian figure skater Axel Paulsen, is an edge jump performed in figure skating. It is the sport's oldest and most difficult jump, and the only basic jump in competition with a forward take-off, which makes it the easiest to identify. A double or triple Axel is required in both the short program and the free skating segment for junior and senior single skaters in all events sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU).

Novice and junior career (2004–2010)

Hanyu competed as a novice skater for the first time in the 2004–05 season, winning gold at the Japan Championships in the Novice B category, the lower of the two novice level categories.^[24]: 2 His home rink then closed due to financial issues, forcing him to switch to the Katsuyama Skating Club [ja] in Aoba ward, Sendai. The same year, Shōichirō Tsuzuki moved to the Kanagawa Skating Rink [ja] in Yokohama, and Nanami Abe became Hanyu's main coach and choreographer, guiding him until 2012.^[24]: 2 On weekends, he travelled three hours from Sendai to Yokohama for additional lessons at Tsuzuki's new skating club. In summer 2006, at 11 years old, Hanyu's confidence showed up when initiating a spin battle against that year's Olympic silver medalist, Stéphane Lambiel,^[24]: 3 who was known for his world-class spins. Hanyu suffered a disarming defeat, which he remembered as an important career lesson: "After competing against him, I decided to improve my spins as well. You will definitely improve, learning from [the best]."^[29] In the 2006–07 season, Hanyu won the bronze medal at the Japan Championships in the Novice A category, which earned him an invitation to the Japan Junior Championships, where he placed seventh.^[30] His home rink in Izumi ward eventually reopened in 2007 after being closed for two years.^[31] The next season, he placed first at the Japan Championships in the Novice A category and won the bronze medal at the Japan Junior Championships.^[30]

In 2008–09, Hanyu moved up to junior level and made his international debut in the ISU Junior Grand Prix at the Merano Cup in Italy, where he placed fifth.^[32] The same season, he won gold at the Japan Junior Championships, becoming the youngest male skater with 13 years to win the event.^[25] This result earned him an invitation to compete at the Japan Senior Championships for the first time, where he placed eighth. His national junior title also qualified him for the 2009 World Junior Championships in February, where he finished in 12th place with 161.77 points in the combined total.^[30] In that season, Hanyu had included the triple Axel jump in his programs for the first time, though receiving negative grades of execution (GOE) for all three attempts.^[33] The following 2009–10 season marked the beginning of an 11-year-long quest for the first Super Slam in the men's singles discipline, with wins at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final and World Junior Championships: Hanyu placed first at both of his Grand Prix assignments, in Poland and Croatia, and entered the Final as the top qualifier,^[25] which he won with a new personal best score of 206.77 points.^[34] At Junior Nationals, he successfully defended his title from the previous season,^[25] qualifying him for the Senior Nationals, where he finished sixth.^[35] Based on his results, Hanyu was selected to compete at the 2010 World Junior Championships, winning gold after placing third in the short program and first in the free skate with a new personal best score of 216.10 points. Hanyu became the fourth and youngest Japanese man to win the junior world title.^[36] In that season, he had significantly improved the quality of his triple Axel, having landed nine jumps with positive GOE in ten attempts.^[33]

First Olympic cycle (2010–2014)

2010–11 season: International senior debut

In the 2010–11 season, Hanyu moved up to senior level at 15 years old, facing significant competition in the Japanese men's field, including Daisuke Takahashi, Nobunari Oda, Takahiko Kozuka, and Tatsuki Machida, who all had finished ahead of him at the previous Japan Championships.^[35][37] Hanyu skated his short program to "White Legend" from Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, performed by Japanese violinist Ikuko Kawai, and used the music piece Zigeunerweisen by Pablo de Sarasate for the free skate.^[38][39] He gave his international senior debut at the 2010 NHK Trophy, where he landed his first successful quadruple jump at an ISU-sanctioned event: a quad toe loop. He placed fourth overall at the competition and seventh at the subsequent Rostelecom Cup, missing out on a medal at his first two senior Grand Prix events.^[38] At the 2010–11 Japan Championships, he was in second place after the short program, but faltered in the free skate and finished fourth overall.^[30] The next year, at the 2011 Four Continents Championships, he won his first medal at a main international senior competition,^[38] placing second behind Daisuke Takahashi with a new personal best score of 228.01 points.^[40] At 16 years old, Hanyu became the youngest medalist at the Four Continents Championships.^[38]

On March 11, 2011, he was skating at his home rink in Sendai when the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami struck his hometown and the Tōhoku region. With his house being damaged, he had to spend the following three days with his family at an evacuation center.^[22][37] A month later, on April 7, the water pipes at his rink burst as a result of an aftershock, known as the April 2011 Miyagi earthquake,^[41] and Hanyu was forced to move his training base to Yokohama and Hachinohe until his home rink reopened on July 24, 2011.^[37] In the meantime, he had participated in 60 ice shows across Japan, using them as an opportunity to get additional practice time and raise money for the areas affected by the disaster.^[22][38]

2011–12 season: First world medal

Hanyu with Patrick Chan (center) and Daisuke Takahashi (left) at the 2012 World Championships podium

In the 2011–12 season, Hanyu skated his short program to Alexander Scriabin's Étude in D-sharp minor and the free skate to a medley of Romeo + Juliet by Craig Armstrong. The choreographies were created by Nanami Abe in collaboration with Natalia Bestemianova and Igor Bobrin from Russia.^[39][42] Hanyu opened the season at the Nebelhorn Trophy, where he won his first gold medal at an international senior competition. During the event, he shared his career goals with the media: "My goals for the future are to land all quad jumps in competition. I would also like to learn the quad Axel. Another goal is to win the next two Olympics, or at least win medals."^[25] For the 2011–12 Grand Prix series, he was assigned to the Cup of China, where he placed fourth, and the Rostelecom Cup, which he won with one of the closest margins of 0.03 points ahead of Javier Fernández from Spain.^[43][44] The results qualified him for his first senior Grand Prix Final, where he finished fourth. Hanyu then won the bronze medal at the Japan Championships,^[43] earning a spot on the Japanese team for the 2012 World Championships. At his senior Worlds debut, he competed on a sprained ankle,^[25] placing seventh in the short program, but with a strong free skate he moved up to third place overall, winning the bronze medal with a new personal best score of 251.06 points.^[45] He became the youngest Japanese world medalist, finishing behind then two-time world champion Patrick Chan (gold) and Daisuke Takahashi (silver). After the competition, both skaters acknowledged Hanyu as a potential strong rival in the future.^[46]

Upon the conclusion of the 2011–12 season, Hanyu changed coaches, training with Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club (Toronto CSCC) in Canada, who had coached Korean skater Yuna Kim to Olympic gold in 2010 among others.^[47][48] Hanyu's main motivation for the change were the consistent quadruple jumps performed by Orser's student Javier Fernández.^[49] According to Hidehito Ito, figure skating director of the Japan Skating Federation, the change was also necessary to "challenge" Hanyu and "raise the level [of his skating] more".^[47][50] The first months, Hanyu was making frequent trips to Toronto, but continued to attend high school in Sendai.^[47] After moving to Canada, he increased his on-ice training to 3–4 hours a day, up from 1–2 hours, which had been due to a combination of limited ice time in Sendai, schooling, and asthma.^[22][31]

2012–13 season: First national senior title

In the first season at his new skating club, Hanyu teamed up with two new choreographers. His short program was created by the 2008 World champion, Jeffrey Buttle, to "Parisienne Walkways" by Gary Moore and the free skate was choreographed by Canadian David Wilson to a medley of Riccardo Cocciante's musical Notre-Dame de Paris.^[39][42] The coaching change resulted in immediate success; At the 2012 Finlandia Trophy, Hanyu landed his first quadruple Salchow in international competition and won the event.^[51][52] In the Grand Prix series, he scored his first two world records in the short program with 95.07 points at the 2012 Skate America,^[53][54] where he finished second behind Takahiko Kozuka,^[42] and 95.32 points at the NHK Trophy, which he won ahead of Daisuke Takahashi.^[53][55] The placements qualified him for the Grand Prix Final, where he finished second behind Takahashi and beat Patrick Chan for the first time in competition.^[56] At the Japan Championships, Hanyu won his first national senior title, defeating the reigning and five-time national champion, Daisuke Takahashi, scoring an unofficial record of 285.23 points in the combined total.^{[57][note 3]} However, his win was not well received among spectators and officials, being booed on the podium, but Orser encouraged his student, saying: "They will come around. Just give it some time and they will come your way."^[58] After the 2013 Four Continents Championships, where he had finished second behind Canadian Kevin Reynolds, Hanyu suffered a knee injury and resumed training two weeks prior to the World Championships. An additional ankle sprain in practice forced him to compete on painkillers.^[59]: 3 Placing ninth after the short program, he fought back with a strong free skate, finishing fourth overall behind Patrick Chan (gold), Denis Ten (silver), and Javier Fernández (bronze), and earning a third spot for Japanese men at the 2014 Winter Olympics.^[52]

2013–14 season: First Olympic and world title

Hanyu skating his program "Parisienne Walkways" at the 2014 Winter Olympics

For his first Olympic season, Hanyu returned to his short program "Parisienne Walkways" and selected Nino Rota's music from Romeo and Juliet for the free skate, choreographed by David Wilson.^[60] He launched the season with a win at the 2013 Finlandia Trophy and won silver in both of his Grand Prix events, the 2013 Skate Canada and Trophée Éric Bompard, qualifying him for the 2013–14 Grand Prix Final.^[60][61] At the Final, he set a new world record in the short program with 99.84 points and placed first overall ahead of Patrick Chan (silver) and Nobunari Oda (bronze), winning his first major international senior title.^[54][62] At the Japan Championships, Hanyu went on to win a second national title and was selected to represent the Japanese team at the 2014 Winter Olympics and World Championships.^[60] At the Winter Olympics in Sochi, he participated in the men's short program of the figure skating team event, earning ten points for Team Japan.^[63] In the individual event, he broke his world record, becoming the first skater to score above 100 points in the short program with a score of 101.45.^[50] Despite two falls in the free skate, he managed to win the event with a new Olympic record of 280.09 points in the combined total, finishing ahead of Patrick Chan (silver) and Denis Ten (bronze).^[64][65] With his win, Hanyu became the youngest gold medalist since American Dick Button in 1948.^[64] It was the first Olympic title for an Asian skater in the men's singles event and the second for Japan in figure skating, following Shizuka Arakawa's win in the women's event in 2006 in Turin.^[66][67] Hanyu concluded the season with a victory at the World Championships in Saitama, Japan, defeating compatriot Tatsuki Machida with 0.33 points and becoming the first skater to win the Olympics, Worlds, and the Grand Prix Final in the same season after Russian Alexei Yagudin in 2002–01.^[50][68]

Second Olympic cycle (2014–2018)

2014–15 season: Second Grand Prix Final win

After the Sochi Olympics, Hanyu's coaching team was joined by jump expert Ghislain Briand who had coached Canadian skater Elvis Stojko to Olympic silver and two world titles in the 1990s.^[69][70] After Stojko's retirement, Briand was convinced that he would "never have the opportunity to work with another athlete with that much talent, dedication, and passion."^[70] However, with Hanyu, Briand had eventually found a student who was open towards his unconventional training and analysis of figure skating jumps, stating: "Yuzu is probably the first athlete who really recognizes what I do with him. He is the perfect model and he masters his art like no one else. It sometimes makes the job easier, but his higher level also comes with many challenges."^[69]: 1

In the 2014–15 season, Hanyu skated his short program to Frédéric Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G minor and selected a medley from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera for the free skate. The programs were choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle and Shae-Lynn Bourne, respectively, who created all short and free skate programs for Hanyu from 2014 onward.^[42] For Hanyu, the 2014–15 season was shaped by a series of injuries, starting with an accident in practice, where he hurt his back and was forced to withdraw from the 2014 Finlandia Trophy.^[71][72] In his first Grand Prix event at the Cup of China, he collided with Chinese skater Yan Han during the free skate warm-up, suffering bruises on his head and chin along with injuring his midriff, left thigh, and right leg. Despite his severe condition, he decided to compete in the free skate and managed to finish second overall behind Maxim Kovtun from Russia.^[73][74] At the NHK Trophy, he came in fourth, securing his place at the Grand Prix Final by one of the slimmest margins of 0.15 points.^[75] At the Final, he successfully defended his title with a new season's best score of 288.16, finishing 34.26 points ahead of silver medalist Javier Fernández.^[71][76] In December, Hanyu competed at the 2014–15 Japan Championships, placing first in both segments and winning his third consecutive national title.^[77] However, he was forced to withdraw from the exhibition gala due to abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with a tubal residual disease and had to undergo surgery on his bladder, being hospitalized for two weeks and resting for another month.^[78][79] His series of injuries continued with a sprain of his right ankle that forced him to stay in Japan until the 2015 World Championships, where he finished second behind Fernández by less than three points.^[71][80] In April, Hanyu competed for the first time at the ISU World Team Trophy, where he placed first in both competition segments, earning 24 points to help Team Japan win the bronze medal behind Team USA (gold) and Team Russia (silver).^[81]

2015–16 season: Back-to-back world records

Hanyu skating his short program Ballade No. 1 at the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final

For the 2015–16 season, Hanyu returned to his short program Ballade No. 1 and selected the soundtrack of the films Onmyōji and Onmyōji II by Shigeru Umebayashi for the free skate, portraying the Japanese philosopher and astronomer Abe no Seimei.^[82] He started the season by winning gold at the 2015 Autumn Classic, finishing 36 points ahead of silver medalist Nam Nguyen.^[83] However, in his first Grand Prix event at Skate Canada, he placed sixth in the short program after invalidating two jumping passes, finishing second overall behind Patrick Chan.^[84][85] Hanyu had been struggling with his short program layout throughout the previous season that included a quad toe loop and triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination in the second half.^[85][86] While his coach Brian Orser suggested a more "conservative" change, Hanyu decided to add another quad, stating: "I thought by the time of the Pyeongchang Olympics, you cannot win without a short program that includes two quads with difficult entries and exits—plus excellent footwork, spins, and presentation. As the reigning Olympic champion, I want to be absolutely dominant."^[86] The offensive strategy earned him a series of back-to-back world records within two weeks: At the 2015 NHK Trophy, he set new highest scores of 106.33 in the short program, 216.07 in the free skate, and 322.40 in the combined total, becoming the first skater to score above 200 and 300 points in the two segments, respectively.^[87][88] It was the first free skate performance of Hanyu's competitive career with all-positive grades of execution, featuring three quadruple jumps and two triple Axels.^[88][89] At the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, he broke his own records in all three segments with 110.95 points in the short program, 219.48 in the free skate, and 330.43 overall, becoming the first man to win the Grand Prix Final for three consecutive seasons.^[87][89] He finished 37.48 points ahead of Javier Fernández, breaking the record of the largest victory margin at the Grand Prix Final, which was held by Evgeni Plushenko with 35.10 points in 2004.^[90] At the Japan Championships, Hanyu won his fourth consecutive national title after placing first in both segments.^[91] However, a lingering pain in his left foot worsened throughout the season, threatening his participation at the 2016 World Championships in Boston.^[92][93] At the event, he managed to skate another clean short program of 110.56 points, but faltered in the free skate, placing second overall behind Fernández.^[89][94] It was subsequently announced that Hanyu had been diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury in his left foot, forcing him off ice for two months.^[92][93]

2016–17 season: Second world title

Hanyu at the victory ceremony of the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki

In the 2016–17 season, Hanyu skated to the song "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince in the short program and a medley of "Asian Dream Song" and "View of Silence" by Joe Hisaishi, titled Hope and Legacy, in the free skate.^[95] He opened the season with a win at the 2016 Autumn Classic, becoming the first skater to successfully land a quadruple loop jump in competition.^[68][96] After a rough performance at Skate Canada with a second-place finish behind Patrick Chan, Hanyu and Orser had a debate on the approach for the next competitions. While Orser described the performances as a "skeleton of the [planned] choreography" and pleaded to work on the "total package", Hanyu was convinced that landing his jumps was the key to a well-rounded program.^[97] The strategy paid off with a win at the NHK Trophy, surpassing the 300 mark with a total score of 301.47.^[98] At the 2016–17 Grand Prix Final in Marseille, he placed first the short program with a season's best score of 106.53. In the free skate, he made mistakes on three jumping passes, placing third in the segment, but his advantage from the short program was enough to stay in first overall, becoming the first male single skater to win four consecutive Grand Prix Finals.^[99] After contracting the flu, Hanyu was forced to withdraw from the Japan Championships, missing the event for the first time.^[96] At the 2017 Four Continents Championships, he placed third in the short program after turning his quad Salchow into a double,^[96] a jump that had caused him issues throughout the season.^[100] He fought back with a strong free skate, placing first in the segment and scoring a new season's best of 303.71 points in the combined total. However, he finished second behind American Nathan Chen by about four points, taking the silver medal for a third time.^[101] At the World Championships, he moved up from fifth place after the short program to first with a clean free skate performance that featured four quadruple jumps and two triple Axels. He scored a new world record of 223.20 points in the segment and won his second world title, finishing ahead of his compatriot Shoma Uno (silver) and Jin Boyang from China (bronze).^[102] The event marked the first time that all three medalists scored above 300 points.^[65] In July 2022, Hanyu named the free skate performance of Hope and Legacy as the one that he thought would represent him best and was the most perfectly executed of his competitive career.^[103]: 1 At the 2017 World Team Trophy, the final competition of the season, he came in seventh place after an error-filled short program, but placed first in the free skating,^[96] becoming the first skater to complete three quadruple jumps in the second half of a skating program. He contributed 18 points to the team score and won gold with Team Japan.^[104]

2017–18 season: Second Olympic title

Hanyu with Shoma Uno (left) and Javier Fernández (right) at the 2018 Winter Olympics podium

For the Olympic season, Hanyu returned to his short program Ballade No. 1 and free skate Seimei from the 2015–16 season.^[42] At the 2017 CS Autumn Classic, he scored a new world record of 112.72 points in the short program;^[54] at the Rostelecom Cup, he landed his first successful quadruple Lutz jump in international competition.^[105] However, due to mistakes, he finished second at both events behind Javier Fernández and Nathan Chen, respectively.^[105][106] In November, Hanyu was scheduled to compete at the NHK Trophy, but injured a lateral ligament in his right ankle after a fall on a quad Lutz in practice and was forced to withdraw from all remaining competitions of the year.^[106][107] At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, he placed first in the short program with a new Olympic record of 111.68 points.^[65][108] In the free skating, he missed a jump combination and stumbled on his final triple Lutz, placing second in the segment, but it was enough to stay in first overall ahead of Shoma Uno (silver) and Javier Fernández (bronze), scoring another Olympic record of 317.85 points in the combined total.^[65][109] With his win, Hanyu became the first male single skater in 66 years to successfully defend his Olympic title since Dick Button in 1952.^[106][109] Upon the conclusion of the Olympics, he announced the quadruple Axel as his next career goal, a jump that hadn't been landed in competition until then.^[110] In order to allow his injured ankle to recover, he decided to withdraw from the World Championships,^[111] but remained first in the world standings for a fifth consecutive time at the end of the 2017–18 season.^[16]

Third Olympic cycle (2018–2022)

2018–19 season: Records in new judging system

For the 2018–19 season, Hanyu selected his programs with the thought to pay tribute to the skating idols of his childhood. His short program to "Otoñal" by Raúl Di Blasio was dedicated to American skater Johnny Weir who had used the piece for his free skate in the 2004–05 season. Hanyu's new free skate program Origin, a medley of the pieces "Art on Ice" and "Magic Stradivarius" by Edvin Marton, was a homage to Russian Evgeni Plushenko who had skated to the music in his free skate Tribute to Nijinsky in 2003–04.^[95][112] Regarding his program choices, Hanyu remarked: "I am satisfied that as a result [of my Olympic success] I have been released from the pressure that I have to produce results. I think and feel that I can skate for myself from now on. I want to go back to my skating origins."^[112]

Hanyu in the opening pose of his short program "Otoñal" at the 2018 Helsinki GP

Hanyu opened the season with a win at the 2018 Autumn Classic, but expressed dissatisfaction with his performances, pledging to improve in the next competitions.^[113] At the Grand Prix of Helsinki, he set highest scores in all segments under the new +5/-5 GOE judging system,^{[note 4]} earning 106.69 points in the short program, 190.43 in the free skate, and 297.12 points in the combined total. He also became the first skater to land a quad toe loop-triple Axel jump sequence in competition, winning the event by about 40 points over Michal Březina.^[115][116] At the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, Hanyu upped the short program record to 110.53 points, but on the following day, he re-injured his right ankle in practice after falling on a quad loop. Yet he opted to compete, aided by painkillers, and managed to place first in all segments, winning gold at both of his Grand Prix assignments for the first time.^[117] After the competition, Hanyu admitted: "I thought about withdrawing because of the injury, but it is my choice. I really wanted to skate this program in Russia."^[118] Due to the injured ligaments and tendons in his right foot, he was forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final and Japan Championships, taking about three weeks of rest and another month of rehabilitation.^[116][119] At the 2019 World Championships in Saitama, Hanyu placed third in the short program after turning his opening quad Salchow into a double,^[116] but came back with a strong free skate, becoming the first skater to surpass the 200 and 300 marks in the new judging system with 206.10 points in the free skate and 300.97 in total. However, he finished second behind Nathan Chen who bested both scores later in the event.^[120][121] Similar to his preparations for the Olympics, Hanyu had relied on painkillers before and during the competition to make jumping possible.^[116] Due to the injury, he was forced to withdraw from the season's final event, the World Team Trophy.^[122]

2019–20 season: Achieving Super Slam

Hanyu (center) at the 2020 Four Continents podium, completing the Super Slam

In 2019–20, Hanyu returned to the short program "Otoñal" and free skate Origin,^[42] and launched the new season with a solid win at the 2019 Autumn Classic. Brian Orser praised his student, noting that he has "never seen him at this time of the year to be so focused."^[123] In the Grand Prix series, Hanyu won his first gold medal at Skate Canada, scoring new personal bests of 212.99 in the free skate and 322.59 in the combined total.^[124] He placed first with a new largest victory margin of 59.82 points ahead of Nam Nguyen, improving his own record of 55.97 points from 2015.^[125] Hanyu expressed his satisfaction with the performance, feeling reaffirmed about the image of skating he was aiming for, and added: "For the first in a long time, I genuinely felt being able to win against myself."^[126] At the NHK Trophy, he captured another gold with a total score above 300 and more than 55 points ahead of silver medalist Kevin Aymoz.^[127][128] At the Grand Prix Final, Hanyu went into the short program without company due to a delayed arrival of his coach Ghislain Briand. In his performance, he missed a mandatory jump combination, placing second in the segment and trailing Nathan Chen by about 13 points.^[128] In the free skate, Hanyu landed five quadruple jumps in one program for the first time in his career, including his first attempt on a quad Lutz since 2017, but missed a planned triple Axel-triple Axel sequence, finishing second overall behind Chen by more than 43 points.^[129]

Competing at his first Japanese championships since the 2016–17 season, Hanyu placed first in the short program, 5.01 points ahead of Shoma Uno.^[130] Several jump errors in the free skate saw him place third in that segment, behind Uno and Yuma Kagiyama, and win the silver medal overall. It was Hanyu's first loss to Uno.^[131] Heading into the Four Continents Championships in Seoul, Hanyu opted to return to his Ballade No. 1 (Chopin) program and his "Seimei" program from prior seasons.^[132] Referencing the 2018 Winter Olympics which were held in Pyeongchang, Hanyu noted that while he wanted to win a gold medal once again in South Korea, he wanted to showcase and focus on his own style of figure skating even more. In the short program, Hanyu broke his previous world record with 111.82 points.^[133] Hanyu called it "the most perfect performance I've ever done."^[134] Despite errors on two of his quad attempts in the free skate, he won that segment as well, taking the gold medal overall with 299.42 points.^[135] Hanyu's victory on February 9, made him the first and only male singles skater to win all of the major ISU championship events at the junior and senior levels, a feat known as the Super Slam, previously only achieved by five other competitors in the other three skating disciplines.^[136] He was assigned to compete at the World Championships in Montreal, but these were canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.^[137] At the ISU Skating Awards in 2020, Hanyu was nominated for Best Costume and Most Valuable Skater for the 2019–2020 season, and proceeded to win the latter.^[138]

2020–21 season: Seventh world medal

On August 28, Hanyu announced that he would skip the Grand Prix series, citing the risk of COVID-19 for himself, the competition staff, and for his fans who would gather to support him.^[139] Despite feeling "conflicted" over whether he should have competed or not as COVID-19 continued and practicing without his coaching team, Hanyu decided to compete in Japanese championships, which doubled as the final qualifier for the upcoming World Championships in Stockholm.^[140][141] He placed first in the short program (103.53 points) and the free skate (215.83 points) with all positive grades of execution on jumping passes and won his fifth national figure skating title with a total score of 319.36 points.^[142][143]

The 2021 World Championships were to be the first direct competition between Hanyu and Nathan Chen since the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final.^[144] Hanyu placed first in the short program with a solid performance, 6.02 points ahead of compatriot Yuma Kagiyama.^[145] In the free skate, Hanyu opened his program with two quadruple jumps and a triple Axel but received negative grades of execution for all three of them. Scoring 182.20 points, he placed fourth in the free skate and third overall, behind Chen and Kagiyama.^[146] It was the first competition Hanyu had placed below second since 2014. On the following day, Hanyu confirmed the report of his asthma attack by overseas media. He stated that he felt a little painful after finishing the free skate, and explained: "There were few small troubles that kept stacking up ... However, if asked whether that was what led to the huge mistake (in the free skate), I don't think it was as big of a miss as it was in terms of the miss in the score."^[147] Hanyu's placement combined with Kagiyama's qualified three berths for Japanese men at the 2022 Winter Olympics.^[148] Hanyu competed as part of Team Japan for the 2021 World Team Trophy. He placed second in both the short program and the free skate, only behind Nathan Chen. He achieved a personal season's best score in both the short program and the free skate with 107.12 and 193.76 points respectively and earned a total of 22 points to help his team take home the bronze medal.^{[149][150][151]}

2021–22 season: Sixth national title and third Olympics

Hanyu confirmed his plans to compete in the 2021–22 Olympic season, and was scheduled to compete at the 2021 NHK Trophy and 2021 Rostelecom Cup in November for the 2021–22 Grand Prix series.^[152] On November 4, 2021, the Japan Skating Federation announced Hanyu's withdrawal from the NHK Trophy due to an injury in his right ankle ligament during a fall in practice.^[153] The JSF subsequently announced his withdrawal from the Rostelecom Cup prior to the event, but said that he would remain in consideration for the Olympic team.^[154][155]

Hanyu made his season debut at the 2021–22 Japan Figure Skating Championships, placing first in both the short program and free skate, winning his sixth Japanese National title, tying Takeshi Honda's record of most national titles in the last 50 years. He also attempted a quadruple Axel for the first time during the free skate, although it was downgraded to a triple Axel with a two-footed landing.^[156] Hanyu was assigned to represent Japan at the 2022 Winter Olympics and the 2022 World Championships.^[156][157]

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Hanyu missed his opening quadruple Salchow jump in the short program due to a hole in the ice and placed eighth with 95.15 points, qualifying him for the free skate. The score was his lowest in the segment since the 2019 World Championships.^[158] In the free skate, he fell twice in his first two opening jumps, a quadruple Axel and a quad Salchow.^[159] His quad Axel attempt is the first that was not downgraded to triple Axel.^[160] Other than these two mistakes, he delivered a clean skate, placing third in the free skate and fourth place overall with a total score of 283.21 points, behind fellow Japanese compatriot and bronze medalist Shoma Uno.^[159] Following his free skate, Hanyu confirmed in a press conference that he had re-injured his right ankle in practice the day before the free skate, but since it was the Olympics and not a normal competition, he chose to compete on painkillers instead of withdrawing.^[161] On March 1, 2022, the Japan Skating Federation announced Hanyu's withdrawal from the 2022 World Championships due to the unhealed injury.^[162]

Discover more about Competitive skating career related topics

Aoba-ku, Sendai

Aoba-ku, Sendai

Aoba-ku (青葉区) is one of five wards of Sendai, the largest city in the Tōhoku region of Japan. Aoba-ku encompasses 302.278 km² and had a population of 296,551, with 147,622 households as of March 1, 2012.

Figure skating spins

Figure skating spins

Spins are an element in figure skating in which the skater rotates, centered on a single point on the ice, while holding one or more body positions. They are performed by all disciplines of the sport, single skating, pair skating, and ice dance, and are a required element in most figure skating competitions. As The New York Times says, "While jumps look like sport, spins look more like art. While jumps provide the suspense, spins provide the scenery, but there is so much more to the scenery than most viewers have time or means to grasp". According to world champion and figure skating commentator Scott Hamilton, spins are often used "as breathing points or transitions to bigger things"

2006–07 Japan Figure Skating Championships

2006–07 Japan Figure Skating Championships

The 2006–07 Japan Figure Skating Championships were the 75th edition of the event. They were held between December 27 and 29, 2006 at the Rainbow Ice Arena in Nagoya. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, and ice dancing on the senior level. This event was used to determine the teams for the 2007 World Championships and the 2007 Four Continents Championships. The level of competition is senior-level only. Juniors compete at the Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships, where the top three advance to the 2007 World Junior Championships.

2007–08 Japan Figure Skating Championships

2007–08 Japan Figure Skating Championships

The 2007–08 Japan Figure Skating Championships were the 76th edition of the event. They were held on December 26–28, 2007 at the Namihaya Dome arena in Kadoma, Osaka. National Champions were crowned in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, and ice dancing. Results of this competition were used to help pick the teams for the 2008 World Championships and the 2008 Four Continents Championships.

2008–09 figure skating season

2008–09 figure skating season

The 2008–09 figure skating season began on July 1, 2008, and ended on June 30, 2009. During this season, elite skaters competed on the Championship level at the 2009 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. They also competed in elite competitions such as the Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix series.

2008–09 ISU Junior Grand Prix

2008–09 ISU Junior Grand Prix

The 2008–09 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the 12th season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the Junior-level complement to the 2008–09 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for Senior-level skaters. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance.

Merano Cup

Merano Cup

Merano Cup is an annual figure skating competition held in Merano, Italy. Inaugurated in 1997, it is typically held around November. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's and ladies' singles on the senior, junior, and novice levels. It was held as a club competition in its early years.

2008–09 Japan Figure Skating Championships

2008–09 Japan Figure Skating Championships

The 2008–09 Japan Figure Skating Championships were the 77th edition of the event. It took place between December 25 and 27, 2008 at the Big Hat arena in Nagano. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior level for the title of national champion of Japan. In addition, the event will also be used to choose the Japanese teams to the 2009 World Championships and the 2009 Four Continents Championships. The Japanese team to the 2009 World Junior Championships was chosen at the Japanese Junior Championships.

2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships

2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships

The 2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships was an international competition in the 2008–09 season. Commonly called "World Juniors" and "Junior Worlds", they are an annual figure skating competition in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.

2009–10 figure skating season

2009–10 figure skating season

The 2009–10 figure skating season began on 1 July 2009, and ended on 30 June 2010. During this season, elite skaters competed at the Olympic level at the 2010 Winter Olympics, on the ISU Championship level at the 2010 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. They also competed in elite competitions such as the 2009–10 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating.

ISU Junior Grand Prix Final

ISU Junior Grand Prix Final

The ISU Junior Grand Prix Final or JGP Final is the culmination of a series of junior-level competitions – the ISU Junior Grand Prix organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earn qualifying points at each Junior Grand Prix event. At the end of the series, the six highest-placing skaters from each discipline advance to the JGP Final.

ISU Junior Grand Prix in Poland

ISU Junior Grand Prix in Poland

The ISU Junior Grand Prix in Poland is an international figure skating competition. Sanctioned by the International Skating Union, it is held in the autumn in some years as part of the JGP series. Medals may be awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. When held in Gdańsk, the qualifying event is usually known as the Baltic Cup. It may be titled the Toruń Cup or Copernicus Stars when held in Toruń.

Hanyu skating to "Notte Stellata" that inspired the ice show of the same name

At a press conference on July 19, 2022, Hanyu announced his decision to "step away" from competitive figure skating at amateur level and turn professional, stating that "he had achieved everything he could achieve" and would no longer "seek those kinds of evaluations."^[163][164] He also stated his intention to continue pursuing his "ideal skating" and dream of completing the quadruple Axel as a professional athlete. Nikkei Asia noted that Hanyu's exit from the competitive circuit "marks the end of an era".^[165] Juliet Macur of The New York Times remarked that "we may never see another skater like Yuzuru Hanyu".^[164] Numerous sports figures from and outside figure skating reacted to Hanyu's announcement with gratitude and praise, including Japanese gymnast Kōhei Uchimura,^[166] baseballer Shohei Ohtani, and tennis player Naomi Osaka.^[167][168]

Hanyu later opened accounts on social media, having long eschewed it for years, that are mainly managed by staff.^[169] He stated his intention to show his skating through his YouTube channel and increase opportunities for everyone to watch it, including those who are unable to attend ice shows and live overseas,^[170][171] but that he did not have plans to make videos about his daily life.^[172] On August 10, Hanyu live-streamed an open practice session on his channel, where he performed his past free skate programs, including a flawless performance of Seimei with the same elements as he had performed at the 2018 Winter Olympics.^[173]

In November and December 2022, Hanyu held his first ice show tour as a professional figure skater, titled Prologue, in Yokohama and Hachinohe.^[174] The solo show of 90 minutes runtime was produced and directed by Hanyu himself, featuring a selection of his past competition and exhibition programs.^[175] The final shows at each venue were aired live on national television and livestreamed in select movie theaters nationwide.^[176][177] On December 5, 2022, Hanyu announced his second solo ice show with the title Gift, which was held at Tokyo Dome, one of Japan's largest entertainment venues, on February 26, 2023.^[178][179]

On January 9, 2023, it was announced that Hanyu will be the chairman of a new ice show titled Notte Stellata to send out hope from the disaster area. The show will be held on the twelfth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake at Sekisui Heim Super Arena, Miyagi which was used as a morgue after the 2011 earthquake.^[180]

On February 20, 2023, Hanyu was announced to be appearing in all ten shows of Stars on Ice Japan Tour 2023 scheduled to be held from March 30 to April 9 at Osaka, Ōshū, and Yokohama.^[181] On March 3, 2023, it was announced that Hanyu will take part in Fantasy on Ice Tour 2023 appearing in all twelve shows scheduled from May 26 to June 25 at Makuhari, Miyagi, Niigata, and Kobe.^[182]

Discover more about Professional skating career related topics

Ice shows produced by Yuzuru Hanyu

Ice shows produced by Yuzuru Hanyu

Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion, Yuzuru Hanyu, has produced four ice shows in the course of his career. The first one, titled Continues with Wings, was held in April 2018 at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo. It was a special three-day event to celebrate his back-to-back wins at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics and pay tribute to the skaters who had supported and influenced him.

Ice show

Ice show

An ice show is an entertainment production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. Such shows may primarily be skating exhibitions, or may be musical and/or dramatic in nature, using skating as a medium in order to accompany a musical work or to present a story. The term generally excludes skating competitions in (professional) sports. Many companies produce fixed or touring ice shows, which are then performed for the general public in facilities such as multipurpose arenas or skating rinks which can accommodate spectators, or in theatres with a temporary ice surface installed on the stage. Ice shows are also featured as entertainment in amusement parks and on some large cruise ships.

Nikkei Asia

Nikkei Asia

Nikkei Asia, known as Nikkei Asian Review between 2013 and 2020, is a major Japan-based English-language weekly news magazine focussed on the Asian continent, although it also covers broader international developments. It is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Nikkei Asia was originally launched in 2013.

Juliet Macur

Juliet Macur

Juliet Macur is an American journalist.

The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2022 to comprise 740,000 paid print subscribers, and 8.6 million paid digital subscribers. It also is a producer of popular podcasts such as The Daily. Founded in 1851, it is published by The New York Times Company. The Times has won 132 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any newspaper, and has long been regarded as a national "newspaper of record". For print, it is ranked 18th in the world by circulation and 3rd in the United States. The newspaper is headquartered at The New York Times Building in Times Square, Manhattan.

Kōhei Uchimura

Kōhei Uchimura

Kōhei Uchimura is a retired Japanese artistic gymnast. He is a seven-time Olympic medalist, winning three golds and four silvers, and a twenty-one-time World medalist.

Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani , nicknamed "Shotime", is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher, designated hitter and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) Pacific League.

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka is a Japanese professional tennis player. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, with two Australian Open and two US Open titles. Her seven titles on the WTA Tour also include two at the Premier Mandatory level. At the 2018 US Open and the 2019 Australian Open, Osaka won her first two major titles in back-to-back tournaments. She was the first woman to win successive major singles titles since Serena Williams in 2015, and the first to win her first two in successive majors since Jennifer Capriati in 2001.

Hachinohe

Hachinohe

Hachinohe is a city located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2022, the city had an estimated population of 221,229 in 110,195 households, and a population density of 720 persons per km2. making it Aomori Prefecture's second largest city by population. The city has a total area of 305.56 square kilometres (117.98 sq mi).

Sekisui Heim Super Arena

Sekisui Heim Super Arena

Sekisui Heim Super Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the Grande 21 Complex in Rifu, Miyagi, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 7,063 and was opened in 1997.

Miyagi Prefecture

Miyagi Prefecture

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 and has a geographic area of 7,282 km2 (2,812 sq mi). Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the northwest, Yamagata Prefecture to the west, and Fukushima Prefecture to the south.

Stars on Ice

Stars on Ice

Stars on Ice is a touring figure skating show produced by IMG. It was co-founded in 1986 by Bob Kain, IMG executive, and Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in men's figure skating. The production is a theatrical show featuring a small cast of elite skaters who perform together in ensemble as well as solo numbers. Hamilton retired from regular touring in 2001.

• Hanyu's signature moves
• 

  Layback Biellmann spin

• 

  Doughnut camel spin

• 

  One-handed hydroblading

• 

  Layback Ina Bauer

• 

  Side lunge (pistol pose)

Hanyu is regarded by analysts as an accomplished skater known for his high-level technical elements as well as mature and versatile artistry.^{[10][16][183]} His performance is often characterized as "the perfect combination of skills, strength and elegance",^{[184][185][186]} tending to "[blur] rigid gender lines".^[11] According to four-time Olympic medalist Evgeni Plushenko, Hanyu had a "decided edge over other skaters in the completeness of his performance—spins, skating skills, transitions between jumps and musical interpretation".^[11] Two-time world champion Stephane Lambiel described him as "the most complete athlete in figure skating, probably ever."^[11]

Hanyu is known for his ability to generate skating speed "out of nowhere" and cover long distances with only a few strokes.^{[14][185][187]} At the 2021–22 Japan Championships, he managed to perform a clean short program without using consecutive crossovers and reduce the number of basic skating movements to a minimum.^[188] This is a feat that has long been considered near impossible, as stated by former competitive skater John Misha Petkevich in his book Figure Skating: Championship Techniques from 1989: "Without a doubt, crossovers are the staple of every skater. Not only are they used to negotiate corners, but they are also used to pick up speed. Skating without crossovers would be virtually unthinkable."^[189]

The ability to accelerate with a few strokes allows Hanyu to execute his jumps from a variety of difficult entries. Notable are the backward counter turn, twizzle, and spread eagle into his signature triple Axel jump.^{[190][191][192]} Hanyu is also known for his strong vaulting technique with minimal pre-rotation on the ice at the take-off,^{[193][194][note 5]} achieving trajectories of impressive size.^[185][187] With a height of 70 centimeters and covering a distance of 3.62 meters, his triple Axel was the largest measured jump in the men's short program at the 2019 World Championships.^[196]: 1 In 2018, Hanyu's triple Axel from the 2018 Winter Olympics was used as a demonstration example by the ISU for the GOE judging criteria "very good height and very good length" as well as "steps before the jump, unexpected or creative entry".^[197] Despite the complex preceding steps and big trajectory, he manages to land his jumps smoothly and increase his skating speed from take-off to landing.^{[185][187][196]: 1} With the toe loop, Salchow, loop, and Lutz, Hanyu has successfully executed four different types of quadruple jumps in the course of his competitive career. He stated his preference for edge jumps, and notably featured all three types in his short program of the 2016–17 season.^[198]

Hanyu is able to execute the layback Biellmann and doughnut camel spin,^[199] which are more commonly seen in women's singles and known for their difficulty among male skaters due to the high flexibility required in spine, hips, and shoulders.^{[200][13][201]} Other signature moves include the layback Ina Bauer, hydroblading, and the side lunge.^[202]: 2 Overall, Hanyu's technical elements stand out for their high quality of execution,^{[10][12][185]} having received a total of 29 maximum scores in international competition,^{[203][note 6]} covering all four types of required elements in the men's singles discipline: jumps, spins, steps, and choreographic sequences.^{[204][205][206]} Beyond that, his elements are noted for their seamless embedding into the choreography and his movements for their precise timing with the music,^[207][208] the latter being awarded a perfect 10.00 in the interpretation component at the 2021–22 Japan Championships.^[209]

Hanyu's programs cover a variety of different music genres, including classical pieces, modern pop rock, musicals, and traditional Japanese music.^[42][163] He notably portrayed the historical Japanese figures Abe no Seimei and Uesugi Kenshin in his free skate programs at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics.^[210][211] He also dedicated various exhibition programs to the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and performed them as live music collaborations at shows like Fantasy on Ice among others.^[212] Hanyu is known to be involved in all aspects of his programs, from the music selection and editing process to the costume design and choreography.^[184][211] As his choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne stated, "He knows what costume he wants. He knows what jump order he wants. He makes a lot of the decisions on his own. You can't say 'no' to that ever. You know, with music especially, because he is going to skate with conviction."^[210]

Figure skaters Hanyu looked up to while growing up are Evgeni Plushenko and Johnny Weir.^[200][213] With his competitive programs for the 2018–19 season, he paid homage to the two skaters by skating to "Otoñal" by Raúl di Blasio as well as "Art on Ice" and "Magic Stradivarius" by Edvin Marton, which had been used by Weir and Plushenko, respectively, in their programs.^[112] At the press conference of the 2018 Winter Olympics, Hanyu also mentioned Stephane Lambiel, Javier Fernández, and Dick Button as the skaters who had influenced him as a skater.^[214]

Discover more about Skating technique and style related topics

Biellmann spin

Biellmann spin

The Biellmann spin is a difficult variation of the layback spin in figure skating. It was made popular by world champion Denise Biellmann.

Camel spin

Camel spin

The camel spin is one of the three basic figure skating spin positions. British figure skater Cecilia Colledge was the first to perform it. The camel spin, for the first ten years after it was created, was performed mostly by women, although American skater Dick Button performed the first forward camel spin, a variation of the camel spin, and made it a regular part of the repertoire performed by male skaters. The camel spin is executed on one foot, and is an adaptation of the ballet pose the arabesque to the ice. When the camel spin is executed well, the stretch of the skater's body creates a slight arch or straight line. Skaters increase the difficulty of camel spins in a variety of ways.

Hydroblading

Hydroblading

A hydroblade is a figure skating edge move or connecting step in which a skater glides on a deep edge with the body stretched in a very low position, almost touching the ice. Several variations in position are possible, but one commonly performed by singles skaters is on a back inside edge with the knee of the skating leg deeply bent, the free leg crossed behind and extended outside the circle, and the upper body leaning into the circle with two, one, or no hands skimming the ice.

Ina Bauer (element)

Ina Bauer (element)

An Ina Bauer is a "moves in the field" element in figure skating in which a skater skates on two parallel blades. One foot is on a forward edge and the other leg is on a backwards and different parallel edge. The forward leg is bent slightly and the trailing leg is straight. If the leading leg is on the inside edge, the move is known as an inside ina bauer. If the skater is on the outside edge, it is known as an outside ina bauer. Many skaters bend backwards while performing this move, although this is not required. The most flexible skaters can bend over almost completely backwards. When performed this way, the move is called a layback Ina Bauer, after the layback position.

Evgeni Plushenko

Evgeni Plushenko

Evgeni Viktorovich Plushenko is a Russian former figure skater. He is a four-time Olympic medalist, a three-time World champion, a seven-time European champion, a four-time Grand Prix Final champion, and a ten-time Russian national champion. Plushenko's four Olympic medals once tied with Sweden's Gillis Grafström's record for most Olympic medals in figure skating, which has since been surpassed by Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue. He also won a record total of 22 titles on the Grand Prix circuit.

2021–22 Japan Figure Skating Championships

2021–22 Japan Figure Skating Championships

The 2021–22 Japan Figure Skating Championships were held in Saitama, Saitama on December 22–26, 2021. It was the 90th edition of the event. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. The results were part of the Japanese selection criteria for the 2022 Four Continents Championships, the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the 2022 World Championships.

Crossover (figure skating)

Crossover (figure skating)

Crossovers are a basic stroking technique in figure skating for gaining impetus while skating along a curve or circle. They may be performed while skating either forwards or backwards.

John Misha Petkevich

John Misha Petkevich

John Misha Petkevich is an American former figure skater. He is the 1971 U.S. national champion and North American champion. He placed 6th at the 1968 Winter Olympics and 5th at the 1972 Winter Olympics. His best finish at the World Championships was 4th in 1972; he placed 5th in 1969, 1970, and 1971. In 1972, he won the gold medal at the World University Games.

Counter turn

Counter turn

A counter turn is a kind of one-foot turn in figure skating. Unlike three turns and brackets, where the entry and exit edges follow the same curve, in a counter the entry and exit are on opposite curves. When executing a counter, the skater turns outward to the curve of the entry edge, and exits on a curve in the same sense as the turn. Another way to look at it is that a counter is similar to the entry of a bracket turn combined with the exit of a three turn.

Axel jump

Axel jump

The Axel jump or Axel Paulsen jump, named after its inventor, Norwegian figure skater Axel Paulsen, is an edge jump performed in figure skating. It is the sport's oldest and most difficult jump, and the only basic jump in competition with a forward take-off, which makes it the easiest to identify. A double or triple Axel is required in both the short program and the free skating segment for junior and senior single skaters in all events sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU).

Loop jump

Loop jump

The loop jump is an edge jump in the sport of figure skating. The skater executes it by taking off from the back outside edge of the skating foot, turning one rotation in the air, and landing on the back outside edge of the same foot. It is often performed as the second jump in a combination.

Quad (figure skating)

Quad (figure skating)

A quad, or quadruple, is a figure skating jump with at least four revolutions. All quadruple jumps have four revolutions, except for the quadruple Axel, which has four and a half revolutions. The quadruple toe loop and quadruple Salchow are the two most commonly performed quads. Quadruple jumps have become increasingly common among World and Olympic level men's single skaters, to the point that not performing a quad in a program has come to be seen as a severe handicap. This phenomenon is often referred to as the "quad revolution". Since 2018, quadruple jumps have also become an increasingly common feature of women's skating, although they are not allowed under the ISU rules in the ladies' short program. The first person to land a ratified quadruple jump in competition was Canadian Kurt Browning in 1988. Japanese skater Miki Ando became the first female to do so, in 2002.

Hanyu with his former coach Brian Orser (left) in 2014

Before the 2011–12 season, most of Hanyu's career was guided by Nanami Abe in Sendai.^[47] After winning bronze at the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships, he switched coaches to Brian Orser, who is known for guiding Kim Yuna to gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics. In switching, Hanyu continued to attend high school in Sendai but made frequent trips to Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club (TCSCC), where Orser works as a skating instructor.^[215] Hidehito Ito, the figure skating director at the Japanese Skating Federation, said the change was necessary to "challenge" Hanyu and "raise the level [of his skating] more".^[47] During his time at TCSCC, Hanyu was also coached by Tracy Wilson and Ghislain Briand.^[48][69] On his experience working as a jump specialist with Hanyu since 2014, Briand stated that he was given a lot of room: "I have to admit [Hanyu] is probaby the first athlete who really recognizes what I'm doing with him."^[69] After Hanyu turned professional, Briand stated that he would continue to work with him when he was needed.^[216]

During Hanyu's junior career, all of his programs were choreographed by Nanami Abe.^[217] Starting from his 2012–2013 season, his programs were choreographed by others, with Shae-Lynn Bourne and Jeffrey Buttle as frequent collaborators.^[218][219] Hanyu has also worked with Canadian choreographer David Wilson for several years, including his free skate program for the 2014 Winter Olympics,^[220][219] before collaborated on many exhibition programs.^[221] Other choreographers for his exhibition programs include Kurt Browning, Kenji Miyamoto, and former coach Nanami Abe.^[218]

In 2021, due to travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, Hanyu started to train alone in Sendai with some remote consultation from his coaches. Despite the difficulties of training alone, Hanyu found that it had been a good opportunity to learn how to control and analyze himself,^[222] which led him not return to Canada until he turned professional and made Ice Rink Sendai his training base again.^[173][223] During that period none of his coaches accompanied him to any competition except the 2021 World Championships. Hanyu also opted to receive remote choreography for his programs ever since and has contributed significantly to the choreography of his programs in the 2020–21 season.^[224]

Discover more about Former coaches and choreographers related topics

Brian Orser

Brian Orser

Brian Ernest Orser, is a Canadian former competitive and professional figure skater and coach to Olympic champions. He is the 1984 and 1988 Olympic silver medallist, 1987 World champion and eight-time (1981–88) Canadian national champion. At the 1988 Winter Olympics, the rivalry between Orser and American figure skater Brian Boitano, who were the two favorites to win the gold medal, captured media attention and was described as the "Battle of the Brians".

Nanami Abe

Nanami Abe

Nanami Abe is a Japanese figure skating coach and choreographer. She studied under Hiroshi Nagakubo, and coached Yuzuru Hanyu. She has choreographed routines for many skaters, including Daisuke Takahashi, Tatsuki Machida, and Akiko Suzuki.

2012 World Figure Skating Championships

2012 World Figure Skating Championships

The 2012 World Figure Skating Championships was an international figure skating competition in the 2011–12 season. The event determined the World Champions in men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. It was held between March 26 and April 1 in Nice, France.

2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games and also known as Vancouver 2010, were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the surrounding suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University of British Columbia, and in the nearby resort town of Whistler. It was regarded by the Olympic Committee to be among the most successful Olympic games in history, in both attendance and coverage. Approximately 2,600 athletes from 82 nations participated in 86 events in fifteen disciplines. Both the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games were organized by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC), headed by John Furlong. The 2010 Winter Games were the third Olympics to be hosted by Canada, and the first to be held within the province of British Columbia. Canada had previously hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.

Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club

Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club

The Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club is a private sport and social club located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club offers a variety of sporting and social programs including aquatics, cricket, croquet, curling, figure skating, fitness classes, lawn bowling, squash and tennis. The club also provides additional services including daycare, children's camps, health services, and social events for adults and children.

Japan Skating Federation

Japan Skating Federation

The Japan Skating Federation is the sports governing body of Japan for figure skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in 1929. The current president is Akihisa Nagashima, a member of the House of Representatives of Japan.

Ghislain Briand

Ghislain Briand

Ghislain Briand is a Canadian figure skating coach and former competitor. Among his students are Elvis Stojko, two-time Olympic silver medallist, and Yuzuru Hanyu, two-time Olympic gold medallist.

Shae-Lynn Bourne

Shae-Lynn Bourne

Shae-Lynn Bourne is a Canadian ice dancer and choreographer. In 2003, she and partner Victor Kraatz became the first North American ice dancers to win a World Championship. They competed at three Winter Olympic Games, placing 10th at the 1994 Winter Olympics, 4th at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and 4th at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Jeffrey Buttle

Jeffrey Buttle

Jeffrey "Jeff" Buttle is a Canadian figure skater and choreographer. He is the 2006 Winter Olympics bronze medalist, the 2008 World champion, the 2002 and 2004 Four Continents champion and the 2005–2007 Canadian champion. On March 22, 2008, Buttle became the first Canadian man since Elvis Stojko in 1997 to win the World Title. He announced his retirement from competitive skating on September 10, 2008.

David Wilson (figure skating)

David Wilson (figure skating)

David Wilson is a Canadian former figure skater who currently works as a choreographer at the Toronto Cricket and Skating Club.

Kurt Browning

Kurt Browning

Kurt Browning, is a Canadian figure skater, choreographer and commentator. He is the first skater to land a ratified quadruple jump in competition. He is a four-time World Champion and Canadian national champion.

Kenji Miyamoto (figure skater)

Kenji Miyamoto (figure skater)

Kenji Miyamoto is a Japanese figure skating choreographer, coach, and former competitive ice dancer. He skated with Rie Arikawa, winning two Japanese national titles, and then with Nakako Tsuzuki. During his career, he competed at a total of ten ISU Championships.

Endorsements and ambassadorships

Hanyu pictured with his endorsing brand Kosé at the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final

Hanyu has appeared in many commercials and advertising campaigns over the years. In 2013, Hanyu, alongside fellow Japanese figure skater Daisuke Takahashi, became the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics campaign ambassador for P&G's global "Proud Sponsor of Moms" campaign.^[225] He also signed an affiliation contract with All Nippon Airways which ended when he turned professional in 2022 but he remained sponsored by the company.^[226][227] From February 8 to 23, 2014, Hanyu endorsed ANA's new line of flight attendant outfits, which were designed by Prabal Gurung and appeared in a TV commercial for their 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics "Hello Blue Hello Future" campaign.^[228][229] In September 2014, Hanyu starred in a TV commercial for Capcom's new video game Monster Hunter 4G^[230] and endorsed Lotte's Ghana milk chocolate with Mao Asada, singer Airi Matsui, and actresses Suzu Hirose and Tao Tsuchiya, in following years he also endorsed Lotte's Xylitol Whites and GUM FOR THE GAME.^{[231][232][233][234]}

Hanyu has also worked with other brands such as Ajinomoto endorsing their sport nutritional products Amino Vital and nutritional meals along with other athletes like Uta Abe,^[235] bath salts Bathclin Kikiyu,^[236] bedding products Nishikawa Sangyo co.,^[237] and Phiten for their Aqua-Titanium sports socks and line of Rakuwa nylon-coated necklaces and bracelets including Hanyu's inspired 'Wings Gold' models.^[238] In 2019, Hanyu became the ambassador for Citizen in China, Hong Kong, and Macau,^[239] as well as the global ambassador of the Sekkisei series by Kosé.^[240] He was later appointed as the global "muse" of the Sekkisei Miyabi brand in 2020.^[241] In October 2021, Hanyu was chosen as a face of Towa Pharmaceutical co. appearing in a TV commercial with veteran actress Tetsuko Kuroyanagi^[242][243] and endorsed ANA's new teleportation services "avatarin".^[244]

In 2013 and 2021, Hanyu was appointed as the model for Miyagi Prefecture Police's traffic safety poster aiming to encourage compliance with traffic rules and spread awareness of safe driving. According to an official in March 2021, Hanyu was chosen because "he embodies sportsmanship".^[245]

In June 2021, Hanyu was appointed as the ambassador of the world's first official Paralympics game The Pegasus Dream Tour, making his video game debut with his avatar appearing in the game. According to the representative of the game's developer company, Hanyu was chosen because "he is an athlete as well as a person who has artistry in his way of life".^[246][247]

Since April 2014, Hanyu has been acting as the tourism ambassador of Sendai and featured in the city's tourism posters as well as tourist guidebooks.^{[248][249][250]}

Philanthropy

Hanyu in "Requiem of Heaven and Earth", a tribute to the victims of 3.11

Since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Hanyu has been an advocate for and supporter of various campaigns to help earthquake victims, as he was also directly affected by the disaster, stating: "When the earthquake hit, I was on the ice at my home rink in Sendai".^[22] Shortly after the disaster, he and other skaters skated in ice shows to raise money for the victims, raising a total of more than $150,000. He also sold his personal belongings at the show, fundraising an additional ¥2,954,323 ($35,387).^[22]

Hanyu donated his 2014 Olympic gold medal 6 million yen ($55,000) prize money as well as his 2018 Olympic gold medal 10 million yen ($92,000) prize money received from the Japan Skating Federation and Japanese Olympic Committee to Sendai and Miyagi Prefecture to help with the reconstruction of the disaster areas.^[251][252] He also has been helping his home rink Ice Rink Sendai, rendered unusable after the disaster, by donating all the royalties and part of the proceeds of his autobiography series.^[31][253] It was revealed, in 2021, that a total of ¥31,442,143 ($286,000) had been donated to the rink.^[254][255]

In September 2014, Hanyu was appointed as the Tsunami Disaster Prevention Ambassador for one year participating in activities to spread tsunami disaster prevention public awareness.^[256] In February 2015, Hanyu became the spokesman for reconstruction efforts led by the Japanese Red Cross Society.^[257] He also lent his image as the spokesman for the Red Cross' "Hatachi no Kenketsu" donation campaign where he starred in the promotional video with patients.^[258] In March 2019, he donated a pair of figure skates to an online charity auction which raised 7.12 million yen ($64,000) for the disaster area reconstruction.^[259] He also collaborated with Line Corporation supervising the creation of "Yuzuru Hanyu 3.11 Smile Stamp" which went on sale with all revenues donated to the Nippon Foundation's "Special Fund for Disaster Reconstruction" to support acts for reconstruction and future disaster preparation.^[260][261] On August 21, 2019, a poster of Hanyu with the protagonist of the anime Yowamushi Pedal was released to promote Tour de Tohoku, an annual charity cycling event held to support the cause. He appeared in five of the nine posters being released.^[262] In 2021, marking the 10th anniversary of Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Hanyu organized the "Together, Forward" exhibition that traces his footsteps during that difficult period, revisiting the affected people and places. The exhibition is held in multiple Japanese cities in an effort to remind everyone of the importance of disaster prevention and preparation.^[263]

In cooperation with Yomiuri Shimbun, a free entry exhibition of Hanyu's photos, costumes, and medals was held offline in multiple locations in Japan in 2018 and 2022 and online in 2020. A total sum of more than 150 million yen was donated from the sales of the exhibition's official goods. Around 42 million yen was donated in 2018 to support victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and other disasters and around 27 million yen was donated in 2020 to the National Corona Medical Welfare Support Fund. The donation from the 2022 exhibition that exceeded 85 million yen was donated to the Yomiuri Light and Love Foundation which was used to create a disaster relief fund in case of any large-scale disaster that occurs in Japan in the future.^[264] In February 2023, it was announced that 10 million yen from the fund will be donated for relief and reconstruction efforts in areas affected by the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake in Turkey.^[265]

Hanyu also regularly participates in Nippon TV's annual charity program 24-Hour Television since 2014, holding special ice shows and visiting victims in disaster areas. In 2014, he held a one-night ice show to bring in donations.^[266] In 2015, he and Hey! Say! JUMP member Yuri Chinen designed "Chari-T-shirts" for the program under the slogan "To connect: a smile beyond time". The shirts were to be sold with the profits given to charity.^[267] He also visited earthquake-affected areas in Fukushima and Ishinomaki, interviewing the victims as part of the program segment.^[268][269]

Film and television

Advertisement pillars by TV Asahi at Tokyo Station, picturing Hanyu in 2022

Hanyu served as a judge on Japan's popular New Year's Eve music show Kōhaku Uta Gassen twice, in 2015 and 2022.^[270][271] He made his on-screen debut as Date Shigemura, a samurai lord, in the 2016 movie, The Magnificent Nine.^[272][273]

Hanyu released two video albums compiling some of his competitive career performances, the first titled Time of Awakening was released on May 21, 2014, including performances till the 2014 Winter Olympics. The album became the first from an athlete to top Oricon's DVD weekly chart since its establishment in 1999 and peaked at number 3 on the Blu-ray weekly chart after selling 44,000 copies in its first week.^[274][275] The second album titled Time of Evolution was released on September 15, 2019, including performances from the 2015–16 season to the 2018 winter Olympics. The album became the first sports-related work to top Oricon's Blu-ray weekly chart and peaked at number 2 on the DVD weekly chart after selling over 38,000 copies in its first week.^[276][277]

On December 18, 2015, NHK Enterprises released the DVD of The Flowers Bloom on Ice, featuring behind-the-scenes and interviews with Shizuka Arakawa and Yuzuru Hanyu as they skate at the ice show together to support reconstruction after the 2011 Japan earthquake.^[278]

In 2018, Hanyu's first self-produced show Continues with Wings was live broadcast on TV Asahi CS and live-streamed at 66 movie theaters throughout Japan.^[279][280] He is also one of the lead cast members besides Stéphane Lambiel and Johnny Weir at the annual touring ice show Fantasy on Ice, having participated in all editions of the tour since its revival in 2010 with one exception, having missed the shows in 2016 due to rehabilitation from a ligament injury.^[212][281]

Books and magazines

Print media with Hanyu on the cover at the Junkudo bookshop in Ikebukuro, Tokyo

Hanyu released the first two parts of his autobiography series Blue Flames and Blue Flames II in 2012 and 2016 respectively. As of 2023, the two parts have sold over 350,000 copies.^[253] In February 2023, the third part Blue Flames III was released and sold over 25,000 copies in the first week.^[282]

Hanyu released various photobooks cooperating with multiple publishers and photographers. His first photo book, Yuzuru, was released on October 4, 2014, selling over 23,000 copies in the first week. It ranked first in Oricon's weekly charts for photos and sport-related categories, as well as second in the chart's general books category.^[283]

On September 25, 2015, Yuzuru Hanyu Sayings was released containing pictures and quotes by the skater. The book topped Amazon's reservation sales rankings.^[284][285] On October 2, 2022, a second part of the book was released.^[286] On March 1, 2018, the book Live Your Dream including a collection of interviews with Hanyu from 2015 to 2018 was released. The book sold 28,000 copies ranking third in Oricon's weekly general books chart.^[287] On October 11, 2018, Yuzuru Hanyu Soul Program was released. The book includes photos and descriptions of programs performed by Hanyu.^[288] In November, 2022, Yuzuru Hanyu Amateur Era Complete Record was released. The book looks back on Hanyu's competitive skating life including press photos and competition results.^[289]

Hanyu has graced the cover of numerous Japanese sports magazines as well as well-known magazines, such as An An and Aera.^[290][291] Hanyu's special edition of Aera magazine The Driving Force of the Leap released in October, 2022 sold over 29,000 copies in the first week topping the Oricon's weekly general books chart.^[292]

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Kosé

Kosé

Kosé Corporation is a Japanese multinational personal care company, marketing cosmetics, skin care and hair care products.

2019–20 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final

2019–20 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final

The 2019–20 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and ISU Junior Grand Prix Final was held from December 5–8, 2019 at the Torino Palavela in Turin, Italy. The combined event was the culmination of two international series — the Grand Prix of Figure Skating and the Junior Grand Prix. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance on the senior and junior levels.

Daisuke Takahashi

Daisuke Takahashi

Daisuke Takahashi is a Japanese figure skater and ice show producer. As a singles skater, he is the 2010 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2010 World champion, the 2012–13 Grand Prix Final champion, a two-time Four Continents champion, and a five-time Japanese national champion.

2014 Winter Olympics

2014 Winter Olympics

The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Sochi 2014, was an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening rounds in certain events were held on 6 February 2014, the day before the opening ceremony.

All Nippon Airways

All Nippon Airways

All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. , also known as ANA (Ē-enu-ē) or Zennikkū (全日空) is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had more than 20,000 employees as of March 2016.

Flight attendant

Flight attendant

A flight attendant is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are primarily responsible for passenger safety and comfort.

2018 Winter Olympics

2018 Winter Olympics

The 2018 Winter Olympics, officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as PyeongChang 2018, were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with the opening rounds for certain events held on 8 February, a day before the opening ceremony.

Capcom

Capcom

Capcom Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, Mega Man, Devil May Cry, Dead Rising, Marvel vs. Capcom, and Ace Attorney. Mega Man himself serves as the official mascot of the company. Established in 1979, it has become an international enterprise with subsidiaries in East Asia, Europe, and North America.

Mao Asada

Mao Asada

Mao Asada is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. She is the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion, a three-time Four Continents champion, and a four-time Grand Prix Final champion. She is the first female figure skater who has landed three triple Axel jumps in one competition, which she achieved at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Airi Matsui

Airi Matsui

Airi Matsui is a Japanese actress, model, and former singer. She is signed to the agency Amuse, Inc. and is a former member of Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin.

Ajinomoto

Ajinomoto

Ajinomoto Co., Inc. is a Japanese multinational food and biotechnology corporation which produces seasonings, interlayer insulating materials for semiconductor packages for use in personal computers, cooking oils, frozen foods, beverages, sweeteners, amino acids, and pharmaceuticals. Aji-No-Moto is the trade name for the company's original monosodium glutamate (MSG) product, the first of its kind, since 1909. The corporation's head office is located in Chūō, Tokyo. As of 2021, Ajinomoto operates in 36 countries and employs an estimated 33,651 people. Its yearly revenue in 2021 is around ¥1.1 trillion JPY or $8 billion USD.

Citizen Watch

Citizen Watch

Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. is an electronics company primarily known for its watches and is the core company of a Japanese global corporate group based in Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan. In addition to Citizen brand watches, it is the parent of American watch company Bulova, and is also known for manufacturing small electronics such as calculators.

Since Hanyu began carrying a Winnie-the-Pooh tissue box to competitions in 2010, his supporters and fans eventually made it a custom to acknowledge the end of his performances by throwing Pooh bears onto the ice instead of other kinds of stuffed toys or gifts, which has been a tradition in figure skating. Hanyu donates the bears to disadvantaged children at local hospitals and charities surrounding the arena that hosted the event.^[293][294]

Hanyu studied at Nanakita Elementary and Junior High School.^[295] In 2013, Hanyu graduated from Tohoku High School [ja] then entered an e-school program on Human Information Science at Waseda University.^{[30][296][297]} He attended the school from his training base in Canada.^[298] In August 2020, it was revealed that his graduation thesis summarizes how 3D motion capture technology could be used in figure skating, and in particular its potential for use in figure skating judging.^[299] One area of research he did is recording and analyzing his movement while doing the triple Axel jump off-ice which he hopes can be used to improve the skills of athletes and AI judging.^[300] He officially graduated from the university in September 2020, but was unable to attend the ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.^[301] In March 2021, a bulletin paper summarizing his graduation thesis was published in the Waseda Journal of Human Sciences.^[302]

Discover more about Personal life and education related topics

Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard.

Stuffed toy

Stuffed toy

A stuffed toy is a toy doll with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, stuffed animals, and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be called soft toys or cuddly toys. The stuffed toy originated from the Steiff company of Germany in the late 19th century and gained popularity following the creation of the teddy bear in the United States in 1903, at the same time the German toy inventor Richard Steiff designed a similar bear. In 1903, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy. In the 1970s, London-based Hamleys, the world's oldest toy store, bought the rights to Paddington Bear stuffed toys. In the 1990s, Ty Warner created Beanie Babies, a series of animals stuffed with plastic pellets that were popular as collector's items.

Waseda University

Waseda University

Waseda University, abbreviated as Sōdai (早大), is a private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902.

Motion capture

Motion capture

Motion capture is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robots. In filmmaking and video game development, it refers to recording actions of human actors, and using that information to animate digital character models in 2D or 3D computer animation. When it includes face and fingers or captures subtle expressions, it is often referred to as performance capture. In many fields, motion capture is sometimes called motion tracking, but in filmmaking and games, motion tracking usually refers more to match moving.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence of humans and other animals. Example tasks in which this is done include speech recognition, computer vision, translation between (natural) languages, as well as other mappings of inputs.

COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

The COVID-19 pandemic in Japan has resulted in 33,264,491 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Hanyu receiving the People's Honor Award from then Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2018

Many sport writers, commentators, and skaters have made the case for Hanyu as the greatest skater in history,^{[7][11][15][12]} particularly after his second Olympic victory, for his well-rounded skills, longevity at the top in a highly competitive field, and ability to deliver under pressure.^{[8][9][10][14][16]} His decision to attempt the quadruple Axel at the 2022 Winter Olympics instead of taking a conservative option was seen to have strengthened his status.^[10][14]

Hanyu is regarded as part of the vanguard of the quad revolution in men's figure skating.^[6][14] He was one of the few skaters who challenged quadruple Salchow at the 2014 Olympics.^[200] He is credited as the first figure skater to successfully land a quadruple loop in competition after performing it in the short program at the Autumn Classic International in Montreal, Canada on September 30, 2016.^[303][304] He is also the only skater who has landed a quadruple toe loop-triple Axel sequence in competition, doing so for the first time at Grand Prix Helsinki 2018.^[305] Hanyu is also the first skater to land a quadruple toe loop-Euler-triple flip combination at Skate Canada 2019.^[306] At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Hanyu made his first attempt on the quadruple Axel in an international competition. Despite falling on the jump, he received the base value of quad Axel before being reduced for under-rotation.^[307] It was the closest quad Axel attempt in a competition until American Ilia Malinin successfully landed one at the 2022 CS U.S. Classic,^[308][309] who cited Hanyu as his inspiration to attempt the jump.^[309] However, in regards to the ongoing debate on jumps versus artistry in the sport,^{[310][311][312]} Hanyu spoke through an interpreter after his second Olympic win in 2018:^[313]

"I believe [...] that this artistry is very much based on having the correct technique and a strong foundation at the core of everything. It is upon these that the artistry is built, and without that strong foundation and that basis in technique, it is not possible to have that full artistry required as well. [...] Of course there are some other figure skaters who perhaps place a much higher priority on the jumps themselves and they are also successful in winning in competitions through this as well. However, [sic] personally I believe that within these different difficult jumps these are used as the basis for the artistry, and this relationship is balanced, which comes together to form what is most important."

In recognition of his achievements, Hanyu has been awarded numerous accolades, including the People's Honor Award in 2018 becoming the first figure skater and the youngest recipient of the award.^[17] He was also awarded the Medal of Honour with Purple Ribbon in 2014 and 2018,^[314][315] and received two monuments depicting his trademark poses performed at the 2014 and 2018 Olympics in his hometown of Sendai.^[316][317] He was also nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year in 2019 becoming the first figure skater to be nominated for the award,^[318][319] and was awarded the Most Valuable Skater of the 2019–20 season at the inaugural ISU Skating Awards in 2020.^[138] In 2021, he was awarded the Azusa Ono Memorial Award, the most prestigious award that can be conferred to students and given to those recognized as a model, from Waseda University.^[320][321] On October 11, 2022, he was announced as a recipient of the Kikuchi Kan Prize for his accomplishments as a competitive figure skater as well as his attitude of "continuing to take on challenges".^[322]

Hanyu was featured in prestigious lists, such as Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia 2018^[323] as well as ESPN's World Fame 100 and The Dominant 20,^[324][325] and has received multiple awards and ranked high in multiple lists and popularity polls from various media outlets.^[326][327] In 2022, he placed sixth in the list of most-searched athletes on Google Search worldwide, behind Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams (all tennis), Manti Te'o (American football), and Shaun White (snowboard).^[328]

Discover more about Accolades and impact related topics

Loop jump

Loop jump

The loop jump is an edge jump in the sport of figure skating. The skater executes it by taking off from the back outside edge of the skating foot, turning one rotation in the air, and landing on the back outside edge of the same foot. It is often performed as the second jump in a combination.

Canada

Canada

Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. It is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. The country is sparsely inhabited, with most residing south of the 55th parallel in urban areas. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki

2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki

The 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki was held in Helsinki, Finland, from November 2–4. It was the third event of the 2018–19 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. Finland was chosen as the host after the Chinese Skating Association declined to host their annual Grand Prix event, the Cup of China. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters competed to earn points toward qualifying for the 2018–19 Grand Prix Final. Over 20,000 tickets were sold.

2019 Skate Canada International

2019 Skate Canada International

The 2019 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2019–20 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia from October 25 to 27. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final.

2022 Winter Olympics

2022 Winter Olympics

The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (北京2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas with competition in selected events beginning 2 February 2022. It was the 24th edition of the Winter Olympic Games.

Ilia Malinin

Ilia Malinin

Ilia Malinin is an American figure skater. He is the 2023 World bronze medalist, the 2022-23 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, the 2022 Skate America champion, the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo champion, the 2022 CS U.S. Classic champion, 2021 CS Cup of Austria bronze medalist, the 2023 U.S. national champion, and the 2022 U.S. national silver medalist. At the junior level, Malinin is the 2022 World Junior champion, 2021 JGP France I champion, and 2021 JGP Austria champion. He currently holds the world junior record for the men's short program, free skate, and combined score.

2022 CS U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

2022 CS U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

The 2022 CS U.S. International Figure Skating Classic was held at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York on September 12–15, 2022. It was the first event in the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance.

Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year

Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year

The Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year is an annual award honouring the achievements of those individuals or teams who have made a comeback performance in the world of sports. It was first awarded in 2000 as one of the seven constituent awards presented during the Laureus World Sports Awards. The awards are presented by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, a global organisation involved in more than 150 charity projects supporting 500,000 young people. The first ceremony was held on 25 May 2000 in Monte Carlo, at which Nelson Mandela gave the keynote speech. As of 2021, a shortlist of six nominees for the award comes from a panel composed of the "world's leading sports editors, writers and broadcasters". The Laureus World Sports Academy then selects the individual winner or winning team who is presented with a Laureus statuette, created by Cartier, at an annual awards ceremony held in various locations around the world. The awards are considered highly prestigious and are frequently referred to as the sporting equivalent of the "Oscars".

2019–20 figure skating season

2019–20 figure skating season

The 2019–20 figure skating season began on July 1, 2019, and ended on June 30, 2020. During this season, elite skaters competed on the ISU Championship level at the 2020 European, Four Continents, and World Junior Championships; the World Championships were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also competed in elite events such as the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final, and the ISU Challenger Series.

Azusa Ono

Azusa Ono

Azusa Ono, was a Japanese intellectual, jurist and politician during the Meiji era. He was an advisor to Ōkuma Shigenobu and participated in debates on reforms and the drafting of a first constitution for Japan after the Meiji restoration of 1868 which saw the end of the shogun regime. Specialist in international law, Azusa Ono advocated the establishment of a parliamentary system based on respect for the rights of the people, inspired by the British model. He then played an important role in the founding of the Progressive Constitutional Party Rikken Kaishintō) and the creation of Waseda University.

Kikuchi Kan Prize

Kikuchi Kan Prize

The Kikuchi Kan Prize honors achievement in all aspects of Japanese literary culture. It was named in honor of Kikuchi Kan. The prize is presented annually by the literary magazine Bungei Shunjū and the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature.

Forbes

Forbes

Forbes is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Forbes also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, politics, and law. It is based in Jersey City, New Jersey. Competitors in the national business magazine category include Fortune and Bloomberg Businessweek. Forbes has an international edition in Asia as well as editions produced under license in 27 countries and regions worldwide.

Hanyu at the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki, where he reset the world record scores in all competition segments

Throughout his career, Hanyu has broken world records nineteen times – seven times under the current +5/-5 GOE system and twelve times in the old +3/-3 GOE system.^{[note 4]} He holds the historical world record in all three competition segments: the short program, free skating, and combined total score.^[54][120]

Chronological list of world records by competition segment^[120]

No.	Date	Score	Seg.	Event	Place
1	Nov 3, 2018	106.69	SP	2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki	Helsinki
2	Nov 4, 2018	190.43	FS
3	Nov 4, 2018	297.12	Total
4	Nov 16, 2018	110.53	SP	2018 Rostelecom Cup	Moscow
5	Mar 23, 2019	206.10	FS	2019 World Championships	Saitama
6	Mar 23, 2019	300.97	Total
7	Feb 7, 2020	111.82	SP	2020 Four Continents Championships	Seoul

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List of career achievements by Yuzuru Hanyu

List of career achievements by Yuzuru Hanyu

Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese figure skater who began his career in 2004 and competed at senior level for the first time in 2010. Throughout his career, Hanyu has won the Olympics twice and achieved a Super Slam for having won all major competitions in his senior and junior career. He is the first skater in history to successfully land a quadruple loop jump in competition and has broken world records nineteen times – the most times amongst singles skaters since the introduction of the ISU Judging System in 2004. He is the historical world record holder for the men's short program, free skating and combined total score. He is also the first man to have received over 100 points in the men's short program, over 200 points in the men's free skate, and over 300 total points in competition. In recognition of his achievements, Hanyu has been awarded numerous accolades. He is the youngest recipient of the People's Honor Award by the Prime Minister of Japan, and nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year.

2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki

2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki

The 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki was held in Helsinki, Finland, from November 2–4. It was the third event of the 2018–19 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. Finland was chosen as the host after the Chinese Skating Association declined to host their annual Grand Prix event, the Cup of China. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters competed to earn points toward qualifying for the 2018–19 Grand Prix Final. Over 20,000 tickets were sold.

Finland

Finland

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, across from Estonia. Finland covers an area of 338,455 square kilometres (130,678 sq mi) with a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages, Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to the boreal in the north. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.

Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of 658,864. The city's urban area has a population of 1,268,296, making it by far the most populous urban area in Finland as well as the country's most important center for politics, education, finance, culture, and research. Helsinki is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Tallinn, Estonia, 400 km (250 mi) east of Stockholm, Sweden, and 300 km (190 mi) west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. It has close historical ties with these three cities.

2018 Rostelecom Cup

2018 Rostelecom Cup

The 2018 Rostelecom Cup was the fifth event of six in the 2018–19 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held on November 16–18, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2018–19 Grand Prix Final.

Russia

Russia

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and shares land boundaries with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country, with a population of over 147 million people. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan.

Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million residents within the city limits, over 17 million residents in the urban area, and over 21.5 million residents in the metropolitan area. The city covers an area of 2,511 square kilometers (970 sq mi), while the urban area covers 5,891 square kilometers (2,275 sq mi), and the metropolitan area covers over 26,000 square kilometers (10,000 sq mi). Moscow is among the world's largest cities; being the most populous city entirely in Europe, the largest urban and metropolitan area in Europe, and the largest city by land area on the European continent.

2019 World Figure Skating Championships

2019 World Figure Skating Championships

The 2019 World Figure Skating Championships were held in Saitama, Japan, from March 18–24, 2019.

Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 14,125 islands, with the five main islands being Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.

Saitama (city)

Saitama (city)

Saitama is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. Being in the Greater Tokyo Area and lying 15 to 30 kilometres north of central Tokyo, many of its residents commute into Tokyo. As of 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854, and a population density of 6,093 people per km². Its total area is 217.43 square kilometres (83.95 sq mi).

2020 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships

2020 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships

The 2020 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships were held on February 4–9, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. Held annually since 1999, the competition featured skaters from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dance.

Seoul

Seoul

Seoul, officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. According to the 2020 census, Seoul has a population of 9.9 million people, and forms the heart of the Seoul Capital Area with the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province. Considered to be a global city and rated as an Alpha – City by Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC), Seoul was the world's fourth largest metropolitan economy in 2014, following Tokyo, New York City and Los Angeles.

Hanyu performing his free skate program Seimei at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Shortlist of senior competition programs by season ^[42]

Season	Short program	Free skate program
2010–11	"White Legend"	Zigeunerweisen
2011–12	Étude in D-sharp minor	Romeo + Juliet
2012–13	"Parisienne Walkways"	Notre-Dame de Paris
2013–14	"Parisienne Walkways" (Background and making)	Romeo and Juliet (Background and making)
2014–15	Ballade No. 1 in G minor	The Phantom of the Opera
2015–16	Ballade No. 1 in G minor	Seimei
2016–17	"Let's Go Crazy"	Hope and Legacy
2017–18	Ballade No. 1 in G minor (Background and making)	Seimei (Background and making)
2018–19	"Otoñal"	Origin
2019–20	"Otoñal"	Origin
	Ballade No. 1 in G minor	Seimei
2020–21	"Let Me Entertain You"	Heaven and Earth (天と地と)
2021–22	Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (Background and making)	Heaven and Earth (天と地と) (Background and making)

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List of programs and publications of Yuzuru Hanyu

List of programs and publications of Yuzuru Hanyu

Yuzuru Hanyu, a Japanese figure skater and ice show producer, has performed to thirteen different short programs and free skate programs each in the course of his competitive career. The background and making of his Olympic programs was broadly covered by the media, especially Japanese newspapers, magazines, and television broadcasts. Outside competition, Hanyu skated multiple programs at exhibition galas and ice shows, some of them being performed as live music collaborations with renowned guest artists like singer Toshi or the J-pop duo Chemistry. He also dedicated various gala performances to the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and participated in all editions of the annual charity show 24-hour TV "Love Saves the Earth" on Nippon TV since 2014.

Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Men's singles

Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Men's singles

The men's single figure skating competition of the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 16 and 17 February 2018 at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, South Korea. The short program was held on 16 February and the free skating was held on 17 February.

Short program (figure skating)

Short program (figure skating)

The short program of figure skating is the first of two segments of competitions, skated before the free skating program. It lasts, for both senior and junior singles and pair skaters, 2 minutes and 40 seconds. In synchronized skating, for both juniors and seniors, the short program lasts 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Vocal music with lyrics is allowed for all disciplines since the 2014-2015 season. The short program for single skaters and for pair skaters consists of seven required elements, and there are six required elements for synchronized skaters.

Free skating

Free skating

The free skating segment of figure skating, also called the free skate and the long program, is the second of two segments of competitions, skated after the short program. Its duration, across all disciplines, is four minutes for senior skaters and teams, and three and one-half minutes for junior skaters and teams. Vocal music with lyrics is allowed for all disciplines since the 2014—2015 season. The free skating program, across all disciplines, must be well-balanced and include certain elements described and published by the International Skating Union (ISU).

2010–11 figure skating season

2010–11 figure skating season

The 2010–11 figure skating season began on July 1, 2010, and ended on June 30, 2011. During this season, elite skaters competed on the ISU Championship level at the 2011 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. They also competed in elite competitions such as the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final.

2011–12 figure skating season

2011–12 figure skating season

The 2011–2012 figure skating season began on July 1, 2011, and ends on June 30, 2012. During this season, elite skaters competed on the ISU Championship level at the 2012 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. They also competed in elite events such as the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final.

Romeo + Juliet (soundtrack)

Romeo + Juliet (soundtrack)

William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1996 film of the same name. The soundtrack contained two separate releases: the first containing popular music from the film and the second containing the score to the film composed by Nellee Hooper, Craig Armstrong and Marius de Vries.

2012–13 figure skating season

2012–13 figure skating season

The 2012–13 figure skating season began on July 1, 2012, and ended on June 30, 2013. During this season, elite skaters from men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance competed on the International Skating Union (ISU) Championship level at the 2013 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. They also competed in elite events such as the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final.

Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris, referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Several attributes set it apart from the earlier Romanesque style, particularly its pioneering use of the rib vault and flying buttress, its enormous and colourful rose windows, and the naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration. Notre Dame also stands out for its three pipe organs and its immense church bells.

2013–14 figure skating season

2013–14 figure skating season

The 2013–14 figure skating season began on July 1, 2013, and ended on June 30, 2014. During this season, elite skaters competed at the Olympic level in the 2014 Winter Olympics and at the ISU Championship level in the 2014 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. They also competed in elite events such as the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final.

2014–15 figure skating season

2014–15 figure skating season

The 2014–15 figure skating season began on July 1, 2014, and ended on June 30, 2015. During this season, elite skaters competed at the ISU Championship level in the 2015 European, Four Continents, World Junior, and World Championships. Other elite events included the Grand Prix series and Junior Grand Prix series, culminating in the Grand Prix Final, and the inaugural ISU Challenger Series.

Ballade No. 1 (Chopin)

Ballade No. 1 (Chopin)

The Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 is a ballade for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin. Completed in 1835, it is one of Chopin's most popular works. A typical performance lasts nine to ten minutes.

Hanyu with Song Nan (left) and Artur Gachinski (right) at the 2010 World Junior Championships podium

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