He’s broken world figure skating records 19 times and has won gold at both the Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics. But that isn’t enough for Yuzuru Hanyu, who has just landed in Beijing to compete in this year’s Games.
the yuzuru hanyu ability to make you so entranced while watching him you don’t even blink pic.twitter.com/i4NDC1jRql
— 🍋 (@bobayuzu) February 6, 2022
Hanyu, who is fondly nicknamed as ‘Japan’s Ice Prince’, is widely adored for his endearing disposition as well as his seamless skating routines. The skater is also often associated with Winnie the Pooh because of his soft spot for the Disney bear, so much so that fawning spectators often shower Hanyu with Pooh Bear plush toys in the rink after every performance.
me pretending that i don’t care about yuzuru hanyu landing in beijing so that he arrives faster pic.twitter.com/uPJgcLTVSA
— heaven’s here (@dabbinzuru) January 31, 2022
Recently, netizens were beside themselves with excitement as the first photos of the 27-year-old figure skater in Beijing were released online. It triggered a frenzy of online tributes and thirst tweets from fans (known as ‘fanyus’) ahead of his competition.
Dear Twitter, Hanyu is here. pic.twitter.com/pxtqJ4p6t2
— Olympics (@Olympics) February 7, 2022
Set to appear in the men’s single figure skating competition this week, Hanyu could be in for a record-equalling third consecutive medal – the first and last male skater to achieve this was Gillis Grafström at the 1928 Winter Olympics. For Hanyu, however, his upcoming performance isn’t really about the medal.
THIS IS NOT A DRILL. YUZURU HANYU HAS ARRIVED IN BEIJING pic.twitter.com/Od6TkeP1c0
— andrew : currently on limit (@andr3wkwon) February 6, 2022
Despite his impressive repertoire of jumps and spins, there’s one move that Hanyu has never successfully pulled off in competition that he is now intent on nailing at the Olympics: the quadruple axel.
Also known as the 4A, the quadruple axel is one of six main figure skating jumps. With a maximum score of 12.5 points, this trick awards the most points out of any other figure skating jump because it is notoriously difficult to master. So difficult, in fact, that no figure skater has ever successfully landed one in competition.
All I want for the Olympics is Yuzuru Hanyu landing his quad axel.
— Samantha Lui 呂詠琛 (@samanthalui_) February 5, 2022
If Hanyu can pull off the stunt, it should put him ahead of USA’s 22-year-old contender Nathan Chen, who experts view as Hanyu’s greatest rival. Chen, who also competed in the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, fell short of victory in the men's singles competition after placing 17th in the short program despite setting a world record in the free skate. More recently, however, Chen topped Hanyu for first place at the 2019-20 Grand Prix of Figure Skating. This is the first time in almost a year that the two skaters will go head-to-head.
Hanyu is scheduled to skate at the Men's Single Skating Short Program from 10.15am JST on February 8. The top 24 skaters will then qualify for the Free Skating medal event on February 10. Here’s how to watch the event live for free online.
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