TOKYO: Japan’s two-time Olympic figure roller skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu announced his retirement from competition at the age of 27 on Wednesday (Jul 19), after struggling with injuries with this year’s Beijing Video games.
“I’ll not be compared with other skaters as a competitor, inch the “Ice Prince” told a packed press conference within Tokyo, saying he can concentrate on skating in exhibition shows regarding his adoring fanbase.
At Pyeongchang in 2018, he became the very first man in more compared to half-a-century to win back-to-back Olympic golds, while skating with an injured ankle he or she was taking painkillers to endure.
Hanyu had piled up anticipation for the Beijing competition by promising to attempt the multiply by 4 Axel – a new 4-and-a-half-rotation jump never before landed by anyone in competition and also but fell short of that goal.
He later advised a news seminar that an ankle injuries gained in practice were originally worse than initially thought and was basically non-committal about his or her future, hinting that although he still wanted to try the quadruple Axel, he even felt that his / her Axel was “complete”.
The sexy, photogenic Hanyu has been popular throughout his or her career with fanatics around the world, many of with whom would follow him from competition for you to competition, shouting “Yuzu! ” and tossing Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals onto ice after a performance. Through Japan, the childrens favourite has become closely connected to Hanyu, who is often seen carrying some Winnie the Pooh tissue case to help competitions.
Some native of Sendai in northern Japan, Hanyu was involving when the Mar 10, 2011, earthquake minted and fled the rink in his skates as the ice cracked around him. He or she and his family this is why spent time in any evacuation centre caused by damage to their home.