Japanese two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu has introduced he’s stepping away from aggressive determine ice skating.
Key factors:
- Yuzuru Hanyu gained back-to-back winter gold medals on the 2014 Sochi Video games and the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics
- The 2-time world champion completed fourth in Beijing 5 months in the past
- As an alternative, the 27-year-old says, his focus can be on skating professionally in exhibitions
Hanyu appeared to go away the door open to a attainable return of some kind. Nevertheless, most of his focus gave the impression to be on skating professionally in exhibitions.
“This by no means ends,” Hanyu stated. “I am not retiring or something. I’m going to be higher and I’ll work exhausting on my performances in a means that may make you assume I’m price watching.
“I do not just like the phrase ‘retirement’, so I do not actually wish to use it.”
Hanyu gained back-to-back gold medals on the 2014 Sochi Video games and the 2018 Pyeongchang winter Olympics.
Nevertheless, he completed fourth in Beijing 5 months in the past and had been noncommittal till Tuesday’s press convention at a Tokyo resort.
“I am not going to take part in competitions any further,” he stated.
“Of all of the issues I’ve achieved thus far, I believe I’ve gotten what I ought to have when it comes to outcomes from competitions. I additionally really feel that I’ll not search these form of evaluations.”
The 27-year-old Japanese skater can be a two-time world champion, and a four-time Grand Prix Ultimate champion. However he failed in an try in Beijing to grow to be the primary to land a quad axel in competitors.
He indicated he might proceed to attempt to land the quad axel.
“I do not really feel significantly unhappy,” Hanyu stated.
“I wish to do my greatest from right here on out and I believe that there can be extra alternatives to see my skating in numerous methods — not simply within the restricted area of competitions.”
Hanyu has little left to show. He has been the world’s most-watched skater for a decade and the game’s normal for excellence.
He was the primary Asian man to win gold in Olympic determine skating however his street to Beijing was fraught with damage.
Hanyu acknowledged having a troublesome time discovering the identical motivation for Beijing that carried him to his two Olympic gold medals.
Ever since 2010 — when he was seen toting a field of tissues with Winnie the Pooh on it — his legion of supporters have showered the ice with a whole lot of stuffed Pooh bears somewhat than conventional flowers at any time when he competes.
They almost coated the ice in a blanket of yellow when Hanyu triumphed on the Pyeongchang Video games.
There have been just a few thousand followers allowed contained in the tightly managed Olympic venue in Beijing to look at Hanyu, they usually have been prohibited from throwing something on the ice, a safeguard imposed by organisers to minimise the potential unfold of COVID-19.
As an alternative, they massed outdoors the gate of the sector, a whole lot of them standing within the chilly February solar, ready with their Pooh Bears for Hanyu’s bus to drive by and bid him farewell.
AP
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