Hanyu hangs up his skates

Figure skating great Yuzuru Hanyu, who became a household name after winning two consecutive gold medals at the Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 Olympics has decided to retire from professional figure skating.

The 27-year-old Japanese icon dubbed ‘the ice prince’, fell short in his attempt to become a three-time Olympic champion in February. Hanyu finished fourth at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics after failing to land his historic quad-axel attempt, afterwards stating he had “nothing left to give.”

An ankle injury suffered just before the Games continued to bother him as he withdrew from the World Championships in March. Yet he returned to the ice and entertained thousands for a four date “Fantasy on Ice” tour in May and June in Japan.

Hanyu is held in high regard as perhaps the greatest male figure skater of all time. He is a holder of more than a dozen world records, a two-time world champion, a four-time Grand Prix Final winner and one-time Four Continents champion. And of course those two Olympic gold medals.

Hanyu became the youngest skater since Dick Button in 1948, and the first Asian to win a figure skating gold, as he dazzled the Sochi ice during the 2014 Winter Olympics at age 19.

In recognition of his achievements, Hanyu became the youngest recipient of the People’s Honor Award, bestowed by the Prime Minister of Japan. He is the first figure skater to be nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award, and was named the Most Valuable Skater by the inaugural ISU Skating Awards in 2020.

A native of Sendai in northeastern Japan’s Tohoku region, Hanyu expressed his “deepest gratitude” to his fans on Tuesday, adding he hoped people would continue to support him in the next stage of his skating career.

“Please continue to watch me fight,” he concluded, bowing several times before the cameras.