All eyes are to be on Yuzuru Hanyu when he attempts to complete a hat-trick of Olympic figure skating golds in Beijing, but do not expect that to bother him — Japan’s “Ice Prince” revels in the spotlight.
The two-time defending champion next week is to bring his full megawatt star power to the Winter Games, watched by his adoring legion of “Fanyu” supporters.
With his elegant skating style and delicate, boyish looks, the 27-year-old inspires complete devotion among his fans.
Photo: AFP
That extends to them showering the ice with Winnie the Pooh toys after his routines, in a chaotic tribute to the tissue box cover he carries to the rink with him.
A ban on overseas fans at the Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic and limited domestic spectators means that Hanyu would largely be going it alone this time.
A place in skating immortality awaits if he can rise to the occasion and join 1920s star Gillis Grafstrom of Sweden as the only other man to win three Olympic singles titles.
“When you put on the Japan jersey, you have to win,” Hanyu said when he was selected for his country after winning the national championships last month.
“The Olympics isn’t an exhibition — it’s a place where you have to win,” he added.
Now the elder statesman of men’s figure skating, Hanyu has been at the top of the sport for almost a decade.
He began skating as a child in his native Sendai, in Japan’s northeast. When the massive earthquake and tsunami hit the region in 2011, Hanyu was practicing on the ice and was forced to flee the rink on his skates.
He went on to win his first Olympic gold in Sochi in 2014, before becoming the first man in 66 years to defend his title at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Hanyu had to overcome an ankle ligament injury to win his second gold, saying afterwards that he was at barely a quarter of full fitness.
He hurt the same ankle again in practice in November last year, forcing him to miss the entire Grand Prix season.
He returned in dazzling style at Japan’s national championships late last month, and it was there that he unveiled his secret weapon — the quadruple axel.
No skater has ever landed the legendary jump in competition. Hanyu included one in his routine for the first time and came close to nailing it.
He is determined to master the move for the Beijing Games, and he knows it could give him the edge against his main rival for the title, American Nathan Chen.
“Of course I’m aiming to get the gold, but as things stand now, I know I’m not in a position to win,” Hanyu said after the nationals.
“Of course, I could forget about the quad and use other ways to try to win the gold, but the main reason I chose to compete in Beijing is because I want to land the quad,” he added.
Hanyu’s status as a national icon in Japan is secure with or without another Olympic gold medal.
He became the youngest recipient of his country’s prestigious People’s Honour Award in 2018, and his every move is headline news.
He still remains something of an enigma despite the huge attention, rarely granting interviews and having no social media presence.
He added to his own mystique by refusing to say whether he intended to compete in Beijing until just weeks before the Games are set to begin.
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday said that he will probably be out for an extended period after hurting his right calf again after a similar injury caused him to miss eight games earlier this season. Antetokounmpo had his right calf wrapped in the first half of their 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He did not appear comfortable the rest of the night and left for good with 34 seconds remaining. “At the end, I could not move no more, so I had to stop playing,” Antetokounmpo said. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player said he expected to undergo an MRI
Luka Doncic on Monday produced a 46-point masterpiece as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Chicago Bulls’ four-game winning streak with a 129-118 victory on the road. Doncic rattled in eight three-pointers on 15-of-25 shooting from the field, finishing with seven rebounds and 11 assists to lead an impressive Lakers effort at the United Center. LeBron James chipped in with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Rui Hachimura delivered an eye-catching cameo off the bench with 23 points from nine-of-11 shooting. The win was another encouraging result for the Lakers after a 116-110 defeat of the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. “We did
Taiwanese FORTUNES: Wu Fang-hsien and Hsieh Su-wei both advanced to the last 16 of the women’s doubles, but Ray Ho was ousted in the men’s doubles Carlos Alcaraz yesterday stepped up his quest to win a maiden Australian Open as he overwhelmed showman Corentin Moutet to reach the last 16, while Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien and Hsieh Su-wei both advanced to the last 16 of the women’s doubles. Three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev battled through on day six at a warm and sunny Melbourne Park, as did Coco Gauff. Top seed Alcaraz was never in danger against French 32nd seed Moutet, easing through 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena in 2 hours, 5 minutes. It was the Spaniard’s 100th Grand Slam match and he boasts a remarkable 87-13 win-loss record,
RSS