Yuzuru

Hanyu

Yuzuru Hanyu (羽生結弦

Hanyū Yuzuru, born 7
December 1994) is a
Japanese figure skater
who competes in the
men's singles discipline.
He is a two-time
Olympic champion
(2014, 2018), a two-time
World champion (2014,
2017), a four-time Grand
Prix Final champion
(2013–2016), a three-
time Four Continents
silver medalist (2011,
2013, 2017), the 2010
World Junior champion,
the 2009–10 Junior
Grand Prix Final
champion, and a four-
time Japanese national
champion (2012–2015).
He has also medaled at
three other World
Championships, taking
bronze in 2012, and
silver in 2015 and 2016.
 Yuzuru Hanyu

Hanyu at the 2014 Winter

Olympics

Personal information

Native name 羽生結弦[1]

Country  Japan
Country  Japan
represented

Born December 7,
1994
Sendai,
Miyagi,
Japan

Home town Sendai

Residence Toronto

Height 172 cm (5 ft

8 in)[2]

Coach Brian
 Orser
Tracy
Wilson
Former Nanami
coach Abe
Shoichiro
Tsuzuki

Choreograph Jeffrey
er Buttle
Shae-Lynn
Bourne
David
 Wilson
Former Kenji
choreograph Miyamoto
er Kurt
Browning
Nanami
Abe

Skating club ANA

Minato
Tokyo
Toronto
Cricket,
 Skating
and
Curling
Club

Former Miyagi FSC

skating club

Training Toronto
locations Sendai

Began 1998
skating

World 1 (As of
standing 17 February 
2018)[3]
Season's 1 (2016–
bests 17)[4]
1 (2015–
16)[5]
2 (2014–
15)[6]
2 (2013–
14)[7]
5 (2012–
13)[8]
4 (2011–
 12)[9]
10 (2010–
11)[10]
21 (2009–
10)[11]

ISU personal best scores

Combined 330.43 (WR)

total 2015–16
Grand Prix
Final

Short 112.72 (WR)

program 2017 CS
Autumn
Classic
International
Free skate 223.20 (WR)
2017 World
Championshi
ps

Medal record
 Representing  Japan

Men's figure skating

International competitions
 Event 1st 2nd

Winter 2 0
Olympics

World 2 2
Championships

Four 0 3
Continents
Championships

Grand Prix 4 1
Final

World Junior 1 0
Championships

World Team 1 0
Trophy

Junior Grand 1 0
Prix Final

Total 11 6

Olympic Games

2018
Singles
Pyeongchang
 2014 Sochi Singles

World Championships

2017 Helsinki Singles

2014 Saitama Singles

2016 Boston Singles

2015 Shanghai Singles

2012 Nice Singles

Four Continents
Championships

2017 Gangneung Singles

 2013 Osaka Singles

2011 Taipei Singles

Grand Prix Final

2016–17
Singles
Marseille

2015–16
Singles
Barcelona

2014–15
Singles
Barcelona

2013–14 Fukuoka Singles

 2012–13 Sochi Singles

World Team Trophy

2017 Tokyo Team

2015 Tokyo Team

World Junior Championships

2010 The Hague Singles

Junior Grand Prix Final

2009–10 Tokyo Singles

 Japanese name

Kanji 羽生 結弦

Hiragana はにゅう ゆ
づる

Transcriptions

Romanization Hanyuu
Yuzuru

Regarded as one of, if

not the greatest figure
skater in
history,[12][13][14] Hanyu
has broken world
records twelve times,
and currently holds the
world records for the
highest short program,
free skating, and
combined total
scores.[15][16][17] He is
the first man to have
broken the 100-point
barrier in the men's
short program, the 200-
point barrier in the
men's free skating, and
the 300-point barrier in
the combined total
score. At the 2015–
2016 Grand Prix Final,
he broke the record for
the largest victory
margin, with 37.48
points.[18]

Hanyu is the first Asian

figure skater competing
in men's singles to win
the Olympic gold. At the
age of nineteen, he was
the youngest male
skater to win the
Olympic title since Dick
Button in 1948. He also
became the first man to
win two consecutive
Olympic gold medals
since Dick Button's
back-to-back titles in
1948 and 1952. At the
2016 CS Autumn
Classic International,
Hanyu became the first
skater in history to
successfully land a
quadruple loop in
competition.[19] He is
the first men's singles
skater from Asia to win
multiple World
Championships.

Life
Hanyu was born and
raised in Sendai, and
has an older sister
named Saya.[20][21] His
name means "a
bowstring which is
pulled tight",
symbolizing confidence,
strength, and
straightness. His father
named him, wishing him
to be as hardworking,
with a strong mind. His
parents wanted him to
live a simple life, but be
dignified, powerful and
graceful.[22]

Hanyu has asthma, and

can often be seen
heavily catching his
breath after finishing his
programs.[21] He
attended Tohoku High
School, where famous
Japanese figure skaters
Takeshi Honda and
Shizuka Arakawa also
attended.[21] His house
was damaged by the
2011 Tōhoku
earthquake and
tsunami, but remained
habitable.[21] As of 2014,
he was a sophomore at
Waseda University's e-
School program,[23]
studying human
informatics and
cognitive sciences.

Hanyu is fond of Winnie

the Pooh and is
frequently given stuffed
Pooh bears as gifts by
spectators after
finishing his
programs.[24]

Career
Early career

Hanyu began skating at

the age of four,
following his older sister
to the rink.[21][25] His
figure skating idol
growing up was Evgeni
Plushenko.[1] He first
competed nationally as
a novice skater in the
2004–05 season; he
skated at the 2004
Japan Novice
Championships in the
Novice B category,
which is the lower of the
two categories at the
novice level, and won
the gold medal in this
competition.[26] His
home rink then closed
due to financial
problems, reducing his
training time.[25] Nanami
Abe became his coach
around that time.[25] In
the 2006–07 season,
Hanyu competed at the
2006 Japan Novice
Championships in the
Novice A category and
won the bronze
medal.[27] This
placement earned him
an invitation to compete
at the 2006–07 Japan
Junior Championships,
where he placed 7th.[28]

Hanyu's home rink

reopened in 2007.[25] He
competed at the 2007
Japan Novice
Championships in the
Novice A category and
won the event.[29] He
was invited to compete
in the 2007–08 Japan
Junior Championships,
where he won the
bronze medal.[30]

2008–09
season: Junior
international
debut

Hanyu moved up to the

junior level and debuted
at the ISU Junior Grand
Prix. He placed 6th in
the short program and
4th in the free skating to
finish 5th overall at the
event in Merano,
Italy.[31] Following his
Junior Grand Prix event,
Hanyu placed 4th in the
short program with
57.25 points and 1st in
his free skating with
124.92 points, giving
him a total of 182.17
points to win the gold
medal overall at the
2008–09 Japan Junior
Championships.[32] He
was the youngest male
skater to win Japan
Junior Championship, at
the age of 13. This
competition served both
as the junior national
championships and the
World Junior
Championships
qualifier, so Hanyu was
also qualified by this
placement for the 2009
World Junior
Championships.
The medal also earned
him an invitation to
compete on the senior
level at the 2008–09
Japan Championships,
where he placed 8th.[33]
At the 2009 World
Junior Championships
in February, Hanyu
placed 11th in the short
program with 58.18
points and 13th in his
free skating with 103.59
points, giving him a total
of 161.77 points to
finish 12th overall.[34]

2009–10
season

In the 2009–10 season,

Hanyu won both of his
Junior Grand Prix
events, in Croatia and
Poland, and finished as
the top qualifier for the
Junior Grand Prix Final.
At the 2009–10 Japan
Junior Championships,
he won the short
program and placed 2nd
in the free skating to win
the title overall.[35] This
earned Hanyu an
invitation to compete on
the senior level at the
2009–10 Japan
Championships. He then
competed at and won
the 2009–10 Junior
Grand Prix Final,
achieving a new
personal best score.[36]
At the 2009–10 Japan
Junior Championships,
he placed first on the
junior level. He also
competed at the senior
level, where he came in
sixth. Based on his
results, Hanyu was
chosen to compete at
the 2010 World Junior
Championships. He won
the competition after
placing third in the short
program and first in the
free skating to earn a
new personal best of
216.10 points, and
became the fourth, and
the youngest, Japanese
man to win the junior
world title.[37]

2010–11
season: Senior
international
debut

For the 2010–11

season, Hanyu moved
up to the senior level at
the age of 15. His
assignments for the
2010–11 Grand Prix
series were the 2010
NHK Trophy and the
2010 Cup of Russia.[38]
In his senior debut at
the 2010 NHK Trophy,
Hanyu placed 5th in the
short program with
69.31 points; in his free
skating, he landed his
first quadruple toe loop
jump in an ISU
competition and came
in 4th with 138.41
points, giving him a total
of 207.72 points to
finish 4th overall.[39]
Hanyu finished in
seventh place at the
Cup of Russia.[40] At the
2010–11 Japan
Championships, Hanyu
was in second place
after the short program,
but faltered in the free
skating and finished
fourth overall. As the
result, he was selected
to compete at the 2011
Four Continents
Championships, where
he won the silver medal
with a new personal
best score.[41]
Hanyu was skating at
his home rink in Sendai
when the 2011 Tōhoku
earthquake and tsunami
struck his hometown
and the region. Water
pipes under the ice at
his home rink burst as a
result of the April 2011
Miyagi earthquake.[42][43]
He trained in Yokohama
and Hachinohe, Aomori
until his home rink
reopened on July 24,
2011.[21][42][44] He also
skated in 60 ice shows,
using them as an
opportunity to train.[25]
In April, he and other
skaters took part in an
ice show to raise money
for the victims.[21][44]
2011–12
season

Hanyu performing a Biellmann

spin at the 2011 Cup of China
Hanyu began the 2011–
12 season with a win at
the Nebelhorn Trophy.
He placed first in both
the short program and
the free skating, for a
combined total score of
226.26 points.[45] For
the 2011–12 Grand Prix
series, he was assigned
to the 2011 Cup of
China and the 2011
Rostelecom Cup.[46] He
finished 4th at the Cup
of China,[47] then won
the Rostelecom Cup
with a new personal
best score[48] to qualify
for his first senior Grand
Prix Final, where he
placed fourth.[49]
Hanyu then won the
bronze medal at the
2011–12 Japan
Championships, earning
a spot on the Japanese
team for the 2012 World
Championships. In his
senior Worlds debut,
Hanyu was seventh in
the short program but
placed second in the
free skating. He won the
bronze medal overall
with a total score of
251.06 points, behind
gold medalist Patrick
Chan of Canada and
silver medalist, his
teammate, Daisuke
Takahashi of Japan.[50]

In April 2012, Hanyu

switched coaches to
Brian Orser in Toronto,
Canada.[51][52] It was
reported he would make
frequent trips to Toronto
and continue to attend
high school in
Sendai.[51] After moving
to Canada, Hanyu
increased his on-ice
training to 3–4 hours a
day, up from 1–2 hours
which had been due to a
combination of limited
ice time in Sendai,
schooling, and
asthma.[21][25]

2012–13
season

Hanyu began his season

at the 2012 Finlandia
Trophy, where he won
the gold medal. He
landed two quadruple
jumps, a quad toe loop
and a quad salchow, in
his free skating; it was
the first time he had a
landed the latter jump in
competition.[52][53]
Hanyu won the silver
medal at his first Grand
Prix event of the season,
the 2012 Skate America.
His short program score
at Skate America, 95.07
points, was a new world
record.[15][54] At his
second event, the 2012
NHK Trophy, he scored
95.32 in the short
program, beating his
own world record,[55][56]
and went on to win the
gold medal in his
hometown.[57][58] Hanyu
qualified for the 2012–
13 Grand Prix Final in
Sochi, where he finished
second.[59]

In December 2012,
Hanyu claimed his first
national title at the
2012–13 Japan
Championships after
placing first in the short
program and second in
the free skating.[60] He
took silver at the 2013
Four Continents
Championships, having
placed first in the short
program and third in the
free skating.[61] At the
2013 World
Championships, he was
ninth in the short
program and third in the
free skating, finishing
fourth overall.[62]

2013–14
season:
Olympic and
world titles

Hanyu with Mao Asada at the

2013–14 Grand Prix Final
Banquet
Hanyu began his season
at the 2013 Finlandia
Trophy, where he won
the gold medal after
placing first in both the
short program and free
skating.[63] He won
silver in both of his
2013–14 Grand Prix
events, the 2013 Skate
Canada International
and 2013 Trophée Éric
Bompard, qualifying him
for the 2013–14 Grand
Prix Final. At the Grand
Prix Final in Fukuoka,
Hanyu placed first in the
short program with
99.84 points and set a
new world record.[15] He
also won the free
skating with a personal
best of 193.41 despite
falling on the quadruple
Salchow and won the
title with a total score of
293.25 points.[64]

In December 2013,
Hanyu competed at the
2013–14 Japan
Championships where
he went on to win a
second Japanese
national title after
placing first in both
programs. He earned
103.10 points in the
short program and
194.70 in the free
skating.[65] He was
subsequently named to
Japan's teams to the
Olympics and World
Championships.

2014 Olympic
Winter Games

At the 2014 Winter

Olympics in Sochi,
Hanyu competed for
Team Japan at the
Figure Skating Team
Event. During the team
event, he took part only
in the men's short
program, where he
scored 97.98 points,
winning that segment of
the competition and
giving Team Japan 10
points.[66] They finished
5th at the end of the
competition.
Hanyu broke his own
world record in the
men's short program
individual event, scoring
101.45 points. He was
the first skater to score
over 100 points in the
short program.[67]
Hanyu obtained 178.64
points in the free
skating and won the
first Olympic gold medal
for Japan in men's
figure skating event, and
only the second for the
nation, his following
Shizuka Arakawa's gold
medal in the women's
event in 2006 in Turin.
His win also marked the
first time any Asian
country has won gold in
the men's event. He was
the youngest winner of
the Olympic men's title
since American Dick
Button in 1948.[68][69][70]
Hanyu was also the only
Japanese athlete to win
gold in Sochi.[71] After
winning the gold medal,
he returned to Sendai,
where a parade
attended by 92,000
people was held in
celebration.[72]

Hanyu completed the

season with a victory at
the 2014 World
Championships in
Saitama, Japan.
Following a fall in a
Quad toe loop in the
short program, Hanyu
sat in 3rd place coming
into the final with a
score of 91.24, 6.97
points behind
compatriot Tatsuki
Machida. He came back
with a free skating
earning 191.35 points to
win that segment of the
competition and
claiming his first World
title scoring 282.59
points overall. His total
score was 0.33 points
ahead of silver medalist
Machida.[73]

Hanyu became the first

skater since Alexei
Yagudin (in 2002) to win
the Olympics, World
Championships, and
Grand Prix Final in the
same season.[74] His
free skating costume
was designed by
American figure skater
Johnny Weir.[75]

2014–15
season
Hanyu at the 2015 World
Championships

Hanyu withdrew from

the 2014 Finlandia
Trophy due to a back
injury.[76][77] For the
2014–15 Grand Prix
season, he was selected
to compete at the 2014
Cup of China and 2014
NHK Trophy.[78]

At the Cup of China,

Hanyu was second in
the short program.[77]
The next day, during the
free skating warm-up,
Hanyu had a collision
with China's Yan Han.
Hanyu was visibly
injured, but decided to
compete. He fell five
times in the free skating,
but scored enough to
win the silver medal.
After the competition,
he received stitches on
his head and
chin.[79][80][81] He flew to
Japan for further
treatment. He had
bruising to his chin and
head, hurt his midriff
and left thigh, and
sprained his right
ankle.[82][83][84][85]
A few days before the
NHK Trophy, he
announced that he
would compete but
stated that he wasn't in
top form.[86][87] He
struggled in the short
program, placing
fifth.[88][89] The next day,
he continued to have
difficulties but placed
third in the free skating,
fourth overall. The score
just barely, by a 0.15
point margin, earned
him a spot to the Grand
Prix Final.[90][91] At the
Final, he was first in
both the short program
(94.08 points) and free
skating (194.08 points, a
new personal best score
and the overall highest
free skating score of the
season),[92] earning the
gold medal. His total
score was 34.26 points
higher than silver
medalist Javier
Fernández.[93]

In December 2014,
Hanyu competed in the
2014–15 Japan
Championships. He
placed first in both the
short program and free
skating with a total
score of 286.86 points,
earning him his third
consecutive Japan
National Championships
title and the first spot
for Japan at the 2015
World
Championships.[94] He
withdrew from the gala
following the
competition due to
abdominal pain.[95]
Hanyu was diagnosed
with a bladder problem
related to the urachus
and had surgery. He
was hospitalized for two
weeks, and was
expected to resume
training a month
afterwards. However, in
the middle of February,
he sprained his right
ankle and once again,
suspended on-ice
training for two weeks.
In March, his training
restarted in Japan
without his coach, Brian
Orser.[96]

He competed at the
2015 World
Championships, where
he scored a season's
best in the short
program. He entered as
1st into the free skating,
and scored 175.88, for a
total of 271.08. He
finished second behind
Spain's Javier
Fernández by less than
3 points, and over
bronze medalist Denis
Ten.[97]

He competed for the

first time at the 2015
World Team Trophy, in
Tokyo, Japan. He
scored first in both the
short program (with a
new season's best) and
the free skating,
receiving 24 points to
help Team Japan win
the bronze medal,
behind Team USA and
Team Russia. He was
the only skater to win
both segments in that
competition.[98]

2015–16
season:
Breaking world
records
Hanyu in 2015–16 ISU Grand
Prix of Figure Skating

For the 2015–16

season, Hanyu decided
to skate to a Japanese
theme for his free skate,
with music from the
soundtrack to the films
Onmyōji and Onmyōji 2
where he would be
portraying natural
philosopher and
astrologer Abe no
Seimei.[99] He also met
up with Mansai Nomura,
the actor who portrayed
Seimei in the film to get
advice on how to
portray him.[100]

Hanyu started his

season by winning gold
at 2015 Skate Canada
Autumn Classic,
finishing 36 points
ahead of silver medalist,
Nam Nguyen.[101] For
the 2015–16 Grand Prix
series, Hanyu was
selected to compete at
Skate Canada and NHK
Trophy.[102]

At 2015 Skate Canada

International, he placed
sixth in the short
program with the score
of 73.25 points after
invalidating his popped
quadruple toe loop into
a double and breaking
the Zayak Rule by
executing a triple lutz-
double toe loop instead
of a planned triple lutz-
triple toe loop.[103] In the
free skate, he pulled up
to second with a score
of 186.29, after
executing three
quadruple jumps
including the quadruple
Salchow and toe loop in
the first half, and
quadruple toe loop-
double toe loop in the
second.[104] He finished
second overall behind
Patrick Chan and above
Daisuke Murakami with
a total score of
259.54.[105][106]
At the 2015 NHK
Trophy, Hanyu placed
first in the short
program with a world
record score of
106.33.[107] He cleanly
executed a quadruple
Salchow, a quadruple
toe loop-triple toe loop
combination, and a
triple Axel.[108] In the
free skating, Hanyu
landed three clean
quadruple jumps, two
clean triple Axels, and
five clean triple jumps to
receive 216.07 and
combined total of
322.40, breaking both
world records. With this
result, he qualified for
the Grand Prix Final in
second place with 28
ranking points.[109][110]

At the 2015–16 Grand

Prix Final in Barcelona,
Hanyu broke the short
program record which
he had set just two
weeks prior, totaling a
score of 110.95 points,
putting him in the lead,
19.43 points ahead of
Javier
Fernandez.[111][112] In
the free skate, Hanyu
again broke his own
record, scoring 219.48
points, giving him a
combined total of
330.43, which was also
a new world record, and
his third Grand Prix Final
title in a row. Hanyu is
the first man to have
won Grand Prix Final for
three consecutive
seasons.[113] He won
with a margin of 37.48
points, breaking the
previous victory margin
record held by Evgeni
Plushenko in 2004 (35.1
points).
On December 26, 2015,
Hanyu won his fourth
consecutive title at the
2015–16 Japan
Championships, leading
in both the short
program and the free
skating.[114] Following
that event, Hanyu
announced that he
would not compete at
the 2016 Four
Continents
Championships
because he planned to
focus on training for the
2016 World
Championships.[115]

At the 2016 World

Championships, Hanyu
skated another clean
short program, scoring
110.56 points. He won
that segment of the
competition and had a
12.04-point lead over
Javier Fernández, who
came in second. In the
free skating, Hanyu put
a hand down on a
quadruple Salchow, fell
on the second attempt
without putting it into
combination, stepped
out of a triple Axel,
popped a triple Salchow
into a double, and had
another hand down on
the triple Lutz. After an
error-filled performance
he finished the
competition in 2nd
place, behind Javier
Fernandez.[116][117]

On April 26, the Japan

Skating Federation
announced that Hanyu
would be taking two
months off the ice to
heal from injury. He had
been dealing with pain
in his left foot since the
beginning of the season,
which got worse in
January. The pain was
the reason why Hanyu
elected to do two
quadruple Salchows in
his free skating at
Worlds, instead of two
quadruple toe loops.
Hanyu was diagnosed
with Lisfranc ligament
damage in his left
foot.[118][119]

2016–17
season:
Second world
title
Hanyu and fellow Japanese
figure skater Shoma Uno at the
2017 World Championships

For the 2016–17 Grand

Prix, Hanyu's
assignments were Skate
Canada and NHK
Trophy. His short
program music was
"Let's Go Crazy" by
Prince and the free
skating music was from
"Asian Dream Song" &
"View of Silence" by Joe
Hisaishi, with the
program's name titled
as "Hope and Legacy".

Hanyu competed at the

Autumn Classic
International, where he
won the gold medal and
became the first skater
in history to
successfully land a
quadruple Loop in
competition.[120][121]

At the 2016 Skate

Canada, he placed
fourth in the short
program, after landing
his first jump on one
knee, nearly putting his
hand on the ice on the
second and failing to
perform a jump
combination.[122] In the
free skating, he pulled
up to first with a score
of 183.41. Overall he
finished second behind
Patrick Chan, and ahead
of Kevin Reynolds.

Following this, at the

NHK Trophy, Hanyu
scored 103.89 in the
short program and led
this segment of the
competition by almost
16 points over Nathan
Chen. In his free skating,
Hanyu landed three
quadruple jumps: loop,
Salchow and a toe loop,
but made mistakes on
two other jumping
passes. He broke the
three-hundred barrier
again, scoring 301.47
and winning the gold
medal.[123]
At the 2016–17 Grand
Prix Final in Marseille,
Hanyu placed first in the
short program with
106.53 points after a
solid showing. During
the free skating, Hanyu
had a strong start with
clean jumps in the first
half of the program, but
made mistakes on three
jumping passes in the
latter half. He came in
third in that segment of
the competition, but
thanks to his score
advantage from the
short program finished
first overall and became
the first man to win four
consecutive Grand Prix
finals.[124]
After developing the flu,
Hanyu withdrew from
the Japanese National
Championships.[125]
Despite this, he was
selected to compete at
the 2017 Four
Continents
Championships and
2017 World
Championships.
At the 2017 Four
Continents
Championships, Hanyu
placed third in the short
program with a score of
97.04 points, due to
popping his quadruple
Salchow-triple toe loop
combination to a
double-triple.[126] He
finished the short
program 6 points behind
Nathan Chen who
placed first, and around
3.5 points behind
Shoma Uno, who was
second. During his free
skating, despite a strong
start, he again popped
his planned quadruple
Salchow-triple toe loop
combination attempt.
Hanyu then improvised
his layout for the
second half of the
program, successfully
changing three of his
jumping passes into
more difficult elements
to maximize his score
after the mistake. He
placed first in the free
skating with a score of
206.67, but overall
finished second behind
Nathan Chen by about
four points.

At the 2017 World

Championships, Hanyu
was fifth after the short
program after an
invalidating the second
part of his quadruple
Salchow-double toe
loop combination and
receiving a time
deduction. In the free
skate, Hanyu landed all
of his jumps cleanly
with high grades of
execution, including two
triple Axels and four
quadruple jumps, as
well as executing level
four footwork and spins.
He scored 223.20 in the
free skate and set a new
world record and
personal best, finishing
the competition with
321.59 points in first
place, winning his
second World title.[127]
Second was Japan's
Shoma Uno (319.31),
while China's Boyang
Jin (303.58) took
bronze.[128]

At the 2017 World Team

Trophy, Hanyu came in
seventh place after a
mistake-laden short
program. He popped his
quadruple loop to a
single loop and
invalidated the element,
as well as putting his
hand down on a
quadruple Salchow and
failing to perform a
combination.[129] In the
free skating Hanyu
placed first after
receiving 200.49 points
for a routine that
featured four quadruple
jumps, three with
positive grades of
execution. He
performed three of his
quads in the second half
of the program including
a quadruple toe loop-
half loop-triple Salchow
combination, in doing so
becoming the first
skater to complete three
quadruple jumps in the
second half of a free
skating program.
However, he singled a
planned quadruple
Salchow and also
singled a triple Axel
attempt.[129][130] Overall
he added 18 points to
the team score, and
took gold with Team
Japan.

2017–18
season:
Second
Olympic title

For the 2017–18

season, Hanyu returned
to Chopin's "Ballade No.
1" for his short program,
the same music he used
two seasons ago for his
world record breaking
short program. He also
decided to repeat his
free skate to the
soundtrack from the
film Onmyōji, with an
upgraded layout
compared to the one he
performed in the 2015-
16 season.[131]

His assignments for the

2017–18 Grand Prix
series were the 2017
Rostelecom Cup and the
2017 NHK Trophy.[132]

At his first competition

of the season, Skate
Canada Autumn Classic
International, he
received 112.72 points
for his short program,
breaking the world
record he had set
previously at the 2015-
16 Grand Prix Final
(110.95). Hanyu
executed all of his
jumping passes cleanly,
with two of them
receiving the highest
grade of execution
(+3.00) unanimously
from the judges.[133] Due
to pain in his right knee,
he elected to not
perform a quadruple
loop in this
competition.[134] During
the free skate, Hanyu
popped his opening
jump into a single Lutz
and uncharacteristically
fell on a triple Axel. He
also popped three
planned jumps into
doubles and landed
forward on a quadruple
toe loop attempt,
receiving a downgrade.
He received 155.52
points and won the
silver medal overall
behind Fernández.[135]

At the 2017 Rostelecom

Cup, Hanyu was second
after the short program.
He under-rotated his
opening quadruple loop
jump and slightly lost
balance after a poor
landing. He also fell
after his final jump, a
quadruple toe loop-triple
toe loop
combination.[136][137]
The next day, Hanyu
landed his first
quadruple Lutz in
competition and
received +1.14 grade of
execution for the jump.
Despite making
mistakes on two of his
jumping passes, his
performance pulled him
to first in the free, with a
score of 195.92. Overall,
he finished second
behind Nathan Chen by
around three points.

Hanyu injured a lateral

ligament in his right
ankle while practicing
the quadruple Lutz on
November 9, 2017. As a
result, he decided to
withdraw from the 2017
NHK Trophy, which
automatically prevented
him from competing for
his fifth consecutive
Grand Prix Final
title.[138][139][140] Due to
his recovery taking
longer than expected,
Hanyu also decided to
withdraw from the 2017
Japanese National
Championships. Despite
missing the event
serving as an Olympic
qualifier for Japanese
skaters, he would be
assured of a spot on the
Olympic team, given his
top world standing and
position as the reigning
world champion.[141]

On December 24, 2017,

it was announced that
Hanyu would represent
Japan at the 2018
Winter Olympics in
Pyeongchang, South
Korea and the 2018
World Figure Skating
Championships in Milan,
Italy.[142][143] On
February 3, it was
announced that Hanyu
would not participate in
the team event at the
Olympics to buy more
time for practice at his
training base in Toronto
in preparation for the
individual event.[144]

2018 Olympic
Winter Games

Hanyu arrived in South

Korea on February 11,
accompanied by heavy
security detail and amid
intense media
coverage.[145] His
practice sessions at the
Olympics were a subject
of media scrutiny and
were attended by
hundreds of
reporters.[146][147][148] At
a press conference on
February 13, held by
Hanyu after one of his
official practices, he
revealed he was off the
ice until January[149] and
started executing triple
jumps just three weeks,
and quadruple jumps
just two weeks prior to
the competition,[150] and
that he still had not
decided which technical
elements he would use
for the event.[151]
On February 16, Hanyu
performed a flawless
short program, for which
he scored 111.68 points,
putting him first in that
segment of the
competition. The score
was just 1.04 points shy
of his personal best of
112.72, which is also the
current world record.[152]
The next day, he went
on to score 206.17
points in the free
skating with a solid
program that included
four quadruple jumps,
three of them landed
cleanly. He earned
317.85 points overall,
winning his second
consecutive Olympic
gold medal, a feat that
has not been achieved
since Dick Button's
back-to-back titles in
1948 and 1952.[153]
Hanyu's medal was the
1000th medal awarded
in the history of the
Winter Olympic Games.
He stood on the podium
with his compatriot
Shoma Uno (silver) and
training mate Javier
Fernandez (bronze). [154]
Hanyu was the most
discussed and
mentioned athlete of
these Olympics on the
social networking
website Twitter.[155] [156]

During a press
conference on February
18, Hanyu revealed that
he performed his
Olympic practices and
programs on strong
painkillers, admitting
that if he wasn't taking
medication, he would be
unable to attempt the
jumps or land them. The
ankle injury he
sustained in November,
which forced him to go
on a 3-month hiatus
from competing and
lower the technical
difficulty of his
programs for the
Olympics, turned out to
be more severe than
anticipated. He stated
that his future
competition plans were
unclear, since the injury
had not healed yet and
he wanted to focus on
full recovery. However,
Hanyu said he had no
intention to quit skating,
and that his next goal
would be landing a
quadruple Axel, a jump
that has never been
landed in
competition.[157]

Skating
technique
Hanyu is regarded by
analysts as a well-
rounded skater, famous
for his ability to
combine strong
technique with mature
and versatile
artistry.[158] The 2006
Olympic silver medalist
Stephane Lambiel
referred to him as "the
most complete athlete
in figure skating,
probably ever".[159] His
skating techniques
include the Biellmann
spin and the doughnut
spin. Both are known for
their difficulty, for male
skaters especially, due
to the flexibility
required.[1][160] Other
signature moves include
the layback Ina Bauer,
hydroblading, and the
side lunge.[92]
His jumps are praised
for their high quality of
execution and are noted
for their precision, flow
and extraordinary ice
coverage.[161] Hanyu is
known for his difficult
triple Axel entries,[162]
usually from a back
counter or a spread
eagle.[163] He stated his
preference for edge
jumps, and notably
featured all three edge
jumps in his short
program for the 2016-17
season.[164] Hanyu is
credited as the first
figure skater to
successfully land a
quadruple loop in an ISU
sanctioned
competition.[165]
Currently, Hanyu is able
to execute four different
types of quadruple
jumps during
competitions – the toe
loop, Salchow, loop, and
Lutz.

Coaches and
choreographers
choreographers

Hanyu with coach Brian Orser

in 2015

Before the 2011–12

season, most of Hanyu's
career was guided by
Nanami Abe in
Sendai.[51] However,
after winning bronze at
the 2012 World Figure
Skating Championships,
Hanyu switched
coaches to Brian Orser,
who is known for
guiding Kim Yuna to
gold in the 2010 Winter
Olympics. In switching,
Hanyu continued to go
to high school in Sendai,
but also made frequent
trips to Toronto Cricket,
Skating and Curling
club, where Orser works
as a skating
instructor.[166] Hidehito
Ito, the figure skating
director at the Japanese
Skating Federation, said
the change was
necessary to "challenge"
Hanyu and "raise the
level [of his skating]
more".[51]

In Hanyu's junior career,

all of his programs were
choreographed by
Nanami Abe.[167]
Starting from his 2012-
2013 season, his
programs were
choreographed by
others, such as David
Wilson[168], Shae-Lynn
Bourne[169], and Jeffrey
Buttle[170].
Choreographers for his
exhibitions include Kurt
Browning, Kenji
Miyamoto, and former
coach Nanami Abe as
well.[169]

Public life

Hanyu in an interview during

2012 NHK Trophy
Hanyu has appeared in
a number of
commercials and
advertising campaigns.
From December 2013,
Hanyu, alongside fellow
Japanese figure skater
Daisuke Takahashi,
became the 2014 Sochi
Winter Olympics
campaign ambassador
for P&G's global "Proud
sponsor of moms"
campaign.[171] From
February 8 to 23, 2014,
Hanyu endorsed All
Nippon Airways' new
line of flight attendant
outfits, which were
designed by Prabal
Gurung.[172]
On September 2, 2014,
Hanyu endorsed Lotte's
Ghana milk chocolate
with Mao Asada, singer
Airi Matsui, and
actresses Suzu Hirose
and Tao Tsuchiya, as
well as Xylitol
Whites.[173][174][175] Later
that month, he starred in
a TV commercial for
Capcom's new video
game "Monster Hunter
4G".[176] In October
2014, Hanyu also
endorsed sport
nutritional products
Amino Vital as well as
Bathclin in February
2015.[177] Since
December 13, 2014,
Hanyu has partnered up
with Phiten for their line
of Rakuwa nylon coated
necklace
models.[178][179][180] He
also signed an
endorsement contract
with Nishikawa Sangyo
co. since March
2015.[181] For Olympic
Day 2015, Hanyu
appeared in its
promotional video as a
boxer.[182] He became
the spokesperson for
the Red Cross' Hatachi
blood donation
campaign, where he
starred in the
promotional video with
patients.[183] On
December 31, 2015,
Hanyu served as a judge
on Japan's popular New
Year's Eve music show,
Kōhaku Uta Gassen.[115]

Since the 2011 Japan

earthquake and
tsunami, Hanyu has
been an active
spokesperson and
supporter for various
campaigns to help the
earthquake victims, as
he himself was directly
affected by the
disaster.[21] Shortly after
the disaster, he and
other skaters skated ice
shows to raise money
for the victims, raising a
total of more than
$150,000. He also sold
his personal belongings
at the show, fundraising
an additional
¥2,954,323
($35,387).[21] His
autobiography, Blue
Flames, was published
in Japan in April 2012,
with the royalties and
part of the proceeds
going to the Sendai ice
rink, which was
rendered unusable after
the disaster.[25] It was
revealed, in 2017, that a
total of ¥11,638,660
was donated to Sendai
ice rink from the
royalties of Blue
Flames.[184] His second
autobiography, Blue
Flames II, was released
in 2016. Like its
predecessor, the
royalties went to Sendai
ice rink for its
reconstruction. A total
of ¥13,674,115 from
Blue Flames II 's
royalties was
donated.[185] In 2014,
Hanyu held a one night
ice show, which was
broadcast on 24Hour
TV, to bring in
donations.[186] Since
February 2015, he is the
spokesperson for
reconstruction efforts
led by the Japanese Red
Cross Society.[187] As
part of his efforts,
Hanyu also visited
earthquake affected
areas in Fukushima and
Ishinomaki, interviewing
the victims as part of
the 24Hour TV
segment.[188][189] In July
2015, he and Hey! Say!
JUMP member Yuri
Chinen designed
"CHARI-T-shirts" for
24Hour TV annual event
under the slogan: "to
connect ~ a smile
beyond time~". The
shirts were to be sold,
with the profits given to
charity.[190]

Hanyu's first DVD/Blu-

ray album, Time of
Awakening, was
released on May 21,
2014,[191] selling 21,000
copies.[192] It was the
first DVD from an
athlete to top Oricon's
DVD ranking since its
establishment in 1999.
The album also peaked
at number 3 on the
chart's Blu-ray
ranking.[193] His first
photo book, YUZURU,
was released on
October 4 of the same
year, selling over 23,000
copies. It ranked first in
Oricon's weekly charts
for photos and sport-
related categories, as
well as second in the
chart's general books
category.[194] On
September 25, 2015,
Yuzuru Hanyu Goroku
was released containing
pictures and quotes by
the athlete. The book
topped Amazon's
reservation sales
rankings.[195][196] On
December 18, 2015,
NHK Enterprises
released the DVD,
Flowers bloom ON ICE,
featuring behind-the-
scenes and interviews
with Shizuka Arakawa
and Yuzuru Hanyu as
they skate an ice show
together to support
reconstruction after the
2011 Japan
earthquake.[197]

A survey conducted by
The Japan News from
mid-January through
mid-February 2016
named Hanyu the
second most popular
athlete in Japan behind
tennis player Kei
Nishikori.[198]

Hanyu made his on-

screen debut as Date
Shigemura, a samurai
lord, in the 2016 movie,
The Magnificent
Nine.[199][200]

Awards and
honors
Japan Medals of Honor

Purple Ribbon
(2014)[201][202][203]

Japanese Olympic
Committee

JOC Sports Award -

Newcomer Award
(2009), Best Award
(2013),[204] Special
Achievement Award
(2015)[205]
Olympic Special
Award (2014[206],
2018[207])
Japan Skating
Federation

JOC Cup (Most

Valuable Player
Award) (2013,[208]
2014,[209] 2016[210])

Media

Asahi Shimbun: Asahi

Sports Award
(2014)[211]
Business Insider:
"Most Dominant
Athletes Alive" (#33 in
2014,[212] #21 in
2015[213])
Chunichi Shimbun:
29th "Chunichi Sports
Award" (2015)[214]
Kahoku Shinpo: 64th
"Hebei Cultural
Award" (2014)[215]
Mainichi Shimbun:
22nd "Daily Sports
People Award" Grand
Prix (2014)[216]
Sports Graphic
Number: 33rd "MVP
Award" (2014)[217]
Tohoku Sports club:
Sports Award (2011,
2013, 2014[218],
2015[219])
Tokyo Sports club:
Special Award (2012),
Skater of the Year
(2014[220], 2015[221])
TV Asahi: "Big Sports
Awards" (2014[222],
2015[223], 2016[224],
 2017[225])
Yahoo! Japan:
"Yahoo! Search
Awards 2014" Grand
Prize[226]
Yomiuri Shimbun:
64th "Japan Sports
Awards" Grand Prix
(2014)[227]

Municipality