The Greatest Skeeper of All Time, Yuzuru Hanyu, announced her retirement on Tuesday (July 19), marking the end of an outstanding career that included breaking 19 world records and winning two Olympic gold medals.
In a polite suit, the 27-year-old athlete held a press conference in Tokyo, saying that during his time out of tournaments, he will continue his career as a professional performer.
He added that he will continue to strive for a four-round axle - which has never been successfully done in tournaments - after his unsuccessful efforts at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Hanyu, a two-time world champion and four Grand Prix finalists, is known to fans around the world - including a large number of fans in China - with the nickname "The ice Prince".
Hanyu supporters are known for throwing the Winnie the Pooh bear onto the court after his performance; the skier considers the character in A.A. Milne's work a lucky spell.
In his announcement of his retirement, Hanyu expressed his "deepest gratitude" to fans, he hoped that everyone would continue to support and believe that "it was worth watching me perform". "Please continue to watch me fight," he said, bowing his head many times in front of the cameras and reporters.
Many fans have flooded social media to express their support for his decision, thanking him for working hard and contributing to sports over the years.
Hanyu won his first gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics at the age of 19, becoming the youngest male champion since 1948 and the first Asian male athlete to win a gold medal in figure skating. His performance in Sochi immediately made him an immediate star and was said to be the most famous athlete in Japan.
He defended his title at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics - the first male figure skater since 1952 to win an Olympic gold medal in 2 consecutive editions.
After the 2018 victory, fans sent him tens of thousands of congratulatory messages, including a message from then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - who later awarded Hanyu the "People's honor award", making him the youngest person to receive the award.
Hanyu tried to win a third gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics last February, but suffered an ankle injury while practicing, and fell while performing a famous "quad axel" for its difficulty. Hanyu could not successfully make a 4-way turn and ended up fourth.
He later shared that his ankle was in a serious pain on the morning of the final day that he had considered withdrawing from - and would certainly do so in any other competition if it were not the Olympics. That pain is the root cause of repeated injuries in the months before the Olympics.
Injuries prevented him from competing in the World figureheaded Scing Championship in March. In June, Hanyu held a performance across Japan but had no contact with the media.
Yuzuru Hanyu's achievement table
Champions of the 2014 and 2018 Olympics; World Champions of 2014 and 2017; 4 consecutive Grand Prix Final championships (2013 2014 to 2016-2017); Champions of the 2020 4-continental figurehead State Scaling Championship; 2010 World Youth Championship and Grand Prix Final of Youth 2009-2010; 6 times Japanese National Championship (2012-2015, 2020-2021); Medals in 5 other World Championships including bronze medals in 2012 and 2021, silver medals in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
