'Ice Prince' Hanyu retires, but wants quadruple axel

TOKYO • Japan's two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu retired from competition aged 27 yesterday, after struggling with injuries at this year's Beijing Winter Games.

It brings down the curtain on a glittering career that has seen the elegant skater become a national icon who is trailed around the world by adoring fans.

His retirement follows a string of injuries, including at February's Games, where the "Ice Prince" was dethroned as Olympic champion by rival Nathan Chen of the United States, with Hanyu finishing a disappointing fourth in Beijing.

Wearing a dark suit and bowing deeply as he took to the stage, Hanyu told a packed press conference in Tokyo that he was finished as a competitive athlete.

"I'll no longer be compared with other skaters as a competitor," he said, adding that he will concentrate on skating in exhibition shows for his fans.

"As a pro skater I want to keep on fighting and go to an even higher stage. I have no sadness. I want to continue to do my best."

Hanyu also made clear his discomfort with the idea of being considered retired.

"I don't like using the word 'retire'," he said. "Ice shows tend to be considered something elegant and fun, but I want to remain more of an athlete... I want people to see me as I continue to fight."

With his graceful skating style and boyish looks, Hanyu is an icon for his "Fanyu" supporters, who shower the ice with Winnie the Pooh toys after his routines - those would later be donated to hospitals or children's homes.

He won his first Olympic singles title at the 2014 Sochi Games and then became the first man in 66 years to defend his crown four years later in Pyeongchang.

He also won the world championships in 2014 and 2017 but he has been dogged by injury in recent years, including an ankle ligament problem he had to overcome to win his second Olympic gold.

The same ankle forced him to miss the 2021 Grand Prix season, but he made a successful return at last year's Japanese national championships.

It was there that he attempted to become the first skater to land a quadruple axel jump, which was expected to be his secret weapon at the Beijing Games. But instead, he tumbled twice and said afterwards: "It feels like everything has gone wrong this time around."

Hanyu, who has four Grand Prix final crowns and six victories at the Japan nationals, said yesterday that he had considered ending his competitive career after Pyeongchang in 2018, but decided instead to continue to fight for his goal of the quadruple axel.

"As far as competitions go, I think I have been able to take all the things I wanted to take. I think I have grown in such a way that I don't seek that kind of evaluation anymore," said the Japanese, who also had to overcome asthma.

The elusive quadruple axel remains on his mind, he admitted, and he said he would "work harder" so he could one day "land it successfully in front of everyone".

"What I want is to remain someone who continues to work hard towards dreams and goals," he said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS