Yuzuru Hanyu took the world by storm by becoming the first male Japanese to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu set a breathtakingly high bar two-thirds of the way through the competition, earning a season-high 101.45 points, and no rival came close to equaling it. With it, the 19-year-old skater with impossibly light jumps and a teen-idol’s charm seized the lead in the men’s competition.
As a result, Yuzura Hanyu's name became a worldwide sensation overnight.
But who is this skating prodigy?
Hanyu began skating at the age of four, following his older sister to the rink.
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.
His home rink then closed due to financial problems, reducing his training time.
Nanami Abe became his coach around that time. In the 2006–07 season, Hanyu competed at the 2006 Japan Novice Championships in the Novice A category and won the bronze medal.
This placement earned him an invitation to compete at the 2006 Japan Junior Championships, where he placed 7th.
His hometown of Sendai, a port city in the northeast region of Japan, was ravaged by the devastating tsunami that ripped through the region in 2011. His home rink was destroyed and, according to Nancy Armour of USA Today, Hanyu considered hanging up his skates.
Hanyu's home rink reopened in 2007. He competed at the 2007 Japan Novice Championships in the Novice A category and won the event. He was invited to compete in the 2007 Japan Junior Championships, where he won the bronze medal.
Water pipes under the ice at his home rink burst as a result of the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. He trained in Yokohama and Hachinohe, Aomori until his home rink reopened on July 24, 2011. He also skated in 60 ice shows, using them as an opportunity to train. In April, he and other skaters took part in an ice show to raise money for victims.
Hanyu began the 2011–12 season with a win at the Nebelhorn Trophy. He placed first in both the short program and the free skate, for a combined total score of 226.26 points.
For the 2011–12 Grand Prix series, he was assigned to the 2011 Cup of China and the 2011 Rostelecom Cup. He finished 4th at the Cup of China, then won the Rostelecom Cup with a new personal best score[18] to qualify for his first senior Grand Prix Final, where he placed fourth. Hanyu then won the bronze medal at the 2011–2012 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 skate. 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 team mate, Daisuke Takahashi of Japan.
About a year after the earthquake hit Japan, Hanyu hit a crossroads. Stick in his recovering home country or travel half a world away to help his figure skating career?
He chose Toronto.
In April of 2012, a 17-year-old Hanyu packed up his bags and went to Chan's hometown, where he linked up with renowned coach Brian Orser. Less than two years later, Hanyu was standing atop the podium in Sochi, while Patrick Chan took the silver.
In April 2012, Hanyu switched coaches to Brian Orser in Toronto, Canada. It was reported he would make frequent trips to Toronto and continue to attend high school in Sendai. 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. 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.
Hanyu began his season at the Finlandia Trophy, winning the gold medal. He landed two quadruple jumps, a quad toe and a quad salchow, in his free skate; it was the first time he had a landed the latter jump in competition. Hanyu won the silver medal at his first Grand Prix event of the season, the Skate America. At his second event, the NHK Trophy, he scored 95.32 in the short program, a new world record,and went on to win the gold medal in his hometown.
Hanyu qualified for the Grand Prix Final in Sochi, where he finished second.
In January 2013, Hanyu claimed his first national title at 2013 Japan Championships after placing first in the short program and second in the long. He took silver at the 2013 Four Continents, having placed first in the short program and third in the free. At the 2013 World Championships, he was ninth in the short program and third in the free skate, finishing fourth overall.
Hanyu was born and raised in Sendai, and has an older sister named Saya. He has asthma. He had attended the Tohoku High School where the famous Japanese figure skaters Takeshi Honda and Shizuka Arakawa were also enrolled once. He is a student at Waseda University now.
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