Yuzuru Hanyu Biography
Yuzuru Hanyu
Native name: 羽生 結弦
Date of birth: December 7, 1994
Place of birth: Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Occupation: (Former) Competitive figure skater
Country represented: Japan
Turned professional: 2022
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Awards and achievements
Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese former competitive figure skater who has won various awards:
Two-time Olympic champion (2014, 2018)
Two-time World champion (2014, 2017)
Four-time Grand Prix Final champion (2013–2016)
Four Continents champion (2020)
The 2010 World Junior champion
The 2009–10 Junior Grand Prix Final champion
Six-time Japanese national champion (2012–2015, 2020–2021)
Medaled at five other World Championships
Having been called one of the greatest figure skaters in history by many sport writers, commentators, and skaters for his well-rounded skills, achievements, popularity, and impact on the sport, Hanyu is the first men's singles skater to achieve a Super Slam, having won all major competitions in both his senior and junior careers.
He has broken world records 19 times—the most times among singles skaters since the introduction of the ISU Judging System in 2004. He is the first man to have received over 100 points in the men's short program, over 200 points in the men's free skate, and over 300 total points in competition. Upon winning his first Olympic title, Hanyu became the first Asian men's singles skater to win the Olympic gold. At nineteen years old, he was the youngest male skater to win the Olympic title since Dick Button in 1948. In 2018, he became the first man to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals since 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 a competition. He is the first men's singles skater from Asia to win multiple World Championships.
Skating style and artistry
Hanyu is regarded by analysts as an accomplished skater known for his high-level technical elements as well as mature and versatile artistry. His performance is often characterized as "the perfect combination of skills, strength and elegance" which "tends to blur gender lines". The four-time Olympic medalist Evgeni Plushenko opined that Hanyu had a decided edge over other skaters in the completeness of his performance — spins, skating skills, transitions between jumps and musical interpretation. The 2006 Olympic silver medalist Stephane Lambiel described him as "the most complete athlete in figure skating, probably ever."
Hanyu is known for his ability to generate skating speed "out of nowhere" and cover long distances with only few strokes. At the 2021Japanese National Championships, Hanyu managed to perform a clean short program without using consecutive crossovers and reduce the amount of basic skating movements to a minimum.
Hanyu is able to execute the Biellmann spin and the doughnut spin .Both are more commonly seen in the women's singles and known for their difficulty among male skaters due to the flexibility required. Other signature moves include the layback Ina Bauer, hydroblading, and the side lunge.
Hanyu's programs cover a wide variety of music genres, including classical pieces, modern pop rock, musicals and traditional Japanese music. He also dedicated various exhibition programs to the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and performed them as live music collaborations at shows like Fantasy on Ice among others. Hanyu is known to be involved in all aspects of his programs, from the music selection and editing process to the costume design and choreography.
