{"id":18984,"date":"2022-07-19T09:30:14","date_gmt":"2022-07-19T09:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/japanese-icon-yuzuru-hanyu-retires-from-competition\/"},"modified":"2022-07-19T09:30:14","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T09:30:14","slug":"japanese-icon-yuzuru-hanyu-retires-from-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/japanese-icon-yuzuru-hanyu-retires-from-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese icon Yuzuru Hanyu retires from competition"},"content":{"rendered":"
Japanese figure skating icon Yuzuru Hanyu announced he is retiring from competition Tuesday but will continue his bid to land the elusive quadruple axel as a professional exhibition skater.<\/p>\n
Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu holds a press conference in Tokyo on July 19, 2022. (Kyodo) <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n After missing out on a third straight Olympic gold at the Beijing Games in February, the 27-year-old two-time world champion left it unclear whether he would ever again compete on the ice.<\/p>\n “I’ll no longer be able to be compared with other competitors,” he said during a press conference in Tokyo. “But I’ll keep fighting my weaknesses and my past self.”<\/p>\n “In terms of results, I’ve achieved the things I could achieve. I stopped wanting to be evaluated.”<\/p>\n IN PHOTOS: Memories of Yuzuru Hanyu, undisputed king of the ice<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n He narrowly missed becoming the first athlete to land the quad axel in competition during his free skate in Beijing, falling on his attempt at the four-and-a-half rotation jump.<\/p>\n Composite photo taken Feb. 10, 2022, shows Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan attempting a quadruple axel during the men’s figure skating free skate at the Beijing Winter Olympics at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hanyu, also a four-time Grand Prix Final winner and six-time national champion, withdrew from the world championships in March as he had not recovered from the ankle sprain he sustained in Beijing.<\/p>\n “I carried on until Beijing in pursuit of the quad axel but I feel I can do it, not necessarily in competitions…I actually feel it gives a chance for more people to witness it (in person).”<\/p>\n “I made the decision (to stop competing) after Beijing…I’ve thought through many things and felt I no longer need to be on the same stage, while also feeling more determined to get better and stronger.”<\/p>\n Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu performs his free skate at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, on Feb. 17, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n A native of Sendai in northeastern Japan’s Tohoku region, Hanyu inspired victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the area with his victory at the 2014 Sochi Games.<\/p>\n
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