Yuzuru Hanyu

Hanyu first competed nationally as a novice skater in the 2004–05 season. He skated and won gold at the 2004 Japan Novice Championships in the Novice B category, the lower of the two novice level categories.[25] His home rink then closed due to financial problems, reducing his training time.[26] His coach at that time, Shōichirō Tsuzuki, eventually had to move to another rink and was replaced by Nanami Abe who guided Hanyu until he switched to Brian Orser years later in 2012.[26][27] In the 2006–07 season, Hanyu won the bronze medal at the 2006 Japan Novice Championships in the Novice A category. Hanyu winning a bronze medal at the 2006 Japan Novice championships earned him an invitation to compete at the 2006–07 Japan Junior Championships where he placed 7th.[28][29] Hanyu's home rink reopened in 2007 after being closed for two years.[26] He then placed first at the 2007 Japan Novice Championships in the Novice A category and won the bronze medal at the 2007–08 Japan Junior Championships.[30][31]

In 2008, Hanyu moved up to the junior level and debuted at the ISU Junior Grand Prix. He placed 6th in the short program and 4th in the free skate, finishing 5th overall at the event in Merano, Italy.[32] Following his Junior Grand Prix event, Hanyu won the gold medal at the 2008–09 Japan Junior Championships. At 13, he was the youngest male skater to win the Japan Junior Championship. This result also qualified him for the 2009 World Junior Championships.[33] His high standing in the ranking of performances won him a medal and also earned him an invitation to compete on the senior level at the 2008–09 Japan Championships where he placed 8th.[34] At the 2009 World Junior Championships in February, Hanyu placed 11th in the short program and 13th in his free skate, giving him a total of 161.77 points to finish 12th overall.[35]

In the 2009–10 season, Hanyu won both of his Junior Grand Prix events, in Croatia and Poland, and finished as the top qualifier for the Junior Grand Prix Final where he achieved a new personal best score of 206.77 points and won the event.[36] In the same season Hanyu also won the 2009–10 Japan Junior Championships and earned an invitation to compete on the senior level at the 2009–10 Japan Championships.[37] He then placed first on the junior level and sixth on the senior level in the event. Based on his results, Hanyu was chosen to compete at the 2010 World Junior Championships. He won the competition after placing third in the short program and first in the free skate to earn a new personal best of 216.10 points. He became the fourth and the youngest Japanese man to win the junior world title.[38]

Hanyu at the 2010 Cup of Russia

For the 2010–11 season, Hanyu moved up to the senior level at the age of 15. His assignments for the 2010–11 Grand Prix series were the 2010 NHK Trophy and the 2010 Cup of Russia.[39] In his senior debut at the 2010 NHK Trophy, Hanyu placed 5th in the short program with 69.31 points. In his free skate, he landed his first quadruple toe loop jump in an ISU competition and came in 4th with 138.41 points, giving him a total of 207.72 points to finish 4th overall.[40] Hanyu finished in seventh place at the Cup of Russia.[41] At the 2010–11 Japan Championships, Hanyu was in second place after the short program, but faltered in the free skate and finished fourth overall. As the result, he was selected to compete at the 2011 Four Continents Championships, where he won the silver medal with a new personal best score.[42]

Hanyu was skating at his home rink in Sendai when the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami struck his hometown and the region. The water pipes at his rink burst as a result of the April 2011 Miyagi earthquake.[43][44] He trained in Yokohama and Hachinohe, Aomori until his home rink reopened on July 24, 2011.[20][43][45] He also skated in 60 ice shows, using them as an opportunity to train.[26] In April, he participated in an ice show to raise money for the victims.[20][45]

Hanyu performing a Biellmann spin at the 2011 Cup of China

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.[46] For the 2011–12 Grand Prix series, he was assigned to the 2011 Cup of China and the 2011 Rostelecom Cup.[47] He finished 4th at the Cup of China,[48] then won the Rostelecom Cup with a new personal best score[49] to qualify for his first senior Grand Prix Final, where he placed fourth.[50]

Hanyu then won the bronze medal at the 2011–12 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 teammate, Daisuke Takahashi of Japan.[51]

In April 2012, Hanyu switched coaches to Brian Orser in Toronto, Canada.[52][53] It was reported he would make frequent trips to Toronto and continue to attend high school in Sendai.[52] 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.[20][26]

Hanyu began his season at the 2012 Finlandia Trophy, where he won the gold medal. He landed two quadruple jumps, a quad toe loop, and a quad salchow, in his free skate. It was the first time he had landed the latter jump in competition.[53][54] Hanyu won the silver medal at his first Grand Prix event of the season, the 2012 Skate America. His short program score at the Skate America, 95.07 points, was a new world record.[55][56] At his second event, the 2012 NHK Trophy, he scored 95.32 in the short program, beating his world record,[57][58] and went on to win the gold medal in his hometown.[59][60] Hanyu qualified for the 2012–13 Grand Prix Final in Sochi, where he finished second.[61]

In December 2012, Hanyu claimed his first national title at the 2012–13 Japan Championships after placing first in the short program and second in the free skate.[62] He took silver at the 2013 Four Continents Championships, having placed first in the short program and third in the free skate.[63] At the 2013 World Championships, he was ninth in the short program and third in the free skate, finishing fourth overall.[64]

With the triple world champion Mao Asada.

Hanyu began his season with a win at the 2013 Finlandia Trophy.[65] He won silver in both of his 2013–14 Grand Prix events, the 2013 Skate Canada International and the 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard, qualifying him for the 2013–14 Grand Prix Final. At the competition, Hanyu set a new world record in the short program with 99.84 points and won the title.[55][66] He subsequently competed at the 2013–14 Japan Championships where he went on to win a second Japanese national title and named to Japan's teams to the Olympics and World Championships.[67]

Hanyu (right) and Tatsuki Machida at the 2014 World Championships

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Hanyu took part only in the men's short program at the Figure Skating Team Event for Team Japan. He won that segment, giving Team Japan 10 points.[68] Hanyu later broke his world record and became the first skater to score over 100 points in the short program in the men's short program individual event with 101.45 points.[69] Hanyu won the overall event and earned the first Olympic gold medal for Japan in the men's figure skating event, and only the second for the nation, following Shizuka Arakawa's gold medal in the women's event in 2006 in Turin.[70]

Hanyu completed the season with a victory at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan.[71] Hanyu became the first skater since Alexei Yagudin (in 2002) to win the Olympics, World Championships, and Grand Prix Final in the same season.[72]

Hanyu withdrew from the 2014 Finlandia Trophy due to a back injury.[73][74] For the 2014–15 Grand Prix season, he was selected to compete at the 2014 Cup of China and 2014 NHK Trophy.[75]

At the Cup of China, Hanyu was second in the short program.[74] The next day, during the free skate warm-up, Hanyu collided with China's Yan Han. Hanyu was visibly injured but decided to compete. He fell five times in the free skate but scored enough to win the silver medal. After the competition, he received stitches on his head and chin due to the collision and the multiple falls.[76][77][78] He flew to Japan for further treatment. He had bruising to his chin and head, hurt his midriff and left thigh, and sprained his right ankle.[79][80][81][82]

A few days before the NHK Trophy, Hanyu announced that he would compete but stated that he wasn't in top form.[83][84] He struggled in the short program, placing fifth.[85][86] The next day, he continued to have difficulties but placed third in the free skate, fourth overall. The score just barely, by a 0.15 point margin, earned him a spot to the Grand Prix Final.[87][88] At the Final, he was first in both the short program (94.08 points) and free skate (194.08 points, a new personal best score, and the overall highest free skate score of the season),[89] earning the gold medal. His total score was 34.26 points higher than silver medalist Javier Fernández's score.[90]

In December 2014, Hanyu competed in the 2014–15 Japan Championships. He placed first in both the short program and free skate with a total score of 286.86 points, earning him his third consecutive Japan National Championships title and the first spot for Japan at the 2015 World Championships.[91] He withdrew from the gala following the competition due to abdominal pain.[92] Hanyu was diagnosed with a bladder problem related to the urachus and had surgery. He was hospitalized for two weeks and expected to resume training a month afterward. However, on February 9, he sprained his right ankle and was once again suspended from on-ice training, this time for two weeks. In March, he resumed training in Japan without his coach Brian Orser.[93]

Hanyu competed at the 2015 World Championships, where he scored a season's best in the short program. He entered as first into the free skate, and scored 175.88, for a total of 271.08. He finished second behind Spain's Javier Fernández by less than 3 points.[94]

Hanyu competed for the first time at the 2015 World Team Trophy, in Tokyo, Japan. He scored first in both the short program (with a new season's best) and the free skate, receiving 24 points to help Team Japan win the bronze medal, behind Team USA and Team Russia. He was the only skater to win both segments in the competition.[95]

Hanyu at the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final

For the 2015–16 season, Hanyu skated to the soundtrack from the films Onmyōji and Onmyōji 2 in his free program, portraying natural philosopher and astrologer Abe no Seimei.[96] He also met with Mansai Nomura, the actor who portrayed Seimei in the film, to get advice on how to portray the character.[97] Hanyu started his season by winning gold at the 2015 Skate Canada Autumn Classic, finishing 36 points ahead of the silver medalist, Nam Nguyen.[98] For the 2015–16 Grand Prix series, Hanyu was selected to compete at the Skate Canada and the NHK Trophy.[99]

At the 2015 Skate Canada International, Hanyu placed sixth in the short program with a score of 73.25 points after missing his quadruple toe loop and doing a double instead.[100] In the free skate, he pulled up to second with a score of 186.29 after executing three quadruple jumps including the quad Salchow and quad toe loop in the first half followed by a quadruple toe loop-double toe loop in the second.[101] He finished second overall behind Patrick Chan with a total score of 259.54.[102][103] At the 2015 NHK Trophy, Hanyu placed first in the short program with a world record score of 106.33.[104] He cleanly executed a quadruple Salchow, a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, and a triple Axel.[105] In the free skate, he landed four clean quadruple jumps to receive 216.07 and a combined total of 322.40, breaking the world records for the free skate and the combined total. With this result, he qualified for the Grand Prix Final in second place with 28 ranking season Grand Prix points which were accumulated over the several international events which are part of the Grand Prix.[106][107]

At the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, Hanyu broke the short program record which he had just set two weeks prior, totaling a score of 110.95 points, putting him in the lead.[108][109] In the free skate, he broke another new world record, scoring 219.48 points, giving him a combined total of 330.43 and his third Grand Prix Final title in a row. Hanyu is the first man to have won Grand Prix Final for three consecutive seasons.[110] He won with a total margin of 37.48 points ahead of Javier Fernández, breaking the previous victory margin record held by Evgeni Plushenko in 2004 (35.1 points).[111]

On December 26, 2015, Hanyu won his fourth consecutive title at the 2015–16 Japan Championships, leading in both the short program and the free skate.[112] Following that event, Hanyu announced that he would not compete at the 2016 Four Continents Championships because he planned to focus on training for the 2016 World Championships.[113]

Hanyu skated another clean short program at the 2016 World Championships, scoring 110.56 points. He won that segment of the competition and had a 12.04-point lead over Javier Fernández, who came in second.[114] In the free skate, Hanyu put a hand down on a quadruple Salchow, fell on the second attempt without putting it into a combination, stepped out of a triple Axel, decided to do a double rather than a triple Salchow, and had another hand down on the triple Lutz. Following these errors, he finished the competition in 2nd place, behind Javier Fernandez.[115][116]

On April 26, the Japan Skating Federation announced that Hanyu would take two months off the ice to heal from injury. He had been dealing with pain in his left foot since the beginning of the season, which worsened in January. The pain was the reason why Hanyu elected to do a Salchow instead of a toe loop as his third quadruple jump in his free skate at Worlds. Hanyu was diagnosed with Lisfranc ligament damage in his left foot.[117][118]

Hanyu and fellow Japanese figure skater Shoma Uno at the 2017 World Championships

For the 2016–17 Grand Prix, Hanyu's assignments were the Skate Canada International and the NHK Trophy. His short program music was "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince and the free skate music consisted of "Asian Dream Song" and "View of Silence" by Joe Hisaishi, while Hanyu titled the program "Hope and Legacy". Hanyu competed at the Autumn Classic International, where he won the gold medal and became the first skater in history to successfully land a quadruple loop in a competition.[119][120]

At the 2016 Skate Canada International, Hanyu placed fourth in the short program, after landing his first jump on one knee, nearly putting his hand on the ice on the second, and electing not to perform a planned jump combination.[121] In the free skate, he pulled up to first with a score of 183.41. Overall he finished second behind Patrick Chan, and ahead of Kevin Reynolds. At the NHK Trophy, Hanyu scored 103.89 in the short program and led this segment of the competition by almost 16 points over Nathan Chen. In his free skate, Hanyu landed three quadruple jumps: a loop, a Salchow, and a toe loop, but made mistakes on two other jumping passes. He received a total score of 301.47 and won the gold medal.[122]

At the 2016–17 Grand Prix Final in Marseille, Hanyu placed first in the short program with 106.53 points after a solid showing. During the free skate, Hanyu had a strong start with clean jumps in the first half of the program but made mistakes on three jumping passes in the latter half. He came in third in that segment but was helped by his score advantage from the short program finished first overall. He became the first men's singles skater to win four consecutive Grand Prix Finals.[123]

After contracting the flu, Hanyu withdrew from the Japanese National Championships.[124] Despite this, he was selected to compete at the 2017 Four Continents Championships and 2017 World Championships. At the 2017 Four Continents Championships, Hanyu placed third in the short program with a score of 97.04 points, due to a mistake in his combination.[125] During the free skate despite a strong start, he again made an error in what was supposed to be a quadruple-triple combination. Hanyu then improvised his layout for the second half of the program, successfully changing three of his jumping passes into more difficult elements to maximize his score after the mistake. He placed first in the free skate with a score of 206.67 but overall finished second behind Nathan Chen by about four points.[126]

At the 2017 World Championships, Hanyu was fifth after the short program after invalidating the second part of his combination and receiving a time deduction. In the free skate, Hanyu landed all of his jumps cleanly with high grades of execution, including four quadruple jumps and two triple Axels, as well as executing level four footwork and spins. He scored 223.20 in the free skate which set both a new world record and a personal best, finishing the competition with 321.59 points and winning his second World title.[127][128]

At the 2017 World Team Trophy, Hanyu came in seventh place after a mistake-laden short program which left out a planned combination.[129] In the free skate, Hanyu placed first after receiving 200.49 points for a program that featured four quadruple jumps, three of which with positive grades of execution, while also becoming the first skater to complete three quadruple jumps in the second half of a free skate program. However, he turned two other jumps into a single.[129][130] Overall he added 18 points to the team score and took gold with Team Japan.[131]

For the 2017–18 season, Hanyu returned to Ballade No. 1 (Chopin) for his short program, the same music he used two seasons ago for his world record-breaking short program. He also decided to repeat his free skating to the soundtrack from the film Onmyōji, with an upgraded layout compared to the one he performed in the 2015–16 season.[132] At his first competition of the season, Skate Canada Autumn Classic International, Hanyu broke the world record he set previously at the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final with 112.72 points. However, his performance placed 5th in the free skate and won the silver medal overall behind Javier Fernández.[133]

At the 2017 Rostelecom Cup, Hanyu was second after the short program.[134][135] In the free skate, he landed his first quadruple Lutz in competition and received +1.14 Grade of Execution (GOE) for the jump. He finished second overall behind Nathan Chen by about three points. Hanyu injured a lateral ligament in his right ankle while practicing the quadruple Lutz on November 9, 2017, and withdrew from the 2017 NHK Trophy, which automatically prevented him from competing for his fifth consecutive Grand Prix Final title.[136][137][138] Due to his recovery taking longer than expected, Hanyu also withdrew from the 2017 Japanese Championships. Despite missing the event serving as an Olympic qualifier for Japanese skaters, Hanyu was assigned to represent Japan at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the 2018 World Figure Skating Championships in Milan, Italy,[139][140] given his top world standing as well as his position as the reigning world champion and the defending Olympic champion.[141]

Hanyu did not participate in the team event at the Olympics to buy more practice time at his training base in Toronto in preparation for the individual event.[142] At a press conference held by Hanyu after one of his official practices on February 13, he revealed he was off the ice until January[143] and started executing triple jumps just three weeks, and quadruple jumps just two weeks before the competition,[144] and that he still had not decided which technical elements he would use for the event.[145]

Hanyu (center) with Shoma Uno (left) and Javier Fernández (right) at the 2018 Winter Olympics podium

On February 16, Hanyu performed a flawless short program, for which he scored 111.68 points, putting him first in that segment of the competition.[146] In the free skate, he scored 206.17 points with a solid program. He earned 317.85 points overall, winning his second consecutive Olympic gold medal, a feat that had not been achieved since Dick Button's back-to-back titles in 1948 and 1952.[147] On March 7, 2018, the Japan Skating Federation announced that Hanyu had decided to withdraw from the upcoming World Championships in Milan, Italy, to allow his injured foot to recover. After a medical examination following his Olympic win, it was revealed that the damaged ligaments in his right ankle and other unspecified injuries required at least two weeks of rest and three months of rehabilitation to heal.[148]

In April, Hanyu performed a medley of his various old programs in his first self-produced show Continues with Wings at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo, Japan, skipping jumps due to his injury.[149][150] On June 1, 2018, it was announced that Hanyu would receive the People's Honour Award, a prestigious government commendation bestowed by the Prime Minister of Japan. Hanyu is the youngest among the 27 recipients since the award's creation in 1977 and the first figure skater to be given the honor.[15]

In August 2018, Hanyu announced that his upcoming short program would be set to "Otoñal" by Raúl di Blasio and choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle. His free skate, titled "Origin" by Hanyu, would be performed to "Art on Ice" and "Magic Stradivarius" by Edvin Marton and choreographed by Shae-Lynn Bourne. The former paid tribute to Johnny Weir's 2004–05 free skate program and the latter is a homage to Evgeni Plushenko's "Tribute to Nijinsky" program, which was his free skate in the 2003–04 season. On choosing music used previously by his skating idols, Hanyu remarked "I am satisfied that as a result (of my Olympic success) I have been released from the pressure that I have to produce results. I think and feel, that I can skate for myself from now on. I want to go back to my skating origins".[151]

Hanyu at the 2018 Rostelecom Cup victory ceremony

For the 2018–19 Grand Prix series, Hanyu was assigned to the Grand Prix of Helsinki and Rostelecom Cup.[152]

Hanyu started the season by competing at Skate Canada Autumn Classic International. He received 97.74 points for his short program after one of his spins was invalidated.[153] In the free skate, Hanyu received 165.91 points due to several mistakes on his jumps, which placed him second behind training mate Junhwan Cha. He finished first overall with a score of 263.65 thanks to his lead after the short program.[154]

At his first Grand Prix event, the Grand Prix of Helsinki, Hanyu placed first in the short program with 106.69 points, a world record score under the newly introduced +5/-5 GOE system.[155] In the free skate, he performed four quadruple jumps, including the never-before-attempted quadruple toe loop-triple Axel sequence. Despite underrotating two of his jumps, Hanyu scored 190.43 points for a total of 297.12 points, setting two more world records in the process and winning the gold medal by a margin of nearly 40 points.[156][157]

At the 2018 Rostelecom Cup, Hanyu placed first in the short program with 110.53 points, a new world record. On the following day, he re-injured his right ankle in practice after falling on a quad loop jump. He considered withdrawing from the event but opted to compete, aided by painkillers, and changed his program layout to not exacerbate the injury. He placed first in the free skate and overall with a score of 278.42. This marked the first time Hanyu won gold at both of his Grand Prix assignments.[158] Subsequently, he stated: "I thought about withdrawing because of the injury, but it is my choice. I really wanted to skate this program in Russia."[159] He received his medal at the victory ceremony while using crutches. Japan Skating Association head of development Yoshiko Kobayashi reported recommending three weeks of rest for Hanyu's ankle to recover.[160]

On November 29, 2018, the Japanese Skating Federation announced that Hanyu would withdraw from the Grand Prix Final due to injuries to ligaments and tendons in his right leg, for which he required around one month of rehabilitation.[161][162] His withdrawal from the Japan Figure Skating Championships was announced two weeks later.[163]

Despite missing nationals, Hanyu was assigned to represent Japan at the 2019 World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan, based on his record from previous seasons.[164] Ahead of the competition, he stated that his injured ankle hadn't yet fully recovered, but insisted that he was "100% ready" for the competition.[165] He came in third after the short program with a score of 94.87 due to invalidating one of his elements.[166] He placed second in the free skate with a score of 206.10 after delivering a nearly clean program, which placed him second overall. Both his free skate score and his total score of 300.97 were world records but were quickly surpassed by Nathan Chen, who ended up taking gold in the event.[167] After the event, he stated he was "regretful" about his performance, but assured the result motivated him to continue skating and improve in the next season.[168] Similar to his preparations for the Olympics, he relied on painkillers before and during the event to make jumping possible. The expected timing of his recovery was uncertain.[169] Subsequently, the Japanese federation announced he would not be participating in the season's final event, the World Team Trophy, due to his injury.[170]

Hanyu opted to retain both of his programs for the new season.[171] Competing at the 2019 CS Autumn Classic International, Hanyu placed first in both programs to claim the gold medal, despite a fall on his quad Salchow in the short program and a few turnouts on landings in the free skate. Coach Orser praised Hanyu, saying "I have never seen him at this time of the year to be so focused."[172]

Commencing the Grand Prix, Hanyu went to his fourth Skate Canada International, having won the silver medal there on his three previous outings. Hanyu placed first in the short program with a clean skate, twenty points ahead of American Camden Pulkinen. Assessing his performance, Hanyu said it "was not so great, but I felt I did my best today."[173] In the free skate, Hanyu turned out of his opening quad loop, but otherwise landed all jumps cleanly, setting a new personal best and winning the event by almost sixty points.[174] His 59.82-point margin over silver medalist Nam Nguyen was the widest in the history of the ISU Grand Prix series.[175] He won his second Grand Prix, the 2019 NHK Trophy, by a similar margin.[176][177]

Hanyu went into the Grand Prix Final in Torino as co-favorite for the title alongside Nathan Chen. Hanyu's coach Ghislain Briand was delayed in traveling to the event, resulting in him having no coach present for the competition's first segment. In the short program, Hanyu stepped out of his quad toe loop without executing a combination, and as a result, placed almost thirteen points behind Chen.[178] In the free skate, Hanyu landed five quad jumps in one program for the first time in his career, including his first quad Lutz since his Olympic season injury, but popped an intended triple Axel-triple Axel sequence. He finished second behind Chen in that segment as well, taking the silver medal overall.[179]

Competing at his first Japanese championships since the 2016–17 season, Hanyu placed first in the short program, 5.01 points ahead of Shoma Uno.[180] Several jump errors in the free skate saw him place third in that segment, behind Uno and Yuma Kagiyama, and win the silver medal overall. It was Hanyu's first loss to Uno.[181]

Hanyu (center) with Jason Brown (left) and Yuma Kagiyama (right) at the victory ceremony of 2020 Four Continents Championships

Heading into the Four Continents Championships in Seoul, Hanyu opted to return to his Ballade No. 1 (Chopin) program and his "Seimei" program from prior seasons.[182] Referencing the 2018 Winter Olympics which were held in Pyeongchang, Hanyu noted that while he wanted to win a gold medal once again in South Korea, he wanted to showcase and focus on his own style of figure skating even more. In the short program, Hanyu broke his previous world record with 111.82 points.[183] Hanyu called it "the most perfect performance I've ever done."[184] Despite errors on two of his quad attempts in the free skate, he won that segment as well, taking the gold medal overall with 299.42 points.[185] Hanyu's victory on February 9, made him the first and only male singles skater to win all of the major ISU championship events at the junior and senior levels, a feat known as the Super Slam, previously only achieved by five other competitors in the other three skating disciplines.[186] He was assigned to compete at the World Championships in Montreal, but these were canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.[187]

At the ISU Skating Awards in 2020, Hanyu was nominated for Best Costume and Most Valuable Skater for the 2019–2020 season, and proceeded to win the latter.[188]

On August 28, Hanyu announced that he would skip the Grand Prix series, citing the risk of COVID-19 for himself, the competition staff, and for his fans who would gather to support him.[189] Despite feeling "conflicted" over whether he should have competed or not as COVID-19 continued and practicing without his coaching team, Hanyu decided to compete in Japanese championships, which doubled as the final qualifier for the upcoming World Championships in Stockholm.[190][191] He placed first in the short program (103.53 points) and the free skate (215.83 points) with all positive grades of execution on jumping passes and won his fifth national figure skating title with a total score of 319.36 points.[192][193]

The 2021 World Championships were to be the first direct competition between Hanyu and Nathan Chen since the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final.[194] Hanyu placed first in the short program with a solid performance, 6.02 points ahead of compatriot Yuma Kagiyama.[195] In the free skate, Hanyu opened with three consecutive quadruple jumps but touched the ice on two of them. Scoring 182.20 points, he placed fourth in the free skate and third overall, behind Chen and Kagiyama.[196] It was the first competition Hanyu had placed below second since 2014. On the following day, Hanyu confirmed the report of his asthma attack by overseas media. He stated that he felt a little painful after finishing the free skate, and explained: "There were few small troubles that kept stacking up ... However, if asked whether that was what led to the huge mistake (in the free skate), I don't think it was as big of a miss as it was in terms of the miss in the score."[197] Hanyu's placement combined with Kagiyama's qualified three berths for Japanese men at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[198] Hanyu competed as part of Team Japan for the 2021 World Team Trophy. He placed second in both the short program and the free skate, only behind Nathan Chen. He achieved a personal season's best score in both the short program and the free skate with 107.12 and 193.76 points respectively and earned a total of 22 points to help his team take home the bronze medal.[199][200][201]

Hanyu confirmed his plans to compete in the 2021–22 Olympic season, and was scheduled to compete at the 2021 NHK Trophy and 2021 Rostelecom Cup in November for the 2021–22 Grand Prix series.[202] On November 4, 2021, the Japan Skating Federation announced Hanyu's withdrawal from the NHK Trophy due to an injury in his right ankle ligament during a fall in practice.[203] The JSF subsequently announced his withdrawal from the Rostelecom Cup prior to the event, but said that he would remain in consideration for the Olympic team.[204][205]

Hanyu made his season debut at the 2021–22 Japan Figure Skating Championships, placing first in both the short program and free skate, winning his sixth Japanese National title, tying Takeshi Honda's record of most national titles in the last 50 years. He also attempted a quadruple Axel for the first time during the free skate, although it was downgraded to a triple Axel with a two-footed landing.[206] Hanyu was assigned to represent Japan at the 2022 Winter Olympics and the 2022 World Championships.[206][207]

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Hanyu missed his opening quadruple Salchow jump in the short program due to a hole in the ice and placed eighth with 95.15 points, qualifying him for the free skate. The score was his lowest in the segment since the 2019 World Championships.[208] In the free skate, he fell twice in his first two opening jumps, a quadruple Axel and a quad Salchow.[209] His quad Axel attempt is the first that was not downgraded to triple Axel.[210] Other than these two mistakes, he delivered a clean skate, placing third in the free skate and fourth place overall with a total score of 283.21 points, behind fellow Japanese compatriot and bronze medalist Shoma Uno.[209] Following his free skate, Hanyu confirmed in a press conference that he had re-injured his right ankle in practice the day before the free skate, but since it was the Olympics and not a normal competition, he chose to compete on painkillers instead of withdrawing.[211] On March 1, 2022, the Japan Skating Federation announced Hanyu's withdrawal from the 2022 World Championships due to the unhealed injury.[212]

Hanyu in an interview during 2012 NHK Trophy

Hanyu has appeared in many commercials and advertising campaigns over the years. In 2013, Hanyu, alongside fellow Japanese figure skater Daisuke Takahashi, became the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics campaign ambassador for P&G's global "Proud Sponsor of Moms" campaign.[272] He also signed an affiliation contract with All Nippon Airways and from February 8 to 23, 2014, Hanyu endorsed their new line of flight attendant outfits, which were designed by Prabal Gurung and appeared in a TV commercial for their 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics "Hello Blue Hello Future" campaign.[273][274][275] In September 2014, Hanyu starred in a TV commercial for Capcom's new video game Monster Hunter 4G.[276] and endorsed Lotte's Ghana milk chocolate with Mao Asada, singer Airi Matsui, and actresses Suzu Hirose and Tao Tsuchiya, in following years he also endorsed Lotte's Xylitol Whites and GUM FOR THE GAME.[277][278][279][280]

Hanyu has also worked with other brands such as Ajinomoto endorsing their sport nutritional products Amino Vital and nutritional meals along with other athletes like Uta Abe,[281] bath salts Bathclin Kikiyu,[282] bedding products Nishikawa Sangyo co.,[283] and Phiten for their line of Rakuwa nylon-coated necklace models including Hanyu's inspired necklace 'Wings Gold'.[284][285][286][287] In 2019, Hanyu became the ambassador for Citizen in China, Hong Kong, and Macau,[288] as well as the global ambassador of the Sekkisei series by Kosé.[289] He was later appointed as the global "muse" of the Sekkisei Miyabi brand in 2020.[290] In October 2021, Hanyu was chosen as a face of Towa Pharmaceutical co. appearing in a TV commercial with veteran actress Tetsuko Kuroyanagi[291][292] and endorsed ANA's new teleportation services "avatarin".[293]

In 2013 and 2021, Hanyu was appointed as the model for Miyagi Prefecture Police's traffic safety poster aiming to encourage compliance with traffic rules and spread awareness of safe driving. According to an official in March 2021, Hanyu was chosen because "he embodies sportsmanship".[294]

In June 2021, Hanyu was appointed as the ambassador of the world's first official Paralympics game The Pegasus Dream Tour, making his video game debut with his avatar appearing in the game. According to the representative of the game's developer company, Hanyu was chosen because "he is an athlete as well as a person who has artistry in his way of life".[295][296]

Since April 2014, Hanyu has been acting as the tourism ambassador of Sendai and featured in the city's tourism posters as well as tourist guidebooks.[297][298][299]

Since the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, Hanyu has been an advocate for and supporter of various campaigns to help earthquake victims, as he was also directly affected by the disaster, stating: "When the earthquake hit, I was on the ice at my home rink in Sendai".[20] Shortly after the disaster, he and other skaters skated in ice shows to raise money for the victims, raising a total of more than $150,000. He also sold his personal belongings at the show, fundraising an additional ¥2,954,323 ($35,387).[20]

Hanyu donated his 2014 Olympic gold medal 6 million yen ($55,000) prize money as well as his 2018 Olympic gold medal 10 million yen ($92,000) prize money received from the Japan Skating Federation and Japanese Olympic Committee to Sendai and Miyagi Prefecture to help the disaster areas reconstruction.[300][301] He also has been helping his original home rink Ice Rink Sendai, rendered unusable after the disaster, by donating all the royalties and part of the proceeds of his autobiographies Blue Flames and Blue Flames II which were released in 2012 and 2016 respectively.[26]. It was revealed, in 2021, that a total of ¥31,442,143 ($286,000) had been donated to the rink.[302][303]

In September 2014, Hanyu was appointed as the Tsunami Disaster Prevention Ambassador for one year participating in activities to spread tsunami disaster prevention public awareness.[304] In February 2015, Hanyu became the spokesman for reconstruction efforts led by the Japanese Red Cross Society.[305] He also lent his image as the spokesman for the Red Cross' "Hatachi no Kenketsu" donation campaign where he starred in the promotional video with patients.[306] In March 2019, he donated a pair of figure skates to an online charity auction which raised 7.12 million yen ($64,000) for the disaster area reconstruction.[307] He also collaborated with Line Corporation supervising the creation of "Yuzuru Hanyu 3.11 Smile Stamp" which went on sale with all revenues donated to the Nippon Foundation's "Special Fund for Disaster Reconstruction" to support acts for reconstruction and future disaster preparation.[308][309] On August 21, 2019, a poster of Hanyu with the protagonist of the anime Yowamushi Pedal was released to promote Tour de Tohoku, an annual charity cycling event held to support the cause. He appeared in five of the nine posters being released.[310] In 2021, marking the 10th anniversary of Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Hanyu organized the "Together, Forward" exhibition that traces his footsteps during that difficult period, revisiting the affected people and places. The exhibition is held in multiple Japanese cities in an effort to remind everyone of the importance of disaster prevention and preparation.[311]

Hanyu also regularly participates in Nippon TV's annual charity program 24-Hour Television since 2014, holding special ice-shows and visiting victims in disaster areas. In 2014, he held a one-night ice show to bring in donations.[312] In 2015, he and Hey! Say! JUMP member Yuri Chinen designed "Chari-T-shirts" for the program under the slogan "To connect: a smile beyond time". The shirts were to be sold with the profits given to charity.[313] He also visited earthquake-affected areas in Fukushima and Ishinomaki, interviewing the victims as part of the program segment.[314][315]

On December 31, 2015, Hanyu served as a judge on Japan's popular New Year's Eve music show Kōhaku Uta Gassen.[113] He made his on-screen debut as Date Shigemura, a samurai lord, in the 2016 movie, The Magnificent Nine.[316][317]

Hanyu's first DVD/Blu-ray album Time of Awakening, which compiled his career before the 2014 Winter Olympics, was released on May 21, 2014, selling 21,000 copies.[318][319] It was the first DVD from an athlete to top Oricon's DVD ranking since its establishment in 1999. The album also peaked at number 3 on the chart's Blu-ray ranking.[320] On December 18, 2015, NHK Enterprises released the DVD of The Flowers Bloom on Ice, featuring behind-the-scenes and interviews with Shizuka Arakawa and Yuzuru Hanyu as they skate at the ice show together to support reconstruction after the 2011 Japan earthquake.[321]

In 2018, Hanyu's first self-produced show Continues with Wings was live broadcast on TV Asahi CS and live-streamed at 66 movie theaters throughout Japan.[322][323] He is also one of the lead cast members besides Stéphane Lambiel and Johnny Weir at the annual touring ice show Fantasy on Ice, having participated in all editions of the tour since its revival in 2010 with one exception, having missed the shows in 2016 due to rehabilitation from a ligament injury.[268][324]^: 61

Print media with Hanyu on the cover at the Junkudo bookshop in Ikebukuro, Tokyo

In addition to his autobiographies Blue Flames and Blue Flames II, Hanyu also released some photobooks. His first photo book, Yuzuru, was released on October 4, 2014, selling over 23,000 copies. It ranked first in Oricon's weekly charts for photos and sport-related categories, as well as second in the chart's general books category.[325] On September 25, 2015, Yuzuru Hanyu Goroku was released containing pictures and quotes by the skater. In September 2015, the book topped Amazon's reservation sales rankings.[326][327]

Hanyu has graced covers of numerous Japanese sports magazines as well as well-known magazines, such as An An and Aera.[328][329]

Hanyu (center) with Shoma Uno (left) and Jin Boyang (right) at the 2017 World Championships podium

Hanyu (center) with Tatsuki Machida (left) and Javier Fernández (right) at the 2014 World Championships podium

• ^team – Team event
• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
• CS – ISU Challenger event
• C – Event cancelled
• WD – Withdrew from event
• TBD – Assigned, result yet to be decided
• Medals at team events are awarded for the team result only. The individual placement at the World Team Trophy is listed in brackets.

Hanyu (center) with Song Nan (left) and Artur Gachinski (right) at the 2010 World Junior Championships podium

• JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
• A – Event at novice level A
• B – Event at novice level B