Japanese determine skater Yuzuru Hanyu simply tried to make historical past on the Beijing Winter Olympics, trying to change into the primary skater to ever land a quadruple axel in competitors. Sadly, it simply wasn’t his day.
The 2-time and at present reigning Olympic ice skating champion, Hanyu had beforehand shared his plans to try a quad axel within the lead as much as the Beijing Video games. The quad axel is virtually the Holy Grail of ice skating, being the one quad bounce that had by no means been efficiently executed in competitors. As such, the ice skating group and fandom had been abuzz with pleasure for Hanyu’s already extremely anticipated free skate efficiency.
Extensively thought to be one of many best determine skaters of all time, Hanyu principally set a document for breaking world information, with 19 damaged as of 2021. He was additionally the primary skater to ever efficiently land a quadruple loop in competitors, executing the bounce on the CS Autumn Traditional in 2016.
Sadly, the quad axel nonetheless stays out of attain. Skating to “Ten to Chi to (Heaven and Earth)” by Isao Tomita, Hanyu did not execute the extraordinarily troublesome bounce in the course of the Males’s singles Free Skating remaining, as an alternative being half a rotation off and taking a fall. However in a healthful flip of occasions, Twitter was instantly flooded with messages of help and sympathy.
Hanyu’s complete Olympic run sadly acquired off to a shaky begin after the skater faltered throughout his quick program on Tuesday. With an sudden error on his first bounce turning his quadruple salchow right into a single, the 27-year-old ended the day in eighth place, making his probabilities of taking gold at this time slim.
Even so, Hanyu knew from the beginning that he seemingly would not win a 3rd Olympic gold. The favored skater had a troublesome season in 2021, compelled to withdraw from a number of competitions as a result of a ligament harm in his proper ankle, and initially hadn’t deliberate on competing at Beijing. As such, retaining his Olympic title was by no means his major aim.
“After all, I’m taking pictures for first place,” Hanyu stated after qualifying for the Olympics final December. “However I do know full properly that proper now, I don’t have sufficient to win it. Certain, I may drop the axel and have a look at different methods of attempting to win gold however the largest cause I’m going to Beijing is as a result of I wish to full the quadruple axel.”
He did not fairly make the bounce and sure will not take dwelling a medal, however Hanyu nonetheless has a safe place in ice skating followers’ hearts.