Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese figure skater and ice show producer who competed in the men's singles discipline from 2004 to 2022 and turned professional on July19, 2022. At junior and senior level (2008âÂÂ2022), he won a total of 59medals in 72competitions, among them 37golds. He is the first male single skater in 66years since American Dick Button to win back-to-back Olympic titles (2014, 2018), and also the youngest and first Olympic champion from Asia in that discipline. He is a two-time World champion (2014, 2017), a six-time Japanese national champion (2012âÂÂ2015, 2020âÂÂ2021), and the first single skater to win four consecutive Grand Prix Finals (2014âÂÂ2017). With his win at the 2020Four Continents Championships, he became the first male single skater to complete the Super Slam, having won all major international junior and senior titles in the course of his career. He is also the only male single skater besides German Jan Hoffmann to win seven world championship medals in the post-war era since 1946.
Hanyu broke world records 19times, the most in singles since the introduction of the ISU Judging System in 2003. He was the first skater to score over 100points in the short program, 200 in the free skating, and 300 in the combined total score, and holds the historical world record in all three competition segments in men's singles. He was awarded a total of 30perfect scores for technical elements and program components, 10 of them for his signature triple Axel jump, and was the first skater to land a quadruple loop jump in international competition. As a professional, Hanyu became the first skater to produce and present a solo ice show (Prologue 2022) and a solo ice show tour (Repray Tour 2023âÂÂ24). His second solo show Gift (2023) set a new audience record for ice shows with 35,000 spectators at Tokyo Dome.
In recognition of his achievements, Hanyu has received numerous awards and accolades, including the People's Honor Award (2018), bestowed by the Prime Minister of Japan, Japan's Medal of Honor with purple ribbon (2014, 2018), and the Kikuchi Kan Prize (2022). He was the first figure skater to be nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award, selected in the category Comeback of the Year (2019), and was named the Most Valuable Skater at the inaugural ISU Skating Awards (2020). He was also featured in prestigious lists, such as Forbes 30Under30 Asia (2018), and made it to ESPN's top10 selection of the greatest Olympians of the 21st century in 2024.
Yuzuru Hanyu has scored 19 world records in international competition, the most among single skaters since the introduction of the ISU Judging System in 2003. He set new highest scores seven times in the +5/-5Grade of Execution System, three in the short program, two in the free skating, and another two in the combined total score. At the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki, he scored records in all three competition segments at one event. Before the 2018âÂÂ19 season, he set twelve highest historical scores, seven in the short program, three in the free skating, and two in the combined total score, holding the historical records in all three competition segments. At the 2015 NHK Trophy and the 2015âÂÂ16 Grand Prix Final, he set new highest scores in all segments at back-to-back events.
Kozuki Sports Awards
Public Relations Society of Japan (PRSJ)
Media
The Career Super Grand Slam or Super Slam is an achievement of winning all major international figure skating events in a discipline at junior and senior level, namely the Winter Olympics, the senior and junior World Championships, the Four Continents or European Championships as well as the senior and junior Grand Prix Final at any point in the course of a career. With his win at the 2020 Four Continents Championships, Hanyu became the first skater in men's singles to complete the Super Slam.
In the course of his junior and senior career from 2008 to 2022, Hanyu has medalled 59 times in 72 events, winning 37 golds. In 25 Super Slam events, he won 11 golds and finished on the podium 21 times overall. He also medalled at seven different senior Grand Prix events (the Final not included), and won gold at four of them.
Hanyu medalled in all 14 figure skating seasons of his junior and senior career and won at least one gold in each season with exception of his senior debut in 2010âÂÂ11. His most successful season by medals was the 2013âÂÂ14 season, having won his first Winter Olympics, World Championships, Grand Prix Final, and seven medals in total. He also medalled seven times in the 2016âÂÂ17 season, including his second World and fourth Grand Prix Final title.
By the end of his competitive career on July19, 2022, Hanyu was the record holder for the program component score (PCS) in the men's short program and set all historical records in the +3/-3GOE System except the technical element score (TES) in the free skating, which was scored by Nathan Chen in 2018. Hanyu achieved three of the seven historical records at the 2015âÂÂ16 Grand Prix Final, namely the combined total score and the program component scores in both competition segments.
Only records at main international senior events are listed, namely the Winter Olympics (individual event), World Championships, Four Continents, and the Grand Prix Final. By the end of his competitive career, Hanyu held the event record score for the men's short program and combined total at the Four Continents Championships. He also set nine of the twelve historical records at main international events, among them the records in all three competition segments at the World Championships and the Grand Prix Final. Hanyu's Olympic programs Ballade No.1 and Seimei contributed to eight of the eleven event records in men's singles.
In figure skating, a technical element is awarded a perfect score if it is credited with the full base value by the technical panel and the maximum grade of execution after dropping the highest and lowest mark across the judging panel (+3marks before and +5marks since the 2018âÂÂ19 season). In the +5/-5GOE System, Hanyu received one perfect score for a technical element in international competition, namely his triple Axel jump in the short program at the 2019 Skate Canada International. Before the system change, he was awarded a total of 28 maximum scores, covering all types of required technical elements in the senior men's singles discipline: three types of solo jumps, two different jump combinations, a spin, the step sequence, and the choreographic sequence.
Seven of the 29 technical elements received unanimous +3marks from all judges on the panel: four triple Axels, a quadruple Salchow, a choreographic sequence, and his step sequence in the short program at the 2016 World Championships. However, that element did not earn a maximum score because it was not credited with the full base value. Hanyu's solo triple Axel jump received a perfect score ten times, the most among all elements. The Axels were all executed in the short program, six of them in the second half.
Hanyu's most successful season by maximum scores was the 2015âÂÂ16 season. He was awarded a perfect score for twelve technical elements and maximum grades of execution for another three step sequences that were not credited with the full base value due to level downgrades. Before the 2014âÂÂ15 season, Hanyu did not receive any maximum scores for single technical elements in international competition.
A program component is awarded a maximum score if it receives marks of 10.00 from all judges after dropping the highest and lowest mark across the panel. The five components until the 2022âÂÂ23 season were skating skills (SS), transitions (TR), performance (PE), composition (CO), and interpretation (IN). At the 2015âÂÂ16 Grand Prix Final, Hanyu was awarded a perfect 10.00 in his short program for the performance component.
A Japanese national record score is the highest score achieved by a Japanese skater in a competition segment at an international event sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). Highest scores achieved at domestic skating events like the Japan Championships do not count for national records, but they are recorded by the Japan Skating Federation and reported various news outlets.
By the end of his competitive career, Hanyu held the current and historical Japanese national record scores in all three segments of the senior men's singles discipline. Two of them were achieved at the 2019 Skate Canada International, namely the national records for the free skating and combined total score in the +5/-5GOE System. By the end of his career, Hanyu also held all six event records at the Japan Championships, of which five were scored at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama.
Hanyu received a total of 11 maximum scores for technical elements at the Japan Championships. In the +5/-5GOE System, he earned perfect scores for a spin, two step sequences, and a choreographic sequence. In addition, he received a perfect score of 10.00 in the interpretation component for his short program at the 2021âÂÂ22 Japan Championships. In the +3/-3GOE System, he was rewarded seven maximum scores for six solo jumps and a jump combination.
Absolute best scores are officially recorded by the International Skating Union and, compared to personal bests, they consider multiple scores by one skater in each competition segment. In the men's singles discipline, the crucial scores to surpass are 100points in the short program, 200 in the free skating, and 300 in the combined total score. Hanyu was the first skater to surpass all three in international competition. By the end of his competitive career in 2022, only five other skaters have scored above 300points in total, namely Javier Fernández, Nathan Chen, Jin Boyang, Shoma Uno, and Yuma Kagiyama.
Hanyu scored ten times above 300points in the combined total and was the first skater to surpass 310, 320, and 330points in international competition. In the short program, he scored fifteen times above 100points and was the first to surpass 110points, being the only one to do so in the +3/-3GOE System. His short program Ballade No.1 was awarded more than 110points five times, the most times among all short programs. In the free skating, Hanyu scored eight times above 200points and was the first to surpass 210 and 220points. His free skate program Seimei was the first to be awarded more than 200points, surpassing that score trice.
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