“I’ve never been in this spot before”, he said Friday.
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Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu wound up winning the Olympic gold for the second straight time.
Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu was showered with Winnie the Pooh toys following his victory in the men’s singles on Saturday. The music started. Hanyu’s two quads, the Salchow and the toe loop in combination with a triple toe loop, were effortless and clean.
There was the Yuzuru Hanyu, the comeback kid. Spain’s Javier Fernandez was just behind in third.
On 11 March, 2011, the day the quake hit, Hanyu was practising at a skating rink in his hometown of Sendai, one of the cities worst impacted in the powerful tremor.
“My tears were from my heart – I can find one word and that is happy”. “I knew it was going to be my last one (Olympics) so it’s true that I was a little bit more nervous than yesterday”.
American Nathan Chen, who came into Saturday in 17th place after a disastrous short program, nearly made a run at the podium.
The 18-year-old Chen, a two-time USA champion, succumbed to the pressure and massive expectations in Friday’s short program. There was Adam Rippon, Mr. Congeniality.
On a night featuring more quad spins than ever at an Olympic final, Hanyu became the first men’s skater since 1952 to win back-to-back titles. I saw him before my warmup, and I gave him a huge hug and said: “‘I am so proud of you.’ The weight of the world was on him”. “But I am here. I think that really added a lot of pressure to me”.
Maggie Voisin of the United States competes during the Freestyle Skiing Ladies’ Ski Slopestyle final on day eight of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Phoenix Snow Park.
There was no miracle for the US men’s hockey team, as it fell to the Olympic Athletes of Russian Federation on Saturday and will have a much tougher road to win a medal.
Performing to the soundtrack “Seimei”, Hanyu twice saved jumps without setting a hand on the ice.
Thousands of miniature Japanese flags featuring the rising sun waved in the stands to greet Hanyu when he got onto the ice.
Ski jumper Yukio Kasaya was the first Japanese to win a gold medal at the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan.
He also attributed the gold medal to Fernandez, a “friend and best competitor” as well. “It felt like a lot of my ups and downs, my hard work, all kind of culminated together in that kind of special Olympic moment”, said Rippon, who lay flat on his back soaking up applause at the conclusion of his routine.
Coach Brian Orser met Hanyu as he left the ice after his strong but slightly flawed performance. It wasn’t enough, ultimately, but Chen, who finished fifth, can leave Pyeongchang with his head held high. On Saturday, he singled out Fernandez.
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“My injuries were more severe than I thought, but I’ve been fortunate to make it to the Olympics, and that I’m able to smile now explains what I’m feeling”.
