Winter Olympics 2022 - Yuzuru Hanyu promises historic quadruple axel ahead of bid to retain figure skating title
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Published 04/02/2022 at 09:35 GMT
The defending champion, who is yet to be seen in Beijing at practice, has called on fans to support him and says he will attempt to land the first clean quadruple axel in competition when he takes on Nathan Chen for gold. On social media, Hanyu said “I know I'll definitely need everyone's power, so please cheer me on." Watch every moment of the Games on discovery+.
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Figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu has promised to deliver the first ever clean quadruple axel in competition when he defends his Winter Olympic title in Beijing.
The 27-year-old, considered by many to be the greatest skater of all time, is yet to be seen at the Games venue, prompting social media posts asking “HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?” from his adoring fans, nicknamed ‘Fanyus’.
Hanyu has had the aim of pulling off the quadruple axel since he was a child, and has said in the past that training to achieve it has taken its toll on his body over the years. But he almost landed it cleanly at the Japanese national championships recently and he wants to complete it at the Olympics.
The move is so difficult - involving four and a half turns in mid-air - that no-one has ever been able to land it cleanly when it has really mattered. If he can pull it off, the score would likely obliterate the challenge from long-time rival and triple world champion Nathan Chen of the USA.
"At the Beijing Olympics, I am of course definitely planning to go for the win, including the 4A," Hanyu said on the Japan Skating Federation’s social media pages, wearing his country’s Olympic kit.
"For that, I know I'll definitely need everyone's power, so please cheer me on."
It is not clear when Hanyu will train for the first time in Beijing, or whether he will compete in the team free skate on Sunday, ahead of the individual competition starting on Tuesday. In his absence from the team short programme, Chen came close to breaking the Japanese athlete's world record to put the US on top of the standings after day one.
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Watch every moment of Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on discovery+.
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