Tokyo, 27 December, /AJMEDIA/
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu slightly under-rotated his coveted quadruple axel but was otherwise flawless in Sunday’s free skate as he successfully defended his men’s singles crown at the Japanese national championships.
Hanyu, aiming to be the first skater to land the jump in competition, nailed three other quad jumps in a spellbinding performance that secured his place at February’s Beijing Winter Olympics, where he will again be a gold-medal favorite.
Leading by 9.43 points after his outstanding short program on Friday, the 27-year-old megastar scored 211.05 for his free skate to total 322.36 at the final Japanese qualifying event for the Winter Games.
Pyeongchang Olympic silver medalist Shoma Uno was second with a personal-best 295.82, while 18-year-old former junior national champion Yuma Kagiyama totaled 292.41, also a career-best, to round out the podium at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.
“I’m honestly relieved,” said Hanyu, who was overcome with emotion as he took the ice in preparation for his free skate.
“I felt as though I was about to cry even before the six-minute warm-up.”
