Hanyu Yuzuru Becomes First to Complete a 'Super Slam' in Figure Skating
Hanyu Yuzuru, the Japanese double-Olympic champion, won his first gold medal in ISU Four Continents on February 9, 2020. With this gold medal, Hanyu Yuzuru became the first male single figure skater to ever complete a ‘Super Slam’ of major competitions: the World Junior Figure Skating, ISU Junior Grand Prix, the Olympics, World Figure Skating, ISU Grand Prix, and ISU Four Continents.
On top of getting the first place in ISU Four Continents, Hanyu Yuzuru’s short program also broke the world record. Performing Frederic Chopin's "Ballade No. 1 in G Minor," he broke his own record of 110.53 points at the Rostelecom Cup with a score of 111.82. After his perfect performance, Hanyu Yuzuru's fans showered the skating rink with Winnie-the-Pooh, his favorite, to cheer for him and his great performance.
Hanyu Yuzuru 🇯🇵 brings back his Olympic-winning short program at Four Continents shortly. ⛸️
Warm-up by reliving #PyeongChang2018 🙌#4ContsFigure #FigureSkating pic.twitter.com/ly3b4iPhtZ— Olympic Channel (@olympicchannel) February 7, 2020
As for his free skate, he once again performed to his Olympic medal-winning song, “Seimei.” Although there were some minor mistakes in his jumping elements, those still did not stop him from getting the highest score for the free program among all contestants.
He did admit to reporters that there were some problems with the ice before he competed and was disappointed with his mistakes. “I will be able to prepare for the World Championships by analyzing today’s mistakes," he said. "I would like to improve my skating more so I don't make the same mistakes in other competitions.”
Hanyu Yuzuru won the competition with a total score of 299.42 points, surpassing second-place, claimed by American free skater Jason Brown, by more than 20 points.
But Hanyu Yuzuru can’t let his guard down yet. In this month’s World Championships in Montreal, he will once again compete against one of his strongest opponent, the two-time champion Nathan Chen. He will have to analyze his mistakes and train hard like he told reporters to be completely ready for the next competition.
Figure skating fans all over the world are eagerly awaiting the coming up competition. The World Championships will begin on March 16.
