Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu is one of the most popular athletes right now. According to Japanese media, Hanyu has been paid more than 10 million yen per performance since he turned professional. It’s arguably the highest paid figure skater in Japan
Yuzuru Hanyu's achievements in sports
Yuzuru Hanyu was born on December 7, 1994. He is very talented in figure skating. In 2004, in his first national competition, he won the B division of the Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships. In 2009, he ranked first in both the JGP Torun Cup and Croatia, and made it to the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Junior Finals, where he won the championship. He won 11 world titles between 2010 and 2022.
1. OWG: Two gold MEDALS at the Winter Olympics (2014 and 2018), the only consecutive Olympic champion in 66 years, and the youngest world champion of men’s figure skating;
2. WC: With seven men’s singles MEDALS (two gold MEDALS, 2014 and 2017, three silver MEDALS and two bronze MEDALS) at the World Championships, he is the player with the most men’s singles MEDALS at the World Championships since World War II.
3. GPF: dominated the Grand Prix finals for four consecutive years (2013-2016);
4. WJC: won the junior World Championship, then promoted to the Senior World Championship (2010)
5. JGPF: won the first youth international competition championship (2009)
Why is Hanyu so popular
Hanyu has more than 10 million followers. Why is he so popular? Aside from his unsurpassed sporting achievements, his character is very important. Some fans said that Hanyu initially liked his physical level and thought he was very handsome. I always liked him because he was not only very talented, but never proud. And I like his character very much. In the international arena, he never discriminates against any country’s athletes or people.
At the 2014 China Cup of figure skating, Hanyu collided with a Chinese skater, flew off the ice and was unconscious on the ice for two minutes. After he woke up, Hanyu apologized to the Chinese skater through the pain. He was injured in the head and bleeding all the time, but he kept on playing. The Olympic spirit of not giving up moved many, many people
Fans make character lapel pin to help Hanyu
On July 19, 2022, Yuzuru Hanyu announced his retirement. He said he would stop competing in competitions and become a showman. His fans said they would respect and support his decision no matter what.
In order to support the feather life, many fans organized and designed the character lapel pin . The design of these lapses is a classic lens of the game, a match for the dog, and a lovely picture of his life.