[Olympics] Japan's Figure Skating Star Hanyu Yuzuru, Who Has Been Keeping a Low Profile, Also Misses Final Main Training Session

Absence from Final Official Practice at Stadium
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Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan's men's singles figure skating representative challenging for a third consecutive Olympic gold medal. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Yuzuru Hanyu (28), the Japanese figure skating men's singles star aiming for a third consecutive Olympic gold, is expected to compete in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics without stepping on the rink even once.

On the 5th, Hanyu did not participate in the official training for the men's singles figure skating held at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China.

This training session was the last practice on the competition ice before the men's singles short program scheduled for the 8th.

Previously, Hanyu has missed all official training sessions since the 1st. Only one official training day remains on the 6th, but that session will be held at a nearby training rink, not at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium.

Hanyu is the top male figure skating star who achieved back-to-back Olympic golds at the 2014 Sochi Games and the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Aiming for a third consecutive Olympic gold with his ultra-difficult quadruple Axel jump involving four and a half rotations, Hanyu is thoroughly concealing his condition at this competition.

At the Japanese team press conference held on the 3rd, when asked about Hanyu's arrival, Hideito Ito, the Japanese team manager, avoided a direct answer, saying, "We cannot confirm individual athletes' entry and exit information," and "All I can say is that he is not currently at the venue."

Brian Orser, Hanyu's personal coach, also responded to questions about his whereabouts on the 4th by saying, "Hanyu has many coaches, so for this Olympics, he is registered as a coach for the Korean team (Cha Junhwan). I do not know where Hanyu is."

Having won two Olympic gold medals, if Hanyu wins gold at this competition, he will become the second male singles skater in history to achieve three consecutive Olympic golds, following Sweden's Gillis Grafstr?m, who won consecutively at the 1920 Antwerp Games, the 1924 Chamonix Games, and the 1928 St. Moritz Games.