The 2022 Beijing Olympics’ most awaited showdown in figure skating took place today. Fierce rivals and the kings of figure skating, Yuzuru Hanyu and Nathan Chen, finally went head to head in a clash of the titans.
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Legendary Yuzuru Hanyu, who has been dominating the sport for years now, was expected to stun the world with yet another flawless performance. However, fans were shocked to see some disturbance in his performance, which also led to him not finishing in the top 3.
Yuzuru Hanyu reveals what went down…
The Japanese legend of figure skating performed for the first time at the Beijing games today. And the hype around his performance had already put him in the spotlight.
Sitting patiently back in their seats, fans saw Hanyu starting his performance with a quad, but somehow, he did not land the way he usually does. Overall, Hanyu’s performance was dreamy; however, it was not the outing even Hanyu was expecting after winning two Olympic gold medals.
Reuters
2022 Beijing Olympics – Figure Skating – Men Single Skating – Short Program – Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China – February 8, 2022. Hanyu Yuzuru of Japan in action. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
Hanyu then achieved a score of 95.15, way below his competitors, ending his short program ranking at 8th. In the post-game interview, Hanyu revealed the ice had something that stopped him from producing his stellar run. Hanyu said, ”I was in there some hole…I was in the hole so I could not take off.”
Further revealing how he calmed himself, ”I was saying to me ‘ok this is all unlucky it’s all ok’, so I am just focusing on next part. I really love to hear the music here.”
Yuzuru Hanyu popped his quad salchow cause his blade got caught in a hole/gap in the ice!! OMG??!! WTF!!!!
Cmon this is the Olympics this shouldn’t even happen, it’s so unfair to athletes who pour their hearts into their skate. IM MAD FOR HIM😭 @Olympics pic.twitter.com/4Oqj2hQHmj
— YUZURU HANYU GOLD | bad buddy lockdown (@softminyoongii) February 8, 2022
While Hanyu had a rough day, the US competitor and his rival, Nathan Chen, had a rather eventful outing.
Nathan Chen breaks World Record
22-year-old Nathan, who is the Olympic gold medal prospect for the US, was able to live up to his hype. Nathan astonishingly scored 113.97, dominating the men’s singles event for the second time at Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 and ranking at the first position.
Reuters
2022 Beijing Olympics – Figure Skating – Team Event – Men Single Skating – Short Program – Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China – February 4, 2022. Nathan Chen of the United States in action. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Chen has indeed solidified his Olympic gold medal chances; albeit it’s not over for Hanyu yet. With more events and clashes yet to unfold, do you think Hanyu will make a comeback to win his third Olympic gold, or will Nathan bring home the title this time?
