The ice was all laid for the world’s best figure skaters to skate their way to glory. One of the most awaited figure skaters was Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan. Hanyu is the 2-time Olympic champion, who was back in China this year to defend his gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.

Yuzuru’s arch-rival, Nathan Chen, was the other outright favorite for the top spot on the podium. Notably, Chen is the gold medal prospect for the US and the reigning World Champion. Hence, the competition was bound to be tough between the two, setting up for an enthralling watch.

However, on Thursday, during the finals of figure skating, Hanyu tried to up his game but had a rather bad start to his run.

Yuzuru Hanyu falters and falls

The finals of figure skating were held on February 10th, with everyone anticipating a comeback from Hanyu. The reigning Olympic gold medalist was looking fierce, decked in hues of blue, pink, and gold.

Before Hanyu donned the ice, the scoreboard was led by Daniel Grassl of Italy with a score of 278.07. Then came Yuzuru, who was expected to get the top score, putting on a stunning performance.

However, things didn’t start off so well for him. While attempting the quadruple axel, Hanyu faltered and fell. In his defense, this is one of the hardest tricks to perform in figure skating.

Hanyu was quick to get back up and continue his performance with grace. But just 30 seconds later, things turned bad for him again as he fell for the 2nd time. This was really shocking, as Hanyu is known for his flawless performances.

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READ MORE: Despite Setback Yuzuru Hanyu Has a ?Secret Weapon? Upcoming at Finals Against Rival Nathan Chen

Hanyu gets back up

But Yuzuru Hanyu is not one to give up. He went ahead to give one of the most breath-taking performances, even after having a bad start. He looked ferocious as he conquered the ice.

Hanyu then got a score of 283.21, meaning that he grabbed his rightful 1st place. This just goes on to show that even though he fell twice, he was still way ahead of his competitors.

Now it remains to be seen whether he can beat arch-rival Nathan Chen or not. Nathan Chen had topped the board in the previous round, which means that he will be going last.

WATCH: US Figure Skater Nathan Chen Nearly Breaks World Record in Flawless Performance at Beijing Winter Olympics 2022