Olympics-Figure skating-Japan’s Hanyu out to ‘complete’ himself with quad Axel jump

By Chang-Ran Kim

BEIJING (Reuters) – The burden on the shoulders of Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu have to be immense.

With determine skating followers holding their breath to see if Hanyu will ship a efficiency on the Beijing Olympics that would earn him a 3rd consecutive gold – a primary for the game in virtually a century – the stakes are increased than ever.

However maybe the most important strain for the two-time world champion comes from inside.

Over a long-spanning profession, the 27-year-old has amassed a trove of medals however it’s the childhood dream of touchdown the quadruple Axel that has stored him pushing forward.

With a willpower bordering on obsession, Hanyu has stated he would typically spend all however quarter-hour of a two-hour apply session on the quad Axel, or “4A”, a taxing routine that would come with dozens of falls on the onerous ice, to not point out the chance of damage.

“I would like to know it,” he has stated of the leap that no skater has ever landed efficiently in competitors.

“I wish to get to that place the place I can confidently really feel that that is the whole, completely fashioned model of Yuzuru Hanyu. And a part of that’s the 4A.”

After lacking the Grand Prix sequence with a sprained ankle this season, Hanyu, whom Chinese language followers affectionately name “Youzi” – Mandarin for the yuzu citrus fruit – included the leap on the Japanese championships in December however it fell wanting qualifying as a 4A.

HIGH-RISK, LOW-RETURN

For all of its issue, the 4A is a high-risk-low-reward leap. Its base worth of 12.50 is the very best of the six determine skating jumps however only one level greater than the quadruple Lutz.

Something greater than a quarter-revolution of under-rotation would earn a downgrade – as Hanyu did in December – to a triple Axel value simply 8.00 factors. Grade of execution (GOE) factors could also be deducted for different imperfections.

If Hanyu wished to win, typical knowledge says, he would go quad-to-quad on the 5 different jumps in opposition to his closest rival, American Nathan Chen, and compete on general execution.

“If you happen to do a (quad) flip and a Lutz, you’d get a loopy excessive rating,” Chiba College researcher Nobuhiko Yoshioka and a choose on the determine skating circuit.

“However Hanyu actually desires to leap the 4A.”

If Hanyu wins in Beijing, he’ll match Swedish Gillis Grafstrom’s 94-year file of three consecutive Olympic golds in determine skating.

Hanyu’s coaching at residence has been closed to media and as of Saturday, three days earlier than he competes, he had but to indicate up for apply on the Video games venue.

His solely public look has been in a video message on the Japan Skating Federation’s Twitter feed wherein he guarantees the 4A in Beijing, ending his message by holding up three fingers – a nod to his quest for a 3rd Olympic gold.

Chen, for his half, referred to as Hanyu an unrivalled icon who was consistently pushing the game ahead.

“It’s actually uncommon to have the ability to see a skater preserve this stage of excellence throughout a number of generations,” he informed reporters final week, saying he was wanting to see Hanyu in particular person.

“That is his third Olympics, and he’s nowhere close to peaking. It’s simply unbelievable to see his steady progress.”

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Modifying by Himani Sarkar)