Yuzuru Hanyu Once Opened Up on His Horrifying Earthquake Experience While Skating- “Feeling of the Ice Shaking.. Terrible”

Yuzuru Hanyu didn’t become a figure skating legend overnight. There have been a lot many incidents in his life that have shaped him into who he is today.

However, the major event that played a very crucial role in his career happened when Yuzuru was a 16-year-old young boy. The incident completely changed him for life.

The champion figure skater has gone through a lot lately. While the Beijing Winter Olympic was full of setbacks for him, he is now ruled out of the World Figure Skating Championship as well. He suffered an ankle injury during the Olympics, which hasn’t been healed yet. As a result, he had to withdraw his name from the World Championship.

Yuzuru Hanyu recall the horrors of the Great East Japan Earthquake

On 11 March 2011, a 9.0 tremor magnitude earthquake struck East Japan, including the ice rink in Sendai where 16-year-old Hanyu was practicing. The earthquake generated a tsunami and almost 16,000 people died in the catastrophe. As he recalls the horrific incident, Hanyu said, “Even now, when I close my eyes, I remember a lot of things.” 

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He further added, “The feeling of the ice shaking, the shaking of the ground being pushed up, how terrible it was that my legs were shaking from the earthquake.”

How did the earthquake change Yuzuru Hanyu’s life?

The aftermath of the earthquake changed his life forever. Hanyu couldn’t skate for a while because of the destruction and finally he had to move to the Yokohama skating club that was 300 km away from his home. In fact, there was a time when Yuzuru Hanyu thought of quitting figure skating.

After winning his first ever Olympic gold at Sochi, Hanyu said, “After the earthquake and tsunami I wasn’t able to skate and I really seriously thought about quitting because I just had my hands full making a living, to stay alive. So many people helped me out and now I’m here today.” 

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Few people can achieve what Yuzuru Hanyu has achieved in his incredible career. He has turned every obstacle into an opportunity and made it to the top of his sport. That is why he is known as a legend.