Resurfaced Viral Video Shows Legendary Yuzuru Hanyu’s Elegant Act Before Medal Ceremony At SCI 2019

Yuzuru Hanyu is known for his graceful demeanor on and off the ice and the medal ceremony at Skate Canada International 2019 proved just that. Winning gold, to no one’s surprise, Hanyu was in a cheerful and playful mood during the medal ceremony.

The two-time Olympic champion referenced his free program’s choreographic sequence by imitating playing the violin. The video also shows a fan holding a stuffed doll of a pig wearing Hanyu’s last season’s costume, which surprised Hanyu.

Nam Nguyen, who won silver, is Hanyu’s former rink mate in Canada. Keiji Tanaka, who won bronze, is a fellow Japanese skater, giving Japan a 1-3 finish at Skate Canada. Hanyu asking Tanaka to link arms is a running joke with another Japanese skater, Shoma Uno. The younger skater had mistaken the gesture when they shared the podium, and Uno and Hanyu had subsequently joked that it looked like they were getting married.

Yuzuru Hanyu’s 2019-20 season

The 2019-20 Grand Prix assignments were a high for Yuzuru Hanyu. Injuries had kept him from competing in the finals for two years, following his 4-time Grand Prix Champion streak. Of course, the fans were over the moon to see the skater compete in the Grand Prix again.

His first assignment was at Skate Canada International and the second in the skater’s home country at NHK Trophy. Keeping his programs from the previous season, Hanyu had introduced new costumes for both of them. This led to fans calling the short program Otonal 2.0 and the free program Origin 2.0.

READ MORE: Figure Skating Legend Yuzuru Hanyu Finally Announces Comeback Months After Beijing Olympics and Injury Setback

While Hanyu won both his Grand Prix assignments that season, he had to take home the silver at the Final, losing the Gold to Nathan Chen. However, he went on to win the Four Continents Championships in February, making him the first men’s singles figure skater to achieve the Super Slam.

By getting gold at 4CC, Hanyu has won every major international competition, junior and senior, throughout his career. This puts him in the company of skaters like Yuna Kim, Tessa Virtue, and Scott Moir, and pair skaters Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, who completed their Super Slam with the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Where is Yuzuru Hanyu now?

Since Hanyu won his second Olympic Gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, the skater has repeatedly expressed his desire to land a clean Quad Axel jump. Nobody has landed a ratified quadruple Axel in competition before. Hanyu attempted the same in his performance at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where he under-rotated the jump and placed 4th. After that, Hanyu withdrew from the World Championships 2022 due to injury. He has been missing from the public eye since.

He is, however, announced to be a part of the Fantasy On Ice ice shows taking place in May. Undoubtedly, fans are excited to see the skater on the ice again.

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