50 Fun Facts About Yuzuru Hanyu

In which Japanese city was Yuzuru Hanyu born and raised?

He was born in Izumi ward on December 7, 1994; his given name means 'tie the bowstring', symbolising a dignified, straight life.

At what age did Hanyu start skating?

Coach Mami Yamada suggested he try it rather than being a nuisance during his sister Saya's training.

Which chronic condition, diagnosed at age two, hampered Hanyu's stamina especially as a junior?

Limited ice time in Sendai, schooling and asthma kept his training to one or two hours a day until he moved to Canada.

Which sport did Hanyu's father, a junior high school teacher, recommend to him instead of skating?

His mother made his early costumes, including a 2010-11 free skate outfit designed by Johnny Weir.

Which Olympic silver medallist did an 11-year-old Hanyu challenge to a spin battle in 2006, and lose to?

He called the defeat an important lesson and resolved to improve his spins by learning from the best.

How old was Hanyu when he became the youngest male winner of the Japan Junior Championships in 2008?

He went on to win the 2010 World Junior title, the fourth and youngest Japanese man to do so.

What was Hanyu doing when the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami struck on March 11, 2011?

His house was damaged and the family spent three days in an evacuation centre; he then did 60 ice shows to get practice and raise money.

Which coach did Hanyu move to Toronto to train with in 2012?

Orser had coached Yuna Kim to Olympic gold in 2010; Hanyu was drawn by the consistent quads of Orser's student Javier Fernandez.

At which 2010 event did Hanyu land his first quadruple jump, a toe loop, at an ISU competition?

It was his senior international debut, and he finished fourth.

How old was Hanyu when his 2012 Worlds bronze made him Japan's youngest world medallist?

He skated on a sprained ankle, climbing from seventh after the short program to third behind Patrick Chan and Daisuke Takahashi.

To which Gary Moore track did Hanyu skate the short program that brought his first world records in 2012?

Jeffrey Buttle choreographed it; the scores of 95.07 and 95.32 came at Skate America and the NHK Trophy.

How did the crowd react when Hanyu beat Daisuke Takahashi for his first national title in 2012?

Orser told him: 'They will come around. Just give it some time and they will come your way.'

At Sochi 2014, Hanyu became the first skater to break which scoring barrier in the short program?

He scored 101.45, then won gold despite two falls in the free skate, with an Olympic record total of 280.09.

Whose 1948 record did Hanyu match by becoming the youngest men's Olympic champion since him at Sochi?

He was also the first Asian men's Olympic champion and only the second Japanese figure skating gold medallist after Shizuka Arakawa in 2006.

By what margin did Hanyu beat compatriot Tatsuki Machida to win his first world title in Saitama in 2014?

He became the first since Alexei Yagudin in 2001-02 to win the Olympics, Worlds and Grand Prix Final in one season.

With which Chinese skater did Hanyu collide during the free-skate warm-up at the 2014 Cup of China?

Bruised and bandaged, he skated anyway and finished second; that season also brought bladder surgery and a sprained ankle.

Which Chopin piece was Hanyu's short program for three seasons, including the 2018 Olympics?

Jeffrey Buttle choreographed it; Hanyu called his 111.82-point skate to it in Seoul in 2020 'the most perfect performance I've ever done'.

Whom does Hanyu portray in his free skate Seimei?

Abe no Seimei is the hero of the films Onmyoji, whose soundtrack by Shigeru Umebayashi Hanyu used.

At the 2015 Grand Prix event in Nagano, Hanyu became the first skater to break which two barriers?

He scored 216.07 and 322.40, then broke all three records again two weeks later at the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona.

What was Hanyu's winning total at the 2015-16 Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, then a world record?

His 37.48-point margin over Javier Fernandez beat Plushenko's record for the largest Final win.

Which quadruple jump did Hanyu become the first to land in competition, at the 2016 Autumn Classic?

He landed his first quad Lutz in international competition at the 2017 Rostelecom Cup.

How many consecutive Grand Prix Finals did Hanyu win, a first for a singles skater?

From 2013 to 2016; the fourth came in Marseille despite three jump errors in the free skate.

To which artist's song 'Let's Go Crazy' did Hanyu skate his 2016-17 short program?

His free skate that season, Hope and Legacy to Joe Hisaishi, is the performance he later named as the one that best represents him.

How many quadruple jumps did Hanyu land in his record free skate at the 2017 Worlds in Helsinki?

He climbed from fifth to first with 223.20 points; it was the first time all three medallists topped 300.

How did Hanyu injure his right ankle in November 2017, forcing him out of competition until the Olympics?

He arrived in Pyeongchang without a competition since October and still set an Olympic record of 111.68 in the short program.

Hanyu's Pyeongchang win in 2018 made him the first man to defend the Olympic title in how many years?

Dick Button had last done it in 1952; Shoma Uno took silver and Javier Fernandez bronze.

Which jump did Hanyu announce as his next goal immediately after winning in Pyeongchang?

He had already spoken of wanting it back in 2011; his 2022 Beijing attempt was the first not to be downgraded to a triple.

To which two idols did Hanyu pay tribute with his 2018-19 programs Otonal and Origin?

Weir had skated to Otonal in 2004-05 and Plushenko to Edvin Marton's music in his Tribute to Nijinsky.

Which title did Hanyu win in Seoul in February 2020 to complete the first men's singles Super Slam?

He had taken silver there three times before; the Super Slam means every major junior and senior ISU title.

How many times did Hanyu break a world record, the most in singles since the 2003 judging system?

He was also the only singles skater ranked world number one for five straight seasons, 2014-2018.

How many World Championship medals did Hanyu win in total?

Only Germany's Jan Hoffmann has matched that among post-war men; his last was bronze in Stockholm in 2021.

How many Japanese national senior titles did Hanyu win?

Four in a row from 2012 to 2015, then two more in 2020 and 2021 after training alone in Sendai during the pandemic.

Where did Hanyu finish at the 2022 Beijing Olympics?

A hole in the ice cost him his opening quad Salchow in the short program; he then fell on the quad Axel and quad Salchow in the free skate.

On what date did Hanyu announce he was 'stepping away' from competition to turn professional?

Nikkei Asia called it the 'end of an era'; he said he had achieved everything he could.

What was the name of Hanyu's 2022 show, the first solo ice show in figure skating history?

It was the prelude to his Ice Story series; the Repray Tour of 2023-24 was the first solo touring production.

Hanyu's 2023 solo show Gift was the first ice event ever held at which venue?

Its 35,000 spectators set a record for an ice show, and it later became the first ice show streamed worldwide on Disney+.

What is Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata, inaugurated in 2023?

He chairs the Nippon TV event; his donations for reconstruction and disaster relief exceed $3 million, including his Olympic prize money.

What is the title of Hanyu's best-selling autobiography series, whose royalties he donates?

All royalties from volumes I-IV go to earthquake reconstruction and humanitarian causes.

What do Hanyu's fans traditionally throw onto the ice after his performances?

It began because he has carried a Winnie-the-Pooh tissue box to competitions since 2010.

From which institution did Hanyu graduate in 2020, via an e-school programme in human information science?

His thesis was on using 3D motion capture in figure skating judging; the university later gave him its Azusa Ono Memorial Award.

Which honour, bestowed by Japan's prime minister, did Hanyu become the youngest ever to receive in 2018?

He also received the Medal of Honor with purple ribbon twice and the Kikuchi Kan Prize in 2022.

Which jump-technique specialist, formerly Elvis Stojko's coach, joined Hanyu's team after Sochi?

His delayed arrival at the 2019 Grand Prix Final left Hanyu skating the short program without a coach at the boards.

Which two choreographers created all of Hanyu's short and free programs from 2014 onward?

Buttle did the short programs and Bourne the free skates, including Seimei.

How many quadruple jumps did Hanyu land in one free skate for the first time at the 2019 Grand Prix Final?

He still finished more than 43 points behind Nathan Chen after a missed triple Axel sequence.

Where did Hanyu rank in ESPN's 2024 list of the greatest Olympians of the 21st century?

The International Sports Press Association put him sixth among the most impactful male athletes of the last 100 years, behind Ali, Bolt, Jordan, Pele and Federer.

Hanyu's given name, Yuzuru, literally means what?

His parents chose it to evoke living a dignified life like a strongly tied bowstring, symbolising confidence and straightness.

Hanyu skated in Kenshi Yonezu's 2025 video for Bow and Arrow, the opening theme of which anime?

A special 'Yuzuru Hanyu Short Program version' of the video was made alongside the standard cut.

Hanyu donated the prize money from both his Olympic golds to help rebuild which area?

The ¥6 million from 2014 and ¥10 million from 2018 went to reconstruction after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck his hometown.

Which Japanese award did Hanyu receive twice, in 2014 and 2018?

The purple-ribbon medal recognises academic and artistic achievement; he later won the Kikuchi Kan Prize in 2022.

Which snowboarder ranked just above Hanyu among Google's most-searched athletes of 2022?

The only others ahead of him were tennis stars Djokovic, Nadal and Serena Williams and American footballer Manti Te'o.