Feature: Japanese "Ice Prince" misses podium but wins hearts

BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Although Japanese figure-skating star Yuzuru Hanyu failed to secure a medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics, he has captured the hearts of millions of Chinese fans.

The two-time Olympic figure-skating champion failed to make the podium after falling as he attempted a gravity-defying quadruple Axel during his free-skating performance at the Games on Thursday.

The failure didn't lessen the love that many spectators feel for the 27-year-old skater, who has been widely admired in the Olympic host country for his athleticism, boyish good looks and demeanor.

China's Twitter-like social platform Weibo was buzzing with comments on Hanyu, as topics with the hashtag #yuzuruhanyu generated 5.6 billion views by Friday afternoon and enamored fans expressed their love and encouragement.

"Melancholy but passionate, elegant but cheerful, gentle but firm. Hanyu is like a cherry tree, in full bloom at the Beijing Olympic Winter Games," wrote a Weibo user named "Red pot blu."

"Hanyu is like an ardent young man from Japanese anime! Thanks for healing me, just as Hayao Miyazaki's animation did in my childhood," said a netizen nicknamed "Tongkexiaowanzi."

Taking to China's short-video platform Douyin, internet user "Zhangzhang" said, "Every competition ends in victory or defeat, but my adoration for Hanyu never changes."

Hanyu's expressive, romantic style and persistence have also won him respect from his peers.

China's figure skater Jin Boyang said that a normal figure skater would have retired after attending two Winter Olympics, but Hanyu chose to return at the age of 27 and attempt the very difficult quadruple Axel jump.

Jin described Hanyu's spirit as "incredible" and "worth learning."

Inspired by Hanyu, Jin said that this Winter Olympics was about self-improvement, rather than just competing for medals.

"Everyone keeps breaking through to become the best version of themselves, and I think that's the spirit of sports, that's the Olympic spirit," Jin said.

Born in Sendai, Japan, Hanyu began skating at the age of four. His parents called him "Yuzuru," which literally means a stretched bowstring, in the hope that their son would be resilient and composed in the face of life's challenges.

At Sochi in 2014, he was crowned Olympic champion, later defending his title at PyeongChang 2018. With a perfect combination of skill, strength and elegance, he earned his nickname "Ice Prince."

Actually, Hanyu was surrounded by a huge fan base in China long before this year's Winter Olympics. Tang Zhexiao became a die-hard fan in 2015 after watching his performance at the World Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai.

"He jumped high and soared far on the ice rink, with light and love in his eyes. His high spirit and vigor inspired me to pursue what I really wanted," said Tang, 32, who quit his job after the competition and took a postgraduate exam to become a sports reporter.

Tang was sad about Hanyu's fall on Thursday but still hailed him as a "hero."

"Leaving the Olympic medals to one side, what he cares about is promoting the development of figure skating and pushing the boundaries of what a human can do on ice," he said.