Among injury, failure and challenges, Japanese figure skater Hanyu still wants to land quad axel

Figure skating athlete Hanyu Yuzuru of Japan goes to attend a press conference at the Main Media Center for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ga)

BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu said he is going to cherish figure skating and continue to strive to master the sport.

Hanyu made the remarks during a press conference on Monday following his fourth-place finish in the men's singles at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Hanyu first expressed his gratitude to all of the volunteers, stakeholders and people who made the ice for the figure skating event and the enormous support he received in the past few days.

"Of course for the short program I was unlucky. My skate got caught in the ice and I was disappointed. But it was a great ice, easy to skate and jump on. It was a great venue and I loved the rink," Hanyu said via an interpreter.

Hanyu then admitted that he hurt his leg the day before the short program and sprained his ankle when attempting a quad axel in practice.

"If it was a normal composition, I would have withdrawn. The doctor said that I should stay off my feet for the next 10 days because the injury was really bad."

On the day of the free skating, Hanyu had to get an injection of pain killers right before the warm-up and then he decided that he "would take part in the free skating."

Despite failing to complete the quad axel in his first jump of the free skating, Hanyu still believed that "it was the best quad axel I have done so far."

"I am happy and satisfied with the quad axel I did in my free skating."

"In learning how to jump the quad axel, I studied a lot. I tried to use that information to perfect the quad axel. I really want to be the best when it comes to jumping. I want people to think that my jump is beautiful," said the 27-year-old.

The two-time Olympic champion who was hailed as 'Ice Prince' said the past achievement doesn't make him special. "I'm sure everyone takes on new challenges every day and that's what life is all about."

"Everything is a challenge. In my case, it was the quad axel and the Olympic Games. I treasure challenges and I have done it so far," Hanyu said.

"I kept saying that I wanted to land the quad axel. The reason for that is because the nine-year-old me that still lives inside me kept telling me 'you have to jump the quad axel' so that was the reason why I kept practicing," he added.

"The nine-year-old me actually congratulated me for the quad axel I jumped this time. He jumped together with me. I'm jumping in the exact same form that I was jumping when I was nine. I was jumping together with my nine-year-old self."

"I really felt that this is quad axel of Yuzuru Hanyu."

"Even though I got an under-rotation, even though I fell that quad axel when I look back on it one day, I can say that Yuzuru Hanyu's axel is high and beautiful and I am very proud of it."

Hanyu said he was not sure if Beijing 2022 would be his last Olympic Games but he would love to skate at the Olympic Games once again.

"I have an injury but still I managed to get back on my feet and take on this challenge," Hanyu said. "The Olympic Games is the only stage for a figure skater to be able to do something like that. It made me really happy."

"I felt a warm welcome from the volunteers and my Chinese fans. Performing in that atmosphere makes me so happy."

When being asked about his goal at the moment, Hanyu thought about it for a while and answered "I still want to land the quad axel."

"At the same time I want to perfect my program. I have this feeling that maybe I have perfected my axel. So when it comes to my figure skating going forward, what kind of performance I want to give? What I want to show everyone? That's what I'm thinking about at this moment."

"As Yuzuru Hanyu, I'm going to cherish figure skating which Yuzuru Hanyu loves and continue to strive to master the sport," he said. 

Figure skating athlete Hanyu Yuzuru of Japan goes to attend a press conference at the Main Media Center for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ga)

Figure skating athlete Hanyu Yuzuru of Japan goes to attend a press conference at the Main Media Center for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ga)