[Olympics] Hanyu, Great '4 and a Half Rotations' Attempt Fails but "I Poured All My Strength"

Quadruple Axel Ultimately Fails to Land, 4th Place with 283.21 Points

Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, the gold medalist in men's singles figure skating at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, is falling after a jump during the men's singles free skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held on the 10th at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Figure skating star Japan's Hanyu Yuzuru challenged the quadruple Axel (4.5 rotations), considered an "impossible realm," but faced defeat.

On the 10th, at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics men's singles free skating event held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Hanyu scored a technical element score (TES) of 99.62 points, program component score (PCS) of 90.44 points, and received a 2-point deduction, totaling 188.06 points.

Having previously earned 95.15 points in the short program, Hanyu finished the Olympics with a total score of 281.21 points by adding his free skating score. Although this was far below his personal best score of 322.59 points, Hanyu raised both arms and gave a bright smile to the audience after completing his performance.

The quadruple Axel, which remains an uncharted territory as no figure skater in history has successfully landed it, was a skill that Hanyu, who had won two previous Olympic golds, prepared for even more diligently than his pursuit of a third consecutive Olympic title.

Before the Beijing Olympics, Hanyu had never perfectly landed a quadruple Axel in training or competition. On the day of the event, he attempted the quadruple Axel twice during warm-up but failed both times, dedicating himself to practice.

Choosing a great challenge over a stable performance, Hanyu boldly attempted the quadruple Axel as his first jump in the competition. He lightly took off and rotated four and a half times, but lost balance upon landing and fell. The judges gave an under-rotated (under rotated: when the jump rotation is short by 90 to 180 degrees) call, resulting in a 1-point deduction.

The failed element affected the next jump as well. Hanyu fell while landing the quadruple Salchow, his second jump element, but quickly recovered and performed a stable routine. He smoothly executed a triple Axel and triple loop combination jump, followed by a triple flip. Hanyu perfectly completed the subsequent quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination jump and the quadruple toe loop-single Euler-triple Salchow combination jump. He finished the program by successfully landing a triple Axel with ease.

First place went to the United States' Nathan Chen (332.60 points), second to Japan's Kagiayama Yuma (310.05 points), and third to Japan's Uno Shoma (293.00 points). Due to two jump mistakes and failing to perform a quadruple jump in the short program, Hanyu finished fourth with 283.21 points.

Although he did not win a medal, competitors applauded Hanyu's great spirit of challenge. Nathan Chen, who won the gold medal, said, "Hanyu is evolving figure skating," and added, "The quadruple Axel he showed today was very unfortunate. He is truly a special skater," expressing his respect.

After the competition, Hanyu said in an interview, "I prepared for this competition with all my strength," sharing his thoughts.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.