Hanyu skates in first ice show since retiring from competition

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:16 JST, November 5, 2022

Two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu, who retired from competitive skating this summer to launch a career of producing and performing in exhibitions, skated in his first ice show since then on Friday in Yokohama.

The 27-year-old Hanyu, winner of back-to-back men’s golds at the 2014 and 2018 Olympics, made the show, titled “Prologue,” a solo act before an appreciative crowd that came to see him start the next stage of his life.

Opening with “Seimei,” the free program he performed at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Hanyu skated for about 1½ hours, interspersing personal commentary between acts.

“I am advancing one step at a time with everyone toward my goal and dreams with a new determination,” Hanyu said after the show. “I want the show to lead to the next step.”