Men’s Room: Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan

Yuzuru Hanyu won gold in Sochi in history-making styles, getting the very first men’s room skater to get more than 100 details inside small system, one Japanese people to winnings Olympic silver in men’s room skating, and (at 19 years old) the youngest men’s Olympic champ in around 60 many years. Hanyu came back the place to find a parade of apparently near to 100,000 men, but wasn’t content to sit down back and take pleasure in the spoils of their Olympic triumph. Only monthly after, he competed from the 2014 industry Championships and stated gold.

Hanyu’s post-Olympic period had gotten off to a rough start at 1st big Prix show, the 2014 Cup of Asia. In heat prior to the complimentary regimen, Hanyu about collided with another skater. Determined to compete anyway, Hanyu dropped 5 times during regimen. He was capable recover when it comes down to Grand Prix Final to make a personal-best score from inside the free of charge skate and state gold by over 34 guidelines behind the silver medalist, Spain’s Javier Fernandez. Fernandez finished the growing season on the top, but using silver medal from the 2015 World titles while Hanyu got silver.

Hanyu and Fernandez, exactly who prepare collectively in Toronto, Canada under two-time Olympic gold medalist Brian Orser, both duplicated their own titles next period. Hanyu claimed gold over Fernandez at the 2015 big Prix last with world-record score for his short program, no-cost skate and full rating. But Hanyu had been far from their finest in the 2016 community Championships, producing numerous errors within his no-cost skate while Fernandez was near-perfect. Fernandez acquired a moment globe titles title, leaving Hanyu in second room.

Hanyu experienced an innovative new competitor throughout the 2016-17 month: United states teen Nathan Chen, whom stunned society together with his toolbox of high-scoring quadruple jumps. At their first showdown, the 2016 big Prix Final, Chen had the greater rating inside cost-free skate but Hanyu’s contribute following the short regimen guaranteed your a fourth successive win at this prestigious celebration. They confronted down once more during the 2017 Four Continents Championships, and Chen’s seven total quad jumps-two inside small regimen and five in cost-free skate-earned your the gold medal, while Hanyu gotten sterling silver.

Everything concerned a head at 2017 business titles, with Chen, Hanyu and Fernandez all dueling your name. Hanyu obtained his next World title, while high priced problems directed Chen to a sixth destination end inside the Worlds introduction. Fernandez finished next, behind Japan’s Shoma Uno (gold) and Asia’s Boyang Jin (bronze).

Hanyu possesses numerous community files: the short regimen score (arranged at the fantastic Prix last), the complimentary skate rating (arranged at 2017 globes) additionally the record for highest ever general rating, points, put at the Grand Prix Final.

Females: Adelina Sotnikova, Russia

17-year-old Sotnikova upset the females‘ field whenever she outscored 2010 Olympic champion Yuna Kim, the favorite to repeat, when it comes down to silver medal in Sochi. She was initial Russian woman to winnings an Olympic concept in singles figure skating.

Debate around Sotnikova’s victory still remains, however. At the time, numerous questioned perhaps the evaluator had scored her fairly-one woman about Olympic judging screen was actually the partner regarding the director in the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, and another was tangled up in a score-fixing scandal within 1998 Nagano Olympics. Lovers of Kim established an internet petition demanding a study, therefore rapidly earned over two million signatures. Nevertheless the Foreign Skating Union decreased to bring any activity.

Nearly three-years following competition, Sotnikova’s victory got called into question again of the McLaren document. This study because of the community Anti-Doping company outlined widespread doping among Russian players and a classy cover-up operation to make sure these weren’t caught. It actually was reported that the bottles of one of Sotnikova’s urine trials had been interfered with, and she is being investigated consequently.