Japan’s world-loved figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu qualified for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games after winning the Japan figure skating nationals on Sunday.
Although the Sunday success was only one of the six times that Hanyu has secured the championship title, it was special not only because he qualified for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Winter Games, but also due to the fact it was a beautiful “comeback” show for the athlete after he had to withdraw from the previous Grand Prix Games due to a leg injury.
The news about the two-time Olympic champion’s win quickly became a hot topic on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo as many “Youzi,” the nickname for his Chinese fans, posted messages of congratulations, and shared their excitement to see Hanyu return.
“He missed so many games because of the injury, but I think the Beijing Winter Olympics is going to be his lucky land. He has all our love here,” posted a netizen on Sina Weibo.
Along with Japan’s table tennis “cutie” Ai Fukuhara, Hanyu has continued to be much loved by fans in China. His official “info station” on Sina Weibo has more than 1.5 million followers.
Back in October, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying replied to a “request” by Hanyu’s Japanese fans on Twitter, commenting “We got it!” to address the fans’ wish for Chinese audiences to cheer on Hanyu during the Beijing Winter Olympic Games as they would be unable to attend the event due to COVID-19 restrictions.
After learning that Hanyu would be heading to the Beijing Games, many netizens on Sina Weibo also posted “We got it!” to show their support for the 27-year-old Japanese star.
“He is so loved by people from all around the world because he is always so ‘sunny’ and keeps trying to be better even though he is so brilliant already,” Lindi, a “Youzi” in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, told the Global Times.
The two-time Olympic Championship figure skater indeed has been on a non-stop journey to be the best. At the Sunday event, the star attempted a quadruple axel, the hardest move to many skaters including Hanyu himself, in competition for the first time.
“To challenge yourself, this shows the spirit of the Olympics. It doesn’t matter who he is or where he comes from, we’ll be there for him,” added Lindi.
Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan performs during the gala exhibition of the ISU World Team Trophy at Maruzen Intec Arena Osaka on April 18, 2021 in Osaka, Japan. Photo: VCG
