Men’s: Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan
Yuzuru Hanyu claimed gold in Sochi in history-making styles, getting the initial men’s skater to rank more than 100 points in small regimen, the initial Japanese people to victory Olympic gold in men’s skating, and (at 19 years of age) the youngest men’s room Olympic champion in practically 60 age. Hanyu came back the home of a parade of reportedly near to 100,000 someone, but was not material to stay back and take pleasure in the ruins of their Olympic triumph. Only 30 days later, he competed on 2014 business titles and said gold.
Hanyu’s post-Olympic season had gotten to a harsh beginning at 1st Grand Prix show, the 2014 Cup of China. In heat before the no-cost system, Hanyu around collided with another skater. Determined to contend anyway, Hanyu dropped five times while in the regimen. He was in a position to retrieve when it comes to great Prix Final to earn a personal-best get during the no-cost skate and declare gold by over 34 factors behind the gold medalist, Spain’s Javier Fernandez. Fernandez finished the season over the top, but taking the gold medal at the 2015 globe titles while Hanyu got sterling silver.
Hanyu and Fernandez, just who prepare collectively in Toronto, Canada under two-time Olympic gold medalist Brian Orser, both continued their unique brands the next period. Hanyu obtained gold over Fernandez at 2015 great Prix last with world-record ratings for his small program, no-cost skate and complete score. But Hanyu is definately not their most readily useful at 2016 globe titles, making multiple problems in his cost-free skate while Fernandez was actually near-perfect. Fernandez acquired the second business titles subject, leaving Hanyu in next place.
Hanyu faced a competitor through the 2016-17 month: American kid Nathan Chen, who surprised worldwide along with his toolbox of high-scoring quadruple jumps. At her very first showdown, the 2016 large Prix last, Chen encountered the greater rating in the cost-free skate but Hanyu’s contribute following the quick program guaranteed your a fourth consecutive winnings at that prestigious over 50 dating services occasion. They faced off once more during the 2017 Four Continents Championships, and Chen’s seven full quad jumps-two into the short system and five within the cost-free skate-earned him the silver medal, while Hanyu obtained gold.
It-all came to a head on 2017 globe titles, with Chen, Hanyu and Fernandez all dueling the concept. Hanyu acquired their second industry concept, while pricey mistakes directed Chen to a sixth destination complete in the globes debut. Fernandez completed last, behind Japan’s Shoma Uno (silver) and China’s Boyang Jin (bronze).
Hanyu has several world registers: the short system get (arranged during the large Prix last), the no-cost skate get (set at 2017 planets) in addition to record for highest actually as a whole score, guidelines, arranged from the great Prix Final.
Females: Adelina Sotnikova, Russia
17-year-old Sotnikova upset the girls’ field whenever she outscored 2010 Olympic champ Yuna Kim, the favorite to repeat, for the silver medal in Sochi. She was actually the initial Russian woman to winnings an Olympic title in singles figure skating.
Controversy around Sotnikova’s success however lingers, nevertheless. At the time, most pondered perhaps the evaluator have scored her fairly-one woman on Olympic judging screen was the spouse on the director of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, and another was actually tangled up in a score-fixing scandal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Followers of Kim founded an on-line petition calling for an investigation, and it rapidly garnered over two million signatures. Although International Skating Union decreased to need any activity.
Nearly three years after the competition, Sotnikova’s winnings was labeled as into concern again by the McLaren document. This researching from the industry Anti-Doping company detailed widespread doping among Russian sports athletes and an enhanced cover-up operation to make certain these people weren’t caught. It was stated that the bottle of a single of Sotnikova’s urine examples had been tampered with, and she’s are examined as a result.