Meet Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan’s figure skating world champion: from winning Olympic golds to endorsing brands Kosé and Citizen, he’s considered a GOAT – but why did his marriage only last three months?
Yuzuru Hanyu is regarded as one of the greatest figure skaters the sport has ever seen. Along with German legend Jan Hoffmann, Hanyu is the most decorated world champion of all time, having earned seven world championship medals over his illustrious, decade-long career.
With two Olympic golds from Sochi (2014) and Pyeongchang (2018) and two world championships, he’s broken records for getting the highest scores ever in the men’s short programme, free skate and total points. His signature triple Axel (and attempts at the quadruple) made him an international name and landed him the sixth spot on the list of most-Googled athletes of the year in 2022.
7 of the richest cricket stars in 2023 – net worths, ranked
At 29, he’s one of the most successful athletes ever to come out of Japan, with the government recognising his achievement with a People’s Honour Award in 2019.
So what else do we know about the figure skating legend?
An early start
Hanyu was born in Sendai, Japan, in 1994 and grew up around sports. His father was an adviser to the local school’s baseball club and had hoped to introduce the sport to his son. But Hanyu had other plans – he decided to pursue figure skating instead, after crashing his sister’s lesson at the age of four, per the Science Survey.
Who’s football’s ‘sexiest female player’, Alisha Lehmann?
The Japanese figure skater eventually moved to Toronto, Canada, in 2013 to train full-time. After nearly a decade of success on the ice, the legend announced his retirement in July 2022, choosing to share his talents with fans at ice shows instead of on the competitive stage.
Endorsement deals
Despite retiring from competitive figure skating, Hanyu continues to bring in lucrative endorsement deals. According to reports, Hanyu earned an estimated US$13 million in 2021 alone from a combination of endorsements and ice show performances. He’s the face of a number of Japanese companies, including skincare brand Kosé, airline ANA and Citizen Watch, to name a few.
‘Pride of Japan’: Ohtani thrills baseball mad country after record deal
Personal life
Despite his illustrious career, recent media headlines about Hanyu have focused on his short-lived marriage to an unnamed “civilian”. The two wed in August, but in a statement put out by the figure skating sensation just three months after their union, he said that his non-celebrity wife was unable to cope with the media attention and what he described as harassment surrounding their marriage.
7 of the richest pro golfers in the world: net worths, ranked
Hanyu cites the invasion of privacy due to public interest in the couple’s relationship as the main culprit for the split. During their brief marriage, Hanyu says that his ex-wife could not step outside their home due to the number of reporters swarming the neighbourhood.
Despite his marriage woes, the legend continues to focus on his career. After becoming the first professional skater to choreograph and perform solo in an ice show in 2022, he’s put on several more, including Gift, available to stream on Disney+. He is currently performing his third solo show across Japan, the Re_Pray Tour, until February 2024.
- Double Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu has earned seven world titles and broken records in the men’s short programme, the free skate, and for combined total score
- He announced his retirement from competitive figure skating in 2022 but continues to tour his latest solo show, Re_Pray, across Japan, with his previous one, Gift, now on Disney+