(Reuters) – Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu booked his place on the Beijing Winter Games by defending his singles crown on the Japanese nationwide championships with an outstanding show during which he virtually grew to become the primary skater to land a quadruple axel in competitors.
Hanyu, who gained Olympic determine skating gold at Sochi and Pyeongchang, final competed on the World Team Trophy in April after lacking the Grand Prix season as a consequence of a proper ankle harm.
The 27-year-old grabbed the lead in Saitama by scoring 111.31 within the quick programme on Friday earlier than posting 211.05 in his free skate on Sunday for a 322.36 complete.
Pyeongchang silver medallist Shoma Uno was once more runner-up, ending with a private better of 295.82 whereas 18-year-old Yuma Kagiyama scored 292.41 to complete third.
Hanyu tried a quadruple axel in competitors for the primary time however landed on two ft and the bounce was downgraded to a triple axel. He stated he was happy with his efficiency, which included three different quad jumps.
“I’m actually relieved,” Hanyu was quoted as saying by Kyodo information company.
“I felt as if I used to be about to cry even earlier than the six-minute warm-up.”
Six-times nationwide champion Hanyu stated he would maintain practising the quadruple axel with the goal of touchdown it in competitors after nailing it in coaching final week.
The Beijing Games run from Feb. 4-20.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
