Olympic and world figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu qualified for next month’s Grand Prix Final after finishing fourth at the NHK Trophy on Saturday despite another heavy fall.
Japan’s boy wonder, whose sickening collision with a rival during a warm-up in Shanghai earlier this month raised serious questions about his participation in Osaka, crash-landed attempting a quadruple salchow at the start of his free programme.
But the 19-year-old, skating to the theme from “Phantom of the Opera”, moved up from fifth place after Friday’s short routine, scoring 151.79 points for a total of 229.80 — well short of shock winner and countryman Daisuke Murakami, who swept to gold with a swashbuckling display to finish on 246.07.
Russia’s Sergei Voronov took silver with 236.65 and Takahito Mura the bronze on 234.44 to punch their tickets to Barcelona next month.
“I don’t want to make excuses about being short of practice,” said Hanyu, who returned from China in a wheelchair with stitches in his jaw and staples in his head after an accident which sparked criticism of Japanese officials for allowing the superstar to skate.
“It’s a fair reflection of where I am with my skating right now,” added the Japanese heartthrob, who was showered with roses after his skate but was seen to mouth the words “it’s over” after striking his final pose.
“I was pushing a bit too hard on my jumps maybe, over-compensating for not being in top shape. But this result has nothing to do with the injury.”
– ‘Near miracle’ –
Hanyu, who confessed before skating in Osaka that it was a “near miracle” he survived his smash with China’s Yan Han, had been diagnosed with cranial bruising but his coach Brian Orser told AFP the skater had ignored his advice about pulling out of the NHK Trophy.
“It was his own decision,” said Orser. “I suggested a Plan A and a Plan B for this competition. Plan A was just not do it. Plan B was if you do then we have to scale down the programmes to make them easier.”
The Californian-based Murakami said: “I can’t believe it. It’s incredible to be sitting here as the gold medal winner.”
Japan’s Tatsuki Machida, Maxim Kovtun of Russia and Spaniard Javier Fernandez had already secured their places at the season finale, where Hanyu will be bidding to defend his title.
American national champion Gracie Gold clinched her spot in Barcelona by winning the women’s competition after a solid free skate, earning her a season-high of 123.00 for a total of 191.16 points and a first Grand Prix series title.
Japan’s Satoko Miyahara (179.02) and Kanako Murakami (173.09), who finished third and fourth respectively behind Russia’s Alena Leonova (186.40), will join countrywoman Rika Hongo as alternates in Spain.
Russians Elena Radionova, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Anna Pogorilaya and Yulia Lipnitskaia had already claimed the first four spots while American Ashley Wagner squeezed in ahead of the Japanese trio.
In the pairs, twice world bronze medallists Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada booked their spot in the finals by winning with a total of 199.78.
Former European champions Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia (183.60) took silver and also qualified alongside China’s world junior champions Xiaoyu Yu and Yang Jin (182.00).