Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan performs during the Men Short Program at the World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm, Sweden on March 25, 2021. (AP Photo / Martin Meissner)
Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan performs during the Men Short Program at the World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm, Sweden on March 25, 2021. (AP Photo / Martin Meissner)
Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan performs during the Men Short Program at the World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm, Sweden on March 25, 2021. (AP Photo / Martin Meissner)
Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan sits with this trainer after this performance at the Men Short Program at the World Figure Skating Championships on March 25, 2021 in Stockholm, Sweden. (AP Photo / Martin Meissner)
STOCKHOLM (Kyodo) – Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, who takes a third world title, scored 106.98 points to take a comfortable lead after the men’s short program at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm, Sweden on Thursday.
Yuma Kagiyama, a 17-year-old Japanese who was champion of the 2020 Youth Olympic Games, impressed at his world premiere and finished second with a personal best of 100.96 points. Defending champion Nathan Chen of the USA fell on his first jump and finished third with a score of 98.85.
“I’ve done my best for today,” said two-time Olympic champion Hanyu, who won the 2017 world title before Chen won the next two.
The 2020 worlds in Montreal have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have to get in perfect physical shape and get a lot of power out of my body before I can skate,” added Hanyu.
Hanyu, who is attending his first international event this season after choosing to train solo in Japan during the coronavirus pandemic, landed a quad-salchow, quad-toe-triple-toe combo, and then a triple -Axel and ran to the Robbie Williams song “Let” I’m Entertaining You. ”
The 26-year-old Japanese met his Canadian coach Brian Orser again in Stockholm after almost a year and said he was grateful to have a supporter by his side.
“Last year the worlds were suddenly destroyed and I felt like I was lost. I’m glad that we (this year) have a place, even under the circumstances, where we can show the hard work we do have done, “he said.
Hanyu’s best rival in Stockholm is double world champion Chen, who fell while trying to open a quadruple lutz but recovered with a triple axis and a quadruple triple toe. Chen has been undefeated since his first world title in 2018.
Of the 24 skaters who made the Free Skate Cut, Chen will take the 22nd ice, Kagiyama 23rd and Hanyu will appear last. Hanyu will bring more than an eight-point advantage over Chen in the men’s free skate scheduled for Saturday.
No spectators will be allowed to participate in the Ericsson Globe competition from March 22-28, which will qualify for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
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