Where are they now: Sochia€™s figure skating champions

February 22, 2022

Men’s: Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan

Yuzuru Hanyu won silver in Sochi in history-making style, getting the very first men’s room skater to score over 100 points in small plan, the most important Japanese people to winnings Olympic gold in men’s skating, and (at 19 yrs . old) the youngest men’s Olympic champion in virtually 60 ages. Hanyu returned the home of a parade of reportedly near 100,000 everyone, but was not content to stay as well as benefit from the spoils of their Olympic triumph. Just per month afterwards, he competed from the 2014 business Championships and reported gold.

Hanyu’s post-Olympic period got to a rough start at his first big Prix event, the 2014 cup China. When you look at the warm-up ahead of the free of charge system, Hanyu approximately collided with another skater. Determined to participate anyway, Hanyu dropped five times during the plan. He had been capable retrieve for any large Prix last to make a personal-best score within the complimentary skate and state silver by over 34 things behind the silver medalist, The country of spain’s Javier Fernandez. Fernandez concluded the growing season on the top, but using the silver medal from the 2015 business Championships while Hanyu gotten sterling silver.

Hanyu and Fernandez, who teach collectively in Toronto, Canada under two-time Olympic sterling silver medalist Brian Orser, both recurring her titles the following season. Hanyu acquired silver over Fernandez at 2015 great Prix Final with world record ratings for their quick plan, free skate and overall rating. But Hanyu got far from their ideal from the 2016 industry titles, creating numerous blunders in his no-cost skate while Fernandez was actually near-perfect. Fernandez obtained the next community titles title, making Hanyu in next destination.

Hanyu experienced a unique opponent throughout 2016-17 month: United states teenager Nathan Chen, just who stunned society with his toolbox of high-scoring quadruple jumps. At their own very first showdown, the 2016 Grand Prix last, Chen encountered the higher rating into the free of charge skate but Hanyu’s lead following the quick plan guaranteed him a fourth straight winnings at that prestigious occasion. They confronted down once more in the 2017 Four Continents titles, and Chen’s seven complete quad jumps-two for the small system and five in the free of charge skate-earned your the gold medal, while Hanyu gotten silver.

Everything found a head within 2017 business Championships, with Chen, Hanyu and Fernandez all dueling for concept. Hanyu won their 2nd World name, while costly mistakes relegated Chen to a sixth put finish inside the Worlds introduction. Fernandez completed fourth, behind Japan’s Shoma Uno (gold) and China’s Boyang Jin (bronze).

Hanyu possesses several business reports: the small system rating (set at the fantastic Prix last), the free skate score (ready at 2017 globes) in addition to record for finest actually total score, guidelines, set within great Prix last.

Women: Adelina Sotnikova, Russia

17-year-old Sotnikova upset the women’ field when she outscored 2010 Olympic winner Yuna Kim, the favorite to duplicate, your silver medal in Sochi. She is the first Russian lady to win an quiver mobile site Olympic name in singles find skating.

Controversy around Sotnikova’s success still stays, nevertheless. At the time, many questioned perhaps the judges got scored the girl fairly-one lady in the Olympic judging screen had been the partner with the movie director for the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, and another was involved in a score-fixing scandal from the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Enthusiasts of Kim launched an online petition calling for a study, therefore rapidly gained over two million signatures. Nevertheless worldwide Skating Union decreased to simply take any actions.

Almost three-years after the opposition, Sotnikova’s victory was actually called into question again because of the McLaren document. This research because of the business Anti-Doping service outlined prevalent doping among Russian athletes and an advanced cover-up process to ensure they weren’t caught. It absolutely was stated that the bottle of a single of Sotnikova’s urine trials was actually interfered with, and she is are investigated because of this.