olympics
Japan’s ‘Ice Prince’ Yuzuru Hanyu retires from competitive figure skating
- On July 19, 2022, Japan’s 'Ice Prince' Yuzuru Hanyu announced his decision to continue as a professional figure skater and retire from competitive sport.
- Hanyu, widely regarded as one of the greatest figure skaters in history, is moving on from a prolific career that resulted in numerous international awards and feats, including two Olympic gold medals, four Grand Prix championships and a dozen world records.
- During a news conference in Tokyo, he stated that he plans to continue as a professional figure skater and will strive to achieve the quadruple Axel, a jump that no skater has hit in competition.
- Fans from all over the world expressed their appreciation of Hanyu’s work and achievements throughout his career, with many stating support for his decision to leave competitive sport.
Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, widely regarded as one of the greatest figure skaters in history, has retired from international competitions.
Known to international fans as the “Ice Prince,” the 27-year-old Japanese athlete announced his decision to retire from competitive sport during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Viral clip shows man apparently stopping Olympian Eileen Gu from leaving after a selfie in Beijing
- A recent video shows a man seemingly trying to stop Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu from leaving after they take a selfie together.
- The athlete was out exercising with her mother in Beijing when the stranger asked for a photo.
- The clip of their encounter, which has since gone viral, angered Chinese social media users, who called the man “rude.”
- “I am a loyal fan of Eileen Gu,” he explained in a video uploaded to Douyin after the encounter. “I didn’t try to stop her from leaving. There happened to be a vehicle coming when she tried to cross the road. I asked her to be mindful of road safety. I definitely didn’t intend to hold her back.”
A now-viral video shows a man seemingly trying to stop Olympic gold medalist skier Eileen Gu from leaving after they take a selfie together in Beijing.
The 18-year-old athlete, who often jogs around the city’s streets, was accompanied by her mother riding a bicycle at the time of the incident, which occurred on Chaoyang Road.
Seoul-born national speed skating coach for China apologizes after wife’s website calls Taiwan a country
- South Korean-born Russian short-track speed skater Viktor Ahn, 36, apologized on Weibo on Monday after the website of his wife’s skincare and cosmetics brand referred to Taiwan as a country.
- “I had a very pleasant time as a coach in China and I appreciate all the support from speed skating fans and internet users,” Ahn, who advised China’s national short-track team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, wrote. “My family and I firmly respect the one-China policy. I hope for people’s forgiveness.”
- Nari, the brand that Ahn’s wife, Woo Na-ri, founded in 2017, also issued an apology and explained that they did not notice the “error” on their website, which a third-party company allegedly made.
- “At the moment, we have asked the third party to correct the error in time and also decided to terminate the cooperation with them. Thanks for your criticism and corrections,” Nari’s statement read in part.
- A six-time Olympic gold medalist, Ahn moved to Russia and became a citizen there in 2011 after a falling out with his South Korean team. He competed for Russia at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
South Korean-born Russian short-track speed skater Viktor Ahn issued an apology after his wife’s skincare and cosmetics brand referred to Taiwan as a country.
The 36-year-old athlete, born Ahn Hyun-soo in Seoul in 1985, faced backlash from Chinese social media users over the weekend after they discovered that the website of the brand founded by his wife, Woo Na-ri, referred to Taiwan as a country.
‘It really hits my soul’: Suni Lee shares she battled impostor syndrome after her Olympic gold win
- Olympic gold medalist and star gymnast Suni Lee recently shared in an interview with ESPN that she suffered from anxiety and self-doubt after hearing reactions to her performance at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
- "I feel like, after the Olympics, there's just been so much doubt in like, 'Oh, she shouldn't have won Olympics [sic], blah, blah, blah,' and it really hits my soul," she said.
- The Auburn University student shared that Jeff Graba, one of her coaches, has helped her “put things into perspective.” She also said she writes in a journal to help her cope with her anxiety.
- During her first season as a college gymnast earlier this year, Lee made history as the second Auburn gymnast to score two perfect scores of 10.
Olympic gold medalist and star gymnast Suni Lee has revealed that she struggled with anxiety and self-doubt following her all-around victory at the Tokyo Olympics last summer.
During an interview with ESPN on Monday, Lee shared that she experienced what she referred to as “impostor syndrome,” noting that the anxiety she felt almost stopped her from joining subsequent competitions.
Nathan Chen places his gold medal around his mother’s neck in their first reunion since the Olympics
- On Tuesday, Olympic figure skater Nathan Chen made an appearance on “The Today Show,” where his mother, Hetty Wang, surprised him.
- The two had not seen each other since the Olympics, and the mother and son duo embraced as Chen placed his gold medal around his mother’s neck.
- The 22-year-old thanked his mother for the years of support that she had given him, and the two reminisced on their Olympics journey.
- Chen won both a silver and gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics in figure skating.
Olympic figure skater Nathan Chen was surprised by his mother Hetty Wang during his appearance on Tuesday’s episode of NBC’s “Today” show, during which he thanked her for supporting him along his journey to becoming an Olympic champion.
Wang surprised Chen by walking on set with a tray of pizza, only to have Chen place his gold medal around her neck. According to Today, the two had not seen each other since the Olympics.
Taiwan premier orders government investigation of Taiwanese Olympian who wore Chinese uniform
- Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang has asked Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) and its Sports Administration (SA) to investigate Taiwanese speed skater Huang Yu-ting for wearing a Team China uniform during practice before the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
- Huang, 33, was seen wearing a Chinese national team skinsuit in a now-deleted Facebook video that she posted on Jan. 23. She took down her post on Feb. 3 after receiving backlash from Taiwanese citizens.
- The athlete claimed that a Chinese friend gifted the uniform to her: “For me, it was just the friendship. She gave it to me, the suit, and I just wore it when I was practicing. I didn't mean anything,” Huang told Beijing reporters on Thursday. “I posted the video because I just want to tell everyone that I go to the Olympics. I am happy with that.”
- Steven Chen, Taiwan's national team leader at the Beijing Winter Olympics, said on Saturday that the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee is “expected to carry out a review in April.”
Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang recently demanded an investigation of Taiwanese speed skater Huang Yu-ting after she was spotted wearing a Team China uniform before the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
In a statement on Saturday, Su’s office asked Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) and its Sports Administration (SA) to investigate Huang, 33, after she was seen in a video wearing a Chinese national team skinsuit during practice before the Winter Games, Reuters reported.
Chinese movie depicting Korean speed skaters as cheating bullies called ‘violation of the Olympic spirit’
- A Chinese movie that depicts South Korean speed skaters as rule-breaking bullies has caused outrage in South Korea.
- Released on Feb. 12, "Fly, Skating Star” follows the story of skating genius Cheng Huan and short-track speed skater Shen Bingxin as they overcome a significant obstacle to represent China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
- Seo Kyung-duk, a professor of general education at Sungshin Women's University, reportedly raised the issue of “Fly, Skating Star” to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the movie gained much attention in South Korea.
- Seo accused Beijing of “stirring up hatred against Korea,” adding that “this is a violation of the Olympic spirit."
- “I asked the IOC to give a warning to the Beijing city authorities and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), so that an incident like this would not occur again in the future," Seo said.
A Chinese movie released just before Valentine’s Day which depicts South Korean speed skaters as rule-breaking bullies has caused outrage among South Korean citizens, prompting a professor to raise the issue to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“Fly, Skating Star” was released on the Chinese platform iQiyi on Feb. 12, days after the Winter Olympics’ recent speed skating disqualification scandal occurred.
Speed skater Miho Takagi finally strikes gold after 3 silver finishes at Beijing Winter Olympics
- Japanese Olympic speed skater Miho Takagi won her first gold medal in the 1,000-meter speed skating competition on Thursday.
- Takagi finished her performance with a final time of 1:13.19, beating the previous Olympic record of 1:13.56 set by Jorien ter Mors at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
- The 27-year-old had won three silver medals prior to her gold medal win in the 1,500-meter, 500-meter and team pursuit speed skating competitions.
After winning three silver medals at the Beijing Winter Games, Japanese speed skater Miho Takagi set an Olympic record during the 1,000-meter women’s speed skating final on Thursday en route to her first gold medal.
Takagi set an Olympic record during her performance at the 1,000-meter event on Thursday, finishing with a final time of 1:13.19. The previous Olympic record, set by Jorien ter Mors at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, was 1:13.56.
Korean short track skater Kwak Yoon-gy dances to BTS’ ‘Dynamite’ at Olympics medals podium, RM responds
- Olympic speed skater Kwak Yoon-gy and his team won second place in the 5,000-meter men’s relay on Wednesday.
- They celebrated the silver medal by busting moves to BTS’ “Dynamite.”
- The 32-year-old skater’s dance moves on the Olympics medal podium were noticed by BTS leader RM, who shared a clip of Yoon-gy’s celebration in anon Instagram Story.
- He was bombarded with hate on social media after speaking out about alleged judging biases by the host country.
- The athlete said he had dreamed of winning the gold medal in Beijing, and that the 2022 Winter Games may be his final Olympic event.
South Korean Olympic speed skater Kwak Yoon-gy and his team won second place in the 5,000-meter men’s relay on Wednesday and celebrated the silver medal by busting moves to BTS’ “Dynamite.
The 32-year-old skater’s dance moves on the Olympics medal podium were noticed by BTS leader RM, who shared a clip of Yoon-gy’s celebration in an Instagram Story.
‘Queen of Korean Short Track’ Choi Min-jeong successfully defends her women’s 1500m gold medal crown
South Korean short track skater Choi Min-jeong managed to defend her previous 2018 Olympic gold medal during the final short track race at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, boosting South Korea’s total medal count to seven.
Choi, 23, beat Italy’s Arianna Fontana and Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands to secure her third gold medal ever during the 1,500-meter final held at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on Wednesday, CNN reported.
Olympic gold medalist Yuna Kim slams reversal of teen figure skater’s suspension over positive drug test
- Yuna Kim, a former Olympic figure skating champion, criticized the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) decision to reverse Kamila Valieva’s suspension and allow her to continue competing following a positive drug test.
- Valieva, a 15-year-old Russian figure skater, failed a drug test on Dec. 25 in which she tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned heart drug.
- The young athlete was initially suspended by the CAS, but the decision was reversed, and Valieva was allowed to compete at Tuesday’s event.
- Kim criticized the decision as unfair in an Instagram post on Monday.
After 15-year-old Russian Olympic figure skater Kamila Valieva was permitted to continue competing following a positive drug test, former Olympic figure skater Yuna Kim blasted the decision on Instagram as unfair.
According to Insider, Valieva failed her drug test on Dec. 25 and tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart drug that is often used by athletes as an endurance booster. Fox News also reported that Valieva had tested positive for two other substances: L-carnitine and hypoxen.
Child actor Su Yiming wins China’s sixth Olympic gold medal as the nation’s first snowboarding medalist
- Su Yiming, a 17-year-old snowboarder and former child actor, became China’s first snowboarding medalist after winning the gold medal in the Snowboard Big Air final on Tuesday.
- Su successfully landed a pair of 1800s on his first two runs, securing the gold medal over runners-up Mons Roisland from Norway and Max Parrot from Canada.
- His victory also helped earn China its highest number of medals at a Winter Olympics, with Su’s win delivering the nation’s sixth gold medal and 12th overall medal this year.
- “I had always dreamed about what it would be like to stand on the podium of the Olympics, and today, I did it,” Su told The Wall Street Journal.
Teen snowboarder Su Yiming won gold in the Snowboard Big Air final on Tuesday, claiming China’s sixth gold and 12th overall Winter Olympics medal this year.
The 17-year-old successfully landed a pair of 1800s on his first two runs, one frontside and one backside, in the competition. The spin is considered one of the most challenging tricks in snowboarding.
