Yuzuru Hanyu is the high school student from Japan that jumped to gold in the Pyeongchang Olympic ice skating competition. Despite being bullied for his sport, despite hard coaches, despite everything, Hanyu kept a smile on his face and continuously goofed off, so he quickly became the fan favorite of the sport. Yuzuru Hanyu’s favorite anime artist even drew him as an anime and the picture became the number one most retweeted post for a day. The picture brought speculation that Yuri on Ice was based on Hanyu, but the creator herself stated, “Yuzuru Hanyu is his own person, his own name. He has brought the world so much talent and happiness by himself.” He and his Winnie the Pooh tissues always brought the crowd to a roar of laughter, but will that light hearted mood continue?

He got all the happiness he worked so hard to earn, all the Winnie the Pooh plushies he could ask for, and the unwavering support of his fans. Despite finally reaching Olympic gold level, Yuzuru Hanyu’s right ankle injury progressively got worse after the games. He will be in rehabilitation for the next few months and can’t even touch the ice for two full weeks. Hanyu won’t be able to compete in worlds and will be forced to join the other twelve Olympic skaters in the stands all because of their injuries. With all of these power houses out, no one knows what the future of skating will be. This was supposed to be the year of the quad spin, but the impressive move might not be mastered by many, not even Yuzuru Hanyu. Even with the injury and doubting critics, Hanyu is keeping his optimistic look saying, “I will do what I can, little by little.”