Injury may hold Yuzuru Hanyu back from Grand Prix Final

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Two-time Olympic champion, Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu on November 18 said that his injury worsened after competing in the free skating event, leaving him unsure about being able to attend the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final that will start from December 6 in Canada.

Hanyu won his second title of the 2018 Grand Prix series on November 17 by overcoming his right ankle injury he got from a practice fall earlier. Hanyu still showed up at the next day's awarding ceremony but had to walk on crutches. It's clear that he could put any weight on his right foot.

Yuzuru Hanyu cannot plant his right foot on the ground because of his injuries. /VCG Photo

According to Yoshiko Kobayashi, the Japan Skating Association's head of development, Hanyu was diagnosed with apparent damage to two different ligaments, a tendon and his fibula, which will take about three weeks to heal. As his ankle swelled up overnight, Hanyu had the affected areas repeatedly iced.

The 23-year-old athlete is no stranger to injuries and has repeatedly competed while hurt. Back in 2014, Hanyu first got hurt in a crash in early November but he made it to the Grand Prix Final a month later and won the title. In November 2017, he suffered bone and tendon injuries which did not stop him from claiming his second Olympic gold medal in PyeongChang.

Hanyu promised that he would "dedicate all his energy toward regaining his fitness ahead of the final," according to Kobayashi. Though he has already won the event four times, it's still hard to imagine that Hanyu would back off in December.