Some Random Thoughts After Studying Yuzuru for 3 Months

On 10/26/2026 at 4:38 AM, yuzurujenn said:

I found this injury list from a Chinese fan. Feel free to add/correct anything here.

https://weibo.com/7548308482/NdNCt0In6

I did a copy-paste and added a few things. My comments are in bold.

When he was two years old, he has been diagnosed with asthma.

Sprained ankle when he was 7 years old. His father carried him in his arms into the medical studio of Akira Kikuchi, whom he met for the first time on this occasion.

Autumn 2007: Injury at his neck (we know no more details). In this period he won gold at the Novice A National Championship and bronze at the Junior National Championship.

February 2009: He aims to reclaim the two spots for Japan at the World Junior Championships, which means he must place in the top 10. He extends his training sessions and ends up with a back injury. A week before the competition, he is unable to land even a 1A. He finished 12th (it should be noted that 4 of the skaters who placed ahead of him had already competed in Grand Prix events or at least one senior ISU Championship, but they chose to participate in this competition to earn international ranking points, given that the following season would be an Olympic season).

December 2009, GPF, gold medal
An injury at the back forced him to reduce training sessions some time before the competition.

December 2009, National Championship (senior), 6th place
The back pain continues to be felt, so much so that in training he avoids the Biellmann position.

March 11, 2011 Earthquake
Not exactly an injury, but it had a very strong psychological impact, and for several days he also experienced significant physical discomfort. We know that between the end of April and the beginning of May, when the WC took place, he had not yet regained his 4T. He also lost the ice rink for the second time, having already lost it once before in December 2004.

2011.11, Rostelecom Cup (Grand Prix of Russia), Gold Medal
Injured his hip during the official practice before the competition and competed with it taped up. [It was Kikuchi who recounted the episode in his book in 2019. Kikuchi too was in Russia at the time, and even with the care provided by the Japanese team doctor, Yuzu found it painful just to walk. Yuzu absolutely had to win this competition in order to qualify for the GPF.]

December 2011, GPF, 4th place
During the commentary for Eurosport, at the start of the short program, Max Ambesi mentioned that he had "an ankle problem."

2012.03, World Championships in Nice, France, Bronze Medal
Injured his right ankle before the free skate and competed after receiving a painkilling injection. A post-competition examination confirmed an avulsion fracture. [Correction: he sprained his ankle before the Short Program, not before the Free Skate. This is the reason why he decided to change his layout and to do the combination after the 4T, at the start of the program, instead that after the 3Lz, at the end of the program, when he was already tired. I knew nothing about the subsequent diagnosis of a fracture.]

Summer 2012
During a night training session while staying in Sendai—with Orser away in Canada—he fell and sprained his ankle.

2012.10, Finlandia Trophy, Gold Medal
In the first season after moving to Canada for training, Yuzuru Hanyu developed a high fever before the competition. Without sufficient pre-competition training, he made his season debut at the Finlandia Trophy (as described in Blue Flame II). During the free skate, he suffered an asthma attack and collapsed onto the ice immediately after finishing, gasping for breath. [During this period, his asthma worsened because he had to adapt to a climate different from the one he was used to. Furthermore, while it was normal to wear a mask in Japan for protection against dust and pollen, that was not the case in Canada; people would stare at him, so for a while, he stopped wearing one.]

2012.12, Grand Prix Final, Silver Medal
He was in seriously poor health due to food poisoning, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea. He withdrew from the gala after the opening performance.

2012.12, All-Japan Championships, Gold Medal
He competed before he had fully recovered his health (*Blue Flame II*; the documentary Time of Awakening).

2013.02, Four Continents Championships, Silver Medal
During the long program, he was affected by a minor injury to his right eyelid sustained before the competition. According to reports, he was jostled by people crowding around him at the hotel and hit the hotel glass. Had this injury not occurred, he would have become a Super Grand Slam champion at just 19 years old in 2014.

2013.03, World Championships in Canada, 4th Place
He contracted influenza before the World Championships and was unable to train for about 10 days because of a high fever. He returned to the ice at the end of February, with only two weeks remaining before the World Championships. After resuming on-ice training in late February 2013, he injured his left knee and had to stop training for another week (*Blue Flame II*).

During the second half of the 2012–13 season, he not only suffered frequent injuries but also fell ill often (*Time of Awakening*). During the official practice on the morning of the free skate at the March 2013 World Championships, he injured his right ankle again (*Blue Flame II*). This was one of only two times in his senior career that he failed to reach the podium at an international competition. His left knee was at Stage III of patellar tendinitis. Despite everything, he fought to secure three Olympic spots for Japan at Sochi. The other two Japanese skaters finished sixth and eighth. [Correction regarding the result: this is the only World Championship in which he did not reach the podium, but throughout his senior career, he has missed the podium in 7 individual international competitions.]

In the summer of 2013, the JSF reached a sponsorship agreement with Ajinomoto, which included the support of a nutritionist for its top athletes. Upon discovering that Hanyu had a digestive issue, Hidefumi Kurihara devised a targeted diet to help him resolve the problem.

February 2014, Olympic Games, gold medal
Some time before the competition, he experienced back problems, but we don't know the details.

2014.03, World Championships in Saitama, Japan, Gold Medal
After the Olympics, he developed tonsillitis and a fever and was unable to train (*Blue Flame II*). Before the World Championships, he sprained his back and injured his right knee (documentary Covered in Scars Behind the Smile). Despite this, he achieved the Grand Slam title in a single season, a feat accomplished by only two skaters in history. [The physical issues led him to miss two of the official practices.]

2014.09, Finlandia Trophy, Withdrew
Diagnosed with lumbar myofascial fasciitis, he withdrew and underwent treatment and a month of rest (*Blue Flame II*). [He also has trouble with one of his ankles. In an attempt to avoid putting strain on the painful areas, he moves a bit differently than usual. This causes him pain in other parts of his body.]

2014.11, Cup of China in Shanghai, China, Silver Medal
The collision accident. He sustained contusions to the head, jaw, and abdomen, a contusion to the left thigh, and a crush injury to the right ankle joint. Full recovery was expected to take two to three weeks. [While almost all of the physical issues occurred either during the collision with Han Yan or the subsequent impact with the ice, the ankle sprain happened when he fell for the fourth time, on an underrotated 3Lo.]

2014.11, NHK Trophy in Japan, 4th Place
He competed less than three weeks after resting following the collision accident.

December 2014, GPF, gold medal
He has begun performing the Biellmann spin again—a move that was still absent from his programs at the NHK Trophy because he was not healed yet—but already after the short program, he has started to feel some stomach pain.

2014.12, All-Japan Championships, Gold Medal
Despite his asthma and a urachal remnant condition that caused pus and bleeding around the navel, he competed with the area wrapped in bandages. He underwent surgery immediately after the competition. Experienced alcohol allergy during surgery, and antibiotic allergy after surgery (*Blue Flame II*).

February 2015
When he starts training again after the surgery, he falls and sprains his right ankle.

2015.03, World Championships in Shanghai, China, Silver Medal
Following surgery for the urachal remnant condition, the surgical sutures failed to dissolve, causing the wound to become inflamed and infected with pus. The pain was so severe that he could not turn over in bed while sleeping (*Blue Flame II*). He underwent a second operation after the competition.

2015.04, World Team Trophy (WTT) in Japan, Team Bronze
Despite being in so much pain that even bending forward or backward was extremely difficult, he competed in the World Team Trophy (*Blue Flame II*).

2015.10, Left foot injury (*Blue Flame II*)
He struggled with a left foot injury throughout the entire season.

2015.10, Skate Canada, Silver Medal
His asthma worsened two days before the competition. In addition to coughing and other asthma symptoms, he developed a fever above 38°C.

2015.11, NHK Trophy in Japan, Gold Medal
He suffered an asthma attack. He scored 106.33 in the short program, 216.07 in the free skate, and 322.40 overall, breaking the world record in all three categories. This was the first time he ascended to legendary status.

2015.12, Grand Prix Final, Gold Medal
He had a ligament injury and continued to apply emergency ice packs before the competition. In the end, he broke all three world records once again, scoring 110.95 in the short program, 219.48 in the free skate, and 330.43 overall, once again cementing his legendary status. [He also had a cold.]

January 2016
The pain in his left foot is so intense that he has to take painkillers in order to perform in the planned Winter shows. During training, his quadruple jumps disappear, and he falls on his triple Axel. To alleviate the pain, he turns his ankle outward when walking, which causes him pain in other parts of his body.

2016.03, World Championships in Boston, USA, Silver Medal
He had a ligament injury in his left foot and was unable even to put on his skating boot. His hotel room door would not open, so he missed the shuttle bus to official practice. The zipper on his Seimei costume broke, along with many other mishaps. It was a World Championships he would probably rather not look back on. Nevertheless, he delivered an outstanding short program, scoring 110.56, just 0.39 points below the world record at the time. (he also set a world record in the short program) [Correction: The problem with the costume occurred before the short program. There were also some tense moments with Denis Ten].

2016–2017 Season
The ligament injury on the top of his left foot from the previous season had not fully healed and affected him throughout the entire season (*Blue Flame II*). [Before the Autumn Classic International in September, he experienced back pain—linked to the unusual movements he made to protect his left foot—as well as ankle trouble. In competition, he avoids the Biellmann spin]

2016.12, Grand Prix Final, Gold Medal
He experienced gastrointestinal discomfort before the free skate. (This was revealed by someone connected to the event on Twitter; Japanese media did not report it.) [Oh! I knew nothing about this.]

2016.12, All-Japan Championships, Withdrew
He contracted influenza accompanied by pharyngitis before the competition, and his high fever would not subside, forcing him to withdraw.

February 2017, Four Continents Championships, silver medal
He was experiencing back pain. Both during the FS and the gala, in his "Notte stellata" performance, he replaced the Biellmann spin with an A-spin, and in the gala he also replaced the triple Axel with a poorly executed triple toe loop.

2017.03, World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, Gold Medal
He suffered from asthma in the two weeks leading up to the competition and had another asthma attack during official practice on the second day. His free skate score of 223.20 once again broke the world record he himself held.

2017.09, Autumn Classic International in Canada, Silver Medal
His knee injury was severe. For the short program, Seimei, he temporarily lowered the planned difficulty, changing the layout from 4Lo, 3A, 4T+3T to 4S, 3A, 4T+3T. Nevertheless, he scored an impressive 112.72, breaking the world record. To this day, it remains the highest short program score under both the old and new scoring systems.

2017.11, NHK Trophy in Japan, Withdrew
He had a high fever and was unable to walk in a straight line. Despite not having recovered, he took part in official practice. While practicing the 4Lz, he injured the ligaments in his right ankle upon landing (*NHK documentary*).

2018.02, PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Gold Medal
The ligament injury in his right ankle had not healed. He took large amounts of painkillers to compete and became the first men's singles skater in 66 years to win back-to-back Olympic titles.

2018.11, Rostelecom Cup (Grand Prix of Russia), Gold Medal
He fell while practicing the 4Lo during official practice. The ligament injury in his right ankle recurred, accompanied by an injury to the deltoid ligament and an injury to the peroneal tendons in his right ankle. He stood on the medal podium using crutches.

2019.03, World Championships in Saitama, Japan, Silver Medal
Residual pain and inflammation in his ankle joint remained. He still needed two to three months of rest to recover.

May 2019, Fantasy on Ice Tour
He take part in the tour after a 10-day, forced break from training, with his left ankle not yet fully recovered from a sprain and a swollen hand—the result of a fall while attempting quintuple jumps in an effort to increase the scale of his jumps and land the 4A.

December 2019, GPF; Silver medal
If we want to list all the serious issues—not just the injuries—he competed without his coach until the evening before the free skate program, because during a flight connection in Germany, Ghislain Briand had his wallet, containing his passport, stolen; Briand then had to return to Canada to get a replacement. And on at least three occasions, he encountered flight-related issues that caused him to arrive in the host city a day later than planned: at 2012 Skate America (a lengthy customs check caused him to miss his flight), at the 2013 Grand Prix Final (due to air traffic issues), and at the 2021 World Championships (an earthquake led to the suspension of Shinkansen train services, including the one he had booked to reach Tokyo’s airport; by the time he arrived at the airport, his plane had already departed).

2019.12, All-Japan Championships, Silver Medal
Possible asthma (though there is no concrete evidence. This was the only competition in which he wore a heart-rate monitor). Due to the competition schedule, he traveled from Canada to Italy, then back to Canada, and from Canada to Japan within five weeks. Unable to adjust to the time differences and facing a graduation thesis deadline, he developed a mild loss of appetite and reached a state of physical exhaustion. [For sure he was jet-lagged.]

September (or perhaps October) 2020
Intense training on the 4A leads to periostitis, and all the quadruple jumps vanish.

2021.03, World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, Bronze Medal
He suffered a sudden asthma attack before the free skate, to the point that he was at risk of suffocation.

2021.04, World Team Trophy in Nagano, Japan, Team Bronze
He experienced gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea. [Due to the quarantines imposed by competition organizers and governments, he had to adapt to food different from what his nutritionist had prescribed, and this caused him problems. During the official practice sessions for the gala, he repeatedly attempts the 4A and injures his right knee. When he shows it to Yuka Sato during the Stars on Ice tour, she is taken aback—and she was right to be: that knee was a sight to behold.]

Summer 2021
training the 4A, he sprained his right ankle.

2021.11, NHK Trophy in Japan, Withdrew
Two weeks before the competition, he sprained his right ankle while practicing the 4A and withdrew from the event. He subsequently developed esophagitis and a fever (*All-Japan Championships interview). [He withdrew also from the Rostelecom Cup.]

2021.12, All-Japan Championships, Gold Medal
He competed after taking painkillers. During official practice, he did three 4A attempts. In the actual competition, he landed the 4A on two feet, while the rest of his performance was flawless.

2022.02, Beijing Winter Olympics, 4th Place
During official practice before the free skate, he sprained his right ankle while practicing the 4A. Despite the injury, he competed in the free skate. He fell on the 4A and 4S. In the second half, however, he executed two quadruple jump combinations and two triple Axels perfectly. He took seven painkillers before the exhibition gala but still insisted on performing, presenting skating fans with the beautiful and ethereal Haru yo, Koi. [Correction: the first 3A was in the first half of the program].

2022.03, World Championships in France, Withdrew
He announced his withdrawal because his foot injury had not yet healed.

Events he had to skip because of an injury:

·         2012 WTT

·         2012 GPF (only the gala)

·         2013 WC (only the gala)

·         2013 WTT

·         2014 Finlandia Trophy

·         2014 Cup of China (Medal ceremony and gala)

·         2014 National Championship (only the gala)

·         2015 4CC

·         2016 4CC

·         Summer 2016: Fantasy on Ice tour

·         2016 National Championship

·         2017 NHK Trophy

·         2017 GPF - To be precise, having participated in only one competition, he did not qualify, but to qualify he only needed to finish fourth at the NHK Trophy, which meant he had to obtain at least 245.96 points. The last time he failed to achieve this score was at the 2014 NHK Trophy, three weeks after the accident with Han Yan.

·         2017 National Championship

·         2018 OG – Team Event

·         2018 WC

·         2018 Rostelecom Cup (only the gala)

·         2018 GPF

·         2019 4CC

·         2019 WTT

·         The 2020 WC was cancelled because of the covid. The same happened to the 2020 Autumn Classic International, to the 2020 GP competitions (4 competitions were held, but it takes a lot of imagination to call those competitions "Grand Prix" events) and to the 2021 4CC

·         2021 NHK Trophy

·         2021 Rostelecom Cup

·         2022 WC

Note: I have listed the Four Continents Championships in non-Olympic seasons as events missed due to injury—provided, of course, that the skater did not participate. Given how close the 4CC is to the Olympics, those aiming for an Olympic medal typically skip it. In the other season, usually he wanted to compete. For instance, at the 2015 Grand Prix Final, Yuzu had stated his intention to compete in the upcoming 4CC; however, it was only at the National Championships—by which point his Lisfranc injury was causing such severe pain that he could barely skate, though no one else knew—that he announced he would focus on training between the Nationals and the World Championships, opting to skip the 4CC. As for 2012, he was not selected by the Japan Skating Federation, which generally prefers to send at least one skater to the 4CC who will not be competing in the World Championships. Having placed third at the National Championships, Yuzu was sent to the World Championships but left off the 4CC roster (the previous year, after placing fourth at the National Championships, the opposite occurred: he was sent to the 4CC but not to the World Championships).

The list of issues—which is almost certainly incomplete (and I haven’t even mentioned nosebleeds before competitions or stomach aches caused by pre-competition nerves)—refers solely to the competitive period.