羽生結弦が競技生活に幕、プロ転向を表明

【東京ＡＦＰ＝時事】冬季五輪で２度金メダルを獲得した、フィギュアスケート男子の羽生結弦が１９日、競技からの引退を表明した。（写真は記者会見に臨むフィギュアスケート男子の羽生結弦）
　「氷上のプリンス」こと２７歳の羽生は、今年の北京冬季五輪ではけがに苦しんで４位に終わり、ネイサン・チェン（米国）に王座を奪われた。
　ダークスーツに身を包み、メディアが詰めかけた会見場に現れた羽生は、壇上に上がると深々と頭を下げ、競技からは身を引くと述べた。
　羽生は「競技者として、他のスケーターと比べ続けることはなくなりました」とし、今後はファンのためにエキシビションでのスケーティングに専念すると語った。
　「寂しさは特にないです。これからさらに頑張っていきたい」
　平昌冬季五輪を最後に競技生活を終える考えもあったという羽生だったが、４回転アクセルという目標に向けて戦い続ける決意を固めたという。
　「もう競技会に対して、結果っていうものに対して、取るべきものは取れたなと思っています。そこに対する評価を求めなくなってしまった」
　４回転アクセルが心残りだったと明かした羽生は「みなさんの前で成功させられたらいいな」とし、「常に挑戦し続けていきたいなと思います」とコメントした。
　羽生は２０１４年ソチ冬季五輪の男子シングルで金メダルを獲得すると、４年後の平昌五輪では６６年ぶりとなる連覇を達成した。
　２０１４年と２０１７年の世界選手権でも優勝した羽生だったが、近年はけがに悩まされ、平昌五輪では足首の靱帯（じんたい）の問題を乗り越えてタイトルを手にした。
　同じ負傷により２０２１－２２シーズンはグランプリ（ＧＰ）シリーズを欠場したが、昨年末の全日本選手権で復帰。同大会では北京五輪に向けた秘密兵器と期待された４回転アクセルに挑戦したが失敗に終わった。
　羽生は、２０１８年には最年少での国民栄誉賞を授与されている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/07/20-14:03）

Japan's two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu said he felt no sadness after retiring from competition aged 27 on Tuesday, bringing the curtain down on one of the sport's most glittering careers.
The soft-spoken Ice Prince became the first man to win back-to-back Olympic titles in 66 years and is a national icon who is followed around the world by adoring fans.
But he said the time was right to bow out after finishing fourth at this year's Beijing Games -- where he struggled with injury -- saying he was not needed any more in competitive skating.
As far as competitions and results go, I think I have been able to take all the things I wanted to take, Hanyu, dressed in a dark suit and bowing deeply as he took to the stage, told a packed press conference in Tokyo.
I think I have grown in such a way that I don't seek that kind of evaluation anymore, he added.
Hanyu said he intends to keep his legion of Fanyu supporters happy by skating in exhibition shows, and made clear his discomfort with the idea of being considered retired.
He will no longer compete on the stage that made him one of figure skating's all-time greats, however, adding that he would never miss the tension of competition.
I'll no longer be compared with other skaters as a competitor, he said.
I have no sadness. I want to continue to do my best.
With his graceful skating style and delicate, boyish looks, Hanyu is an icon for his fans, who shower the ice with Winnie the Pooh toys after his routines.
He won his first Olympic singles title at the 2014 Sochi Games and overcame injury to retain his crown four years later in Pyeongchang.
He also won the world championships in 2014 and 2017 but he has been dogged by injury in recent years, including an ankle ligament problem that he had to overcome to win his second Olympic gold.
He was dethroned as Olympic champion in February in Beijing by rival Nathan Chen of the United States, tumbling during his routine and missing the podium.
- 'Heavy burden' -
Hanyu said he had considered retiring after the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018 but finally made up his mind after returning from Beijing.
I thought about a lot of things at that time, and I thought I wasn't needed anymore on this stage, he said.
Hanyu will concentrate on skating in ice shows, where he will attempt to land the fabled quadruple axel jump that eluded him throughout his competitive career.
He said he would work harder so he could one day land it successfully in front of everyone.
Although his plans for the future are still vague, he said he wanted to figure out ways to show people my skating in a way that's more befitting of today's age.
Ice shows tend to be considered something elegant and fun, but I want to remain more of an athlete, he said.
I want people to see me as I continue to fight.
Hanyu is a national hero in Japan, where he became the youngest recipient of his country's prestigious People's Honour Award in 2018, and his every move is headline news.
But he still remains something of an enigma despite the huge attention, rarely granting interviews and having no social media presence.
He said he wanted to continue learning, adding that being Yuzuru Hanyu is a heavy burden.