Figure skating champ Hanyu skips team event

TOKYO: Japan’s “Ice Prince” Yuzuru Hanyu has recovered from an ankle injury but will miss the Winter Olympics team competition, focusing solely on defending his singles title, news reports said on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Olympic champion damaged ankle ligaments attempting a quadruple lutz in training in November. He resumed training in Toronto in early January and is now ready to compete in the Games after making a smooth recovery, the Sankei Shimbun said.

But in order to avoid added strain on his ankle, he plans to skip the team event starting on Friday and instead focus on the men’s singles on February 16 and 17, the newspaper said.

This means he will make his first competition appearance on ice since his November injury in the Olympic short programme after he pulled out of international competitions and Japan’s national championships. Immediate comments from the Japan Skating Federation were not available.

from The News International - Sports http://ift.tt/2E1Nbyc