Hanyu Yuzuru set to compete at Japanese Figure Skating Championships

Injured two-time defending Olympic champion Hanyu Yuzuru has been officially listed for the Japanese figure skating national championships, which will double up as the nation's Beijing 2022 Olympic trials.

The entry list for the 22-26 December competition at Saitama Super Arena was released by the Japan Skating Federation on Saturday (27 November).

Hanyu’s entry is the first concrete indication that he is, at the very least, trying to participate in the upcoming Winter Olympics, where he would be bidding for an unprecedented third successive Olympic men’s singles title.

Earlier this season, the figure skating super star pulled out of this season’s Grand Prix Series - the NHK Trophy and Rostelecom Cup - with a right-ankle ligament injury, which has yet to fully heal according to Hanyu himself.

“I have been trying to do everything I can to meet all the support and expectations", Hanyu had said when he withdrew from the ongoing Rostelecom Cup in Sochi.

"Depending on how I move the pain still surfaces, but it's become less and less of an issue in everyday life. I have not reached the starting blocks just yet but I am definitely progressing.

"I will keep at it."

Participation at the nationals is, in principle, mandatory for anyone seeking one of three places at the Games.

However, even if Hanyu is not fit in time for the trials, the JSF can make an exception based on past achievements provided that there is a valid reason for his absence.

The 26-year-old has not competed since the World Team Trophy in April in Osaka.

He chose not to enter the 2020-2021 Grand Prix season amid the global pandemic, citing his need to take precautionary measures for his asthma.

Also entered for the nationals is Kihira Rika, who had passed on this Grand Prix season with a lingering right-ankle injury.

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