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SOCHI, Russia – Yuzuru Hanyu became the first Japanese man to win an Olympic figure skating gold in Sochi on Friday, as the teenager also claimed Japan’s first title of the 2014 Winter Games.
The 19-year-old from Sendai fell twice but took his first major title ahead of three-time world champion Patrick Chan after the men’s free skating final.
Denis Ten moved up from ninth after the short program to take a first Olympic figure skating bronze for Kazakhstan. Michael Christian Martinez, the Philippines’ lone Winter Olympian, finished 19th with a score of 184.25.
After setting a world record score in the short program, Hanyu sealed his historic victory with his free skate to Nino Rota’s “Romeo and Juliet” in front of a capacity crowd at the Iceberg Skating Palace.
Carrying a 3.93-point lead in from the short program Hanyu scored 178.64 for the free skate, despite a two-point deduction, for an overall total of 280.09.
Chan, 23, achieved 178.10 for his error-strewn performance to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and “Concerto Grosso” for an overall total of 275.62.
It was a second straight Olympic title for Hanyu’s Canadian coach Brian Orser who guided Kim Yu-Na to the women’s gold in Vancouver in 2010.
It is just the second Olympic figure skating title for Japan after Shizuka Arakawa won the 2006 women’s title in Turin.
Chan became the latest Canadian to falter at the Olympics after Orser, Kurt Browning and Elvis Stojko, had all entered Games as favorites but failed to land gold. – Rappler.com
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