Yuzuru Hanyu apologized after his free skate, but he had nothing to be sorry for.
The double Olympic champion won Rostelecom Cup by an overwhelming 29.84 points on Sunday, despite falling and popping an Axel on his last two jumps. Understandable, given Hanyu fell hard to open his practice session earlier Sunday and left with what appeared to be ice around his right ankle.
Hanyu still landed three quadruple jumps, adding 10 points to his lead from Friday’s short program. For the first time in nine seasons, Hanyu won his two Grand Prix Series qualifying events, cruising into December’s exclusive, six-skater Grand Prix Final.