At a pre-Olympic figure-skating competition in Moscow last October, Yuzuru Hanyu was told that he resembled to some a heroic character, delicate but fierce, from the Japanese tradition of anime.
He did not see himself that way, Hanyu said in an interview, but with a smile, he added, “I like to win with some drama.”
He could have had no idea how much drama lay ahead.
Less than three weeks later, Hanyu sustained ligament damage to his right ankle while rehearsing a difficult four-revolution jump. Nearly four months would elapse before he could compete again, here at the Winter Olympics.