JAPAN’S two-time Winter Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu announced his decision to retire from competitive figure skating at a press conference yesterday.

“I’ll no longer be compared with other skaters as a competitor,” the “Ice Prince” told a packed press conference, saying he will concentrate on skating in exhibition shows for his adoring fanbase.

He began skating as a child in his native Sendai, in Japan’s northeast and won his first Olympic gold in Sochi in 2014, before becoming the first man in 66 years to defend his title at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

But he has been dogged by injury in recent years, including an ankle ligament problem that he had to overcome to win his second Olympic gold. (Xinhua)