The Japanese government on Monday gave the People's Honor Award to 23-year-old two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu. The award ceremony was held at the Prime Minister's Office on the day. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe presented diplomas and plaques to Hanyu at the ceremony.
Abe praised Hanyu's accomplishments by saying, "His historical achievements, which he realized, overcoming being affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the serious injury suffered immediately before the Olympics, has deeply moved us and given us courage."
After the ceremony, Hanyu told reporters, "I would like to move on further with this award and people's expectations."
Hanyu won the men's gold medal at two consecutive Olympics, the 2014 Sochi Games in Russia and the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in South Korea. It was the first time in 66 years anyone had achieved the feat in men's figure skating. Overcoming an injury he had sustained to his right ankle, Hanyu deeply moved Japanese people.
Hanyu is the 26th individual to receive the award since it was established in 1977. He is also the youngest recipient, and the first figure skater.
Hanyu, a native of Sendai, started skating when he was 4 years old. At the Sochi Games, when he was 19, he became the first Japanese man to win a gold medal in Olympic figure skating.
In November last year, he strained a ligament in his right ankle, which threatened his participation in the Pyeongchang Games. However, he mounted a remarkable comeback in the Games, succeeding in quadruple jumps and earning wide praise in Japan and around the world.
He was training at a skating rink in Sendai when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011. He has ardently worked on supporting disaster victims, such as performing in ice shows with the aim of contributing to the affected areas' reconstruction.
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