'No sadness' as skating great Hanyu calls time on storied career
Gulf Times
Japan's two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu
Japan's two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu said he felt "no sadness" after retiring from competition aged 27 on Tuesday, bringing the curtain down on one of the sport's most glittering careers.
The soft-spoken "Ice Prince" became the first man to win back-to-back Olympic titles in 66 years and is a national icon who is followed around the world by adoring fans.
But he said the time was right to bow out after finishing fourth at this year's Beijing Games -- where he struggled with injury -- saying he was "not needed any more" in competitive skating.
"As far as competitions and results go, I think I have been able to take all the things I wanted to take," Hanyu, dressed in a dark suit and bowing deeply as he took to the stage, told a packed press conference in Tokyo.
