Yuzuru Hanyu tried a quadruple Axel in competition for the first time, and though it was downgraded with a two-footed landing, he still won a sixth Japanese figure skating title in his first skate after an eight-month injury break.

Yuzu, a two-time Olympic champion, has for years said a goal is to land the quad Axel, the hardest quad and the only one that nobody has hit in competition. He even elevated it above further Olympic success. He landed two-footed and under-rotated quad Axel attempts in practice last week at nationals in Saitama, plus in his warm-up 45 minutes before Sunday’s program.

He tried it at the start of his free skate, not completing the four and a half rotations yet still staying on his feet. It was downgraded to a triple Axel. He then hit three later quads, totaling 322.36 points for the competition. He won by a comfortable 26.54 points over Olympic silver medalist Shoma Uno.

World silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama was third to round out the expected podium and the three-man Olympic team. Yuma surprised the skating scene when he came out in his World Championship debut last March to take the silver medal, even beating his idol Yuzuru.

However, Kagiyama was not an “unknown” as he had earned silver at the 2020 World Junior Championships and bronze at the 2020 Four Continents Championships, his international-senior level debut. The short skater is very quick on his feet and impresses with his jumps and skating skills. The Japanese youngster, who turned 18 in May, continued his success this season, his first full-fledged senior year.