Japan’s Takahashi to return to ice after retirement

TOKYO: Former world champion figure skater Daisuke Takahashi said Sunday he would return to the ice at the age of 32, ending his four-year retirement after his compatriot Yuzuru Hanyu clinched the Olympic gold in both Sochi and Pyeongchang.

Takahashi had retired from competition after placing sixth in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but said he had changed his mind after being inspired by younger athletes at last year’s contest, which he watched from the sidelines as a television commentator. The experience “made me realize that I want to fight and skate again in such tensed environment”, he said in an English-language statement.

One of Japan’s most admired athletes, Takahashi dazzled judges and fans with his brilliant step and spin sequences, and is credited with bringing Japanese male singles skating to world prominence.

Takahashi became the first Japanese male figure skater to win an Olympic medal with his bronze in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He also became the world champion in 2010 and won the ISU Grand Prix Final in 2012.