SENDAIWith his hometown fans packing both sides of the street, men's figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu received a hero's welcome here on April 22, with a parade celebrating his second consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Hanyu, 23, who won gold at the Pyeongchang Games in February following his victory at the 2014 Sochi Games, appeared wearing a jacket with the Olympic logo and with his gold medal dangling around his neck.
“I’m happy because I can say, ‘I’m home’ to Sendai after achieving two consecutive wins," he said. "I was able to win this gold medal thanks to support from all of you. By engraving this delight and your support into my heart, I want to live my life from now on.”
The parade car started from the downtown area in the central part of the city soon after 1:30 p.m. and moved slowly along the 1.1kilometer route.
Fans shouted words as “Yuzuru” and “Congratulations” from both sides of the street. In response, a smiling Hanyu waved.
“I’m taking this parade seriously as it was held when Sendai and other areas in and around Miyagi Prefecture are still facing the challenge of reconstruction (from the damage of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami)," Hanyu said in a news conference afterward. "I hope that this parade will become a good opportunity to promote reconstruction further.”