Yuzuru Hanyu sets world record in figure skating

Crowds in Sochi were disappointed by the withdrawal of hometown hero Evgeni Plushenko, but they were rewarded on the ice Thursday by witnessing a world record from 19-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu.

Hanyu is widely seen as the next great skater to assume Plushenko’s mantle, and his score of 101.45 was appropriate on the final afternoon of competition for the great Russian skater. It was the first time a male figure skater has eclipsed 100 points in the short program and broke Patrick Chan’s previous mark of 98.52, set at the Trophee Eric Bompard in November of 2013.

The young Japanese skater was appropriately shocked and overjoyed by receiving such a high score.

The score puts Hanyu in prime position to win the gold medal on an afternoon when numerous skaters struggled on the ice. Falls had been the tale of the short program leading up to Hanyu’s performance, but the young skater proved it was a problem with the competition, not the ice.

To put Hanyu’s score of 101.45 in perspective, here’s the top scores of other skating greats.

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