Japanese figure skating icon Yuzuru Hanyu has announced that he is getting married without revealing who his partner is or when and where he is getting married. This has led many to wonder if Hanyu is gay and will be getting married to a man.

Hanyu is 2-time Olympic champion. The 28-year-old retired from competition following last year’s Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. He has since organized multiple solo figure skating shows, which drawn huge crowds across Japan.

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A translated version of his statement posted on Twitter read: “I, Hanyu Yuzuru, am pleased to announce that I have decided to get married. For the past 24 years, I have lived with skating. Especially in the recent few years, I have been facing skating and thinking about myself and the world, while feeling many things in the unstable and fast-changing world due to Covid-19, natural disasters, world affairs, etc.”

He added: “I am still immature as a human being, both now that I have turned professional and in my past as a competitor, but I have received immeasurably greater strength from your support and expectations. I will continue to deepen ‘Hanyu Yuzuru’ skating through my life, and continue to work hard and grow. I will continue to build up bit by bit, moment by moment, so that I can skate at my best. I will continue to live my life with everyone who supports me and with skating, doing my best, moving forward.”

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Is Yuzuru Hanyu gay?

According to Celeb Gaydar, Hanyu was asked about his sexuality by a Japanese actor and he confirmed that he was straight.

Despite the confirmation, his fans continue to wonder if he is gay. This might be because Hanyu prefers keeping his personal life under wraps. Although he has interacted with fans multiple times in the past he has refrained from revealing facts about his love life. This is why, even in media reports, he has never been linked to any romantic partner. He has also never been seen or photographed with a significant other.

There was much fan speculation that Hanyu was focusing on his skating career and hence did not have time for a romantic relationship. Others believed that he may have deliberately wanted to keep his personal life private to maintain the privacy of his significant other.