1. Yuzuru Hanyu JPN
2017 Worlds free skate
Count me as one who did NOT see this happening.
Not after upgrading his free skate to make sure his technical content remained relevant. Not after a season of inconsistencies. And certainly not after making a crucial mistake that deflated his short program.
I should've known better.
I should have known that at some point, his pent-up frustrations of the season and errors were going catalyze him to fight. I should have known that the short program would be the final straw for his patience with not skating clean. I should have known that Yuzuru Hanyu, the skater who has already made a case for being the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), would figure out a way to cement that status even more.
It was Hanyu's night in Helsinki. And he showed all of us that, at his best, he is still unbeatable.