As spotlight fades, Hanyu ponders post-Olympic future

By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

BEIJING (AP) — Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu had been the benchmark for an entire generation of young figure skaters, including American star Nathan Chen, who won his first gold medal Thursday. Hanyu pushed the boundaries of what a human could do on ice — jumping higher, soaring farther and spinning faster than anyone else, all with a flamboyant panache entirely his own. But on the day Chen finally stood atop the podium, the 27-year-old Hanyu quietly walked off figure skating’s biggest stage, finishing just off the podium in fourth place at the Beijing Games.