- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
Japan's 'Ice Prince' Hanyu reigns over Olympic skating
All eyes will be on Yuzuru Hanyu when he attempts to complete a hat-trick of Olympic figure skating golds in Beijing, but don't expect that to bother him -- Japan's "Ice Prince" revels in the spotlight.
The two-time defending champion will bring his full mega-watt star power to the Winter Games when they begin next week, watched around the world by his adoring legion of "Fanyu" supporters.
With his elegant skating style and delicate, boyish looks, the 27-year-old inspires complete devotion among his fans.
That extends to them showering the ice with Winnie the Pooh toys after his routines, in a chaotic tribute to the tissue box cover he carries to the rink with him.
But a pandemic-enforced ban on overseas fans at the Beijing Games and limited domestic spectators means Hanyu will be largely going it alone this time.
A place in skating immortality awaits if he can rise to the occasion and join 1920s star Gillis Grafstrom of Sweden as the only other man to win three Olympic singles titles.
"When you put on the Japan jersey, you have to win," Hanyu said when he was selected for his country after winning the national championships in December.
"The Olympics isn't an exhibition -- it's a place where you have to win."
- Secret weapon -
Now the elder statesman of men's figure skating, Hanyu has been at the top of the sport for almost a decade.
He began skating as a child in his native Sendai, in Japan's northeast. When the massive earthquake and tsunami hit the region in 2011, Hanyu was practising on the ice and was forced to flee the rink on his skates.
He went on to win his first Olympic gold in Sochi in 2014, before becoming the first man in 66 years to defend his title at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Hanyu had to overcome an ankle ligament injury to win his second gold, admitting afterwards that he was at barely a quarter of full fitness.
He hurt the same ankle again in practice in November last year, forcing him to miss the entire Grand Prix season.
But he returned in dazzling style at Japan's national championships in late December, and it was there that he unveiled his secret weapon -- the quadruple axel.
No skater has ever landed the legendary jump in competition. Hanyu included one in his routine for the first time and came close to nailing it.
He is determined to master the ultra-difficult move for the Beijing Games.
And he knows it could give him the edge against his main rival for the title, American Nathan Chen.
"Of course I'm aiming to get the gold, but as things stand now, I know I'm not in a position to win," Hanyu said after the nationals.
"Of course, I could forget about the quad and use other ways to try to win the gold, but the main reason I chose to compete in Beijing is because I want to land the quad."
- National icon -
Hanyu's status as a national icon in Japan is secure with or without another Olympic gold medal.
He became the youngest recipient of his country's prestigious People's Honour Award in 2018, and his every move is headline news.
But he still remains something of an enigma despite the huge attention, rarely granting interviews and having no social media presence.
He added to his own mystique by refusing to say whether he intended to compete in Beijing until just weeks before the Games are set to begin.
But it is all part of the appeal for Hanyu's worldwide network of fans, who will have to watch their hero's bid for a third Olympic triumph on TV.
Even without his fanbase there in person, Hanyu is not about to shirk the challenge.
"I like to make good on my word," he said.
"When I say something, I carry it around like a chain and it puts pressure on me. Because of that I really want to make sure I achieve what I set out to do."
A.Jones--AMWN