The men's singles figure skating competition at the 2014 Winter Olympics was held on 13 and 14 February 2014 at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi, Russia, and featured 30 skaters from 21 nations. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan won the gold medal, Patrick Chan of Canada won the silver medal, and Denis Ten of Kazakhstan won the bronze medal. In addition to his gold medal, Hanyu became the first skater to surpass the 100-point threshold in the short program, setting a new world record score in the process. This was the first time that a Japanese skater had won the gold medal in the men's individual event and was also the first Olympic medal in figure skating for a skater from Kazakhstan. The decision of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia to select Evgeni Plushenko as Russia's lone entrant in the men's event, given his age and history of surgeries, prompted criticism from many Russians after Plushenko withdrew from the event at the last possible moment.
Background The men's single skating event was one of five figure skating competitions contested at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. It was held at the Iceberg Skating Palace over two days: the short program took place on 13 February and the free skating on 14 February. The competition featured 30 skaters representing 21 nations. Among the contenders seen as favorites for an Olympic medal were Patrick Chan of Canada, Javier Fernández of Spain, and Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. Chan was a three-time world champion, two-time Four Continents champion, and seven-time Canadian national champion. Fernández was a two-time European champion, the 2013 World Championship bronze medalist, and a four-time Spanish national champion. Hanyu had won the bronze medal at the 2012 World Championships, two silver medals at the Four Continents Championships (2011, 2013), and was a two-time Japanese national champion.
Evgeni Plushenko, who had been part of the Russian team that had earlier won the team event, was Russia's lone entrant in the men's event. Considered one of Russia's most famous athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Plushenko had won the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics, silver medals in 2002 and 2010, and was a three-time world champion, seven-time European champion, and ten-time Russian national champion. However, he had only competed sporadically since 2010 and undergone a number of surgeries on his knees and back.
The decision to select Plushenko for the Olympic team was seen as controversial by many in Russia, especially as he had lost the 2014 Russian Figure Skating Championships to Maxim Kovtun. Russia only qualified one man to the Winter Olympics and could not submit one skater to compete in the team event and another in the men's individual event. During the 2014 European Figure Skating Championships, Ottavio Cinquanta, then-president of the International Skating Union, stated, "If one of your skaters has sustained the same injury for years, you should not enter him." Plushenko did not compete at the 2014 European Championships and had only competed at one international event that season: the 2013 Volvo Open Cup in Latvia. Questions about swapping in a replacement skater during the Olympics yielded complicated answers. If Plushenko were submitted as Russia's entrant to the Olympics and withdrew after the short program during the team event, Russia would not have been able to substitute another skater. However, if Plushenko were to withdraw for medical reasons after the team event, but before the men's individual event, the Russian Olympic Committee could have theoretically petitioned the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to name a replacement, per the IOC's Late Athlete Replacement Policy. Plushenko was ultimately chosen for the Olympic team after skating for members of the selection committee behind closed doors.
Qualification
Twenty-four quota spots in the men's event were awarded based on the results at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships. An additional six quota spots were earned at the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy. This was the first time that the Philippines had ever qualified for a figure skating event at the Winter Olympics. Michael Christian Martinez was the only Filipino athlete sent to Sochi and served as the country's flag bearer.
+Qualifying nations in men's singles Event Skatersper Qualifying NOCs Totalskaters 2013 World Championships 3 24 2 1 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy 1 6 Total 30
Required performance elements Men performed their short programs on 13 February. Lasting 2 minutes 50 seconds, the short program had to include the following elements: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump immediately preceded by connecting steps; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.
The twenty-four highest scoring skaters after the short program advanced to the free skating, which they performed on 14 February. The free skate had to last 4 minutes 30 seconds (+/− 10 seconds), and had to include the following elements: eight jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one a flying spin, and one a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.
Judging
Skaters were judged according to the required technical elements of their program (such as jumps and spins), as well as the overall presentation of their program, based on five program components (skating skills, transitions, performance/execution, composition/choreography, and musical interpretation). Each technical element in a figure skating performance was assigned a predetermined base point value and scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from −3 to +3 based on the quality of its execution. Each Grade of Execution (GOE) from –3 to +3 was assigned a value as indicated on the Scale of Values. For example, a triple Axel was worth a base value of 8.50 points, and a GOE of +3 was worth 3.00 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of +3 earned 11.50 points. The judging panel's GOE for each element was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a Total Elements Score. At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on the five aforementioned program components and assigned each a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments. The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the chart below; the results were added together to generate a total Program Component Score.
+Program component factoring Component Short program Free skating Men's singles 1.00 2.00 Deductions were applied for certain violations, such as time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls. The Total Elements Score and Program Component Score were then added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.
Results
Code key
Short program The men's short program was held on 13 February. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan finished in first place, becoming the first skater to surpass the 100-point threshold in the short program. His score was a new world record, surpassing the previous world record score, which had been set by him at the 2013–14 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune described Hanyu's routine as "a barrier-breaking performance so brilliant, it [would] be numbered among the greatest short programs ever". His performance – set to "Parisienne Walkways" by Gary Moore – included a quadruple toe loop and a triple Lutz-triple toe loop jump combination. Hanyu's score of 101.45 put him nearly four points ahead of Patrick Chan of Canada. Chan's short program was set to Elegie in E flat minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff and featured a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, triple Lutz, and triple Axel, though with a small error on the landing of the triple Axel. Javier Fernández of Spain finished in third place, while three other skaters trailed him by less than one point.
Evgeni Plushenko of Russia had skated successfully during the short program of the team event, finishing second behind Hanyu. During the free skate, he performed only one quadruple jump, and reported having back pain. On 10 February, Aleksandr Gorshkov, then-president of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, said that Plushenko would compete in the men's individual event. Vitaly Mutko, then-director of the Russian Ministry of Sport, stated that Plushenko had been cleared by his coach (Alexei Mishin) and the team's doctors to compete. However, Plushenko withdrew from the competition after his name was called for him to begin his short program. He later explained that when he fell on a triple Axel during the warmup, it felt "like a knife in [his] back," and he decided he could not compete. Before exiting the rink, he skated to the center of the ice, patted his heart, and bowed to the audience. Plushenko, who had undergone twelve surgeries, including recently on his back, had attended practices inconsistently leading up to the competition and had reportedly fallen twice hard on the ice during practice the day before. When he left the rink, a number of spectators followed, leaving the arena one-third full by the end of the competition. Considering his age (31) and history of back pain and multiple surgeries, many Russians asked why Plushenko had been chosen for Russia's sole men's quota spot in the first place. Despite the fact that Maxim Kovtun had won the 2014 Russian Championships, which, according to the FSFR's own rules, should have earned him the spot at the Olympics, the selection committee considered his competitive history too inexperienced and erratic, and opted to send Plushenko instead.
Jeremy Abbott of the United States fell hard on the ice after attempting a quadruple toe loop, sliding into the boards, where he lay stunned for several seconds, grabbing at his hip in pain. He explained afterward that the cheers of the audience inspired him to get up and finish his performance. Abbott altered his planned routine to account for the lost time, and managed to complete all of the required elements and finish strong. He received a standing ovation from the audience and doubled over in pain as he exited the ice. He ultimately finished the short program in fifteenth place. "I'm not in the least bit ashamed," Abbott said afterward, "I ... finished that program and I'm proud of my effort and proud of what I did under the circumstance".