Sochi Olympics gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu can already feel the pressure days before the world figure skating championships in Saitama, Japan. Hanyu was the first man from Asia to win the gold in men’s figure skating in the Winter Olympics after he beat medal favorite Patrick Chan from Canada.

Chan, along with bronze medal holder Denis Ten from Kazakhstan, will miss the world championships as it is fairly usual for Olympic participants to take a break after the biggest event they’ve been preparing for. With two of the world’s best skaters out of the running, Hanyu is clearly the favorite to take home the title. Speaking to reporters at the Saitama Super Arena, Hanyu said, ‘There is tremendous pressure on me after I won the big title.” He added, “It will be a challenge for me to perform well while battling the pressure. I will aim first of all to give it everything I have.” While expectations that Hanyu will bring home the title are huge, his closest competition is 22-year old Javier Fernandez from Spain, who also trains under the same coach Brian Orser in Toronto. Fernandez won third place in the 2013 world while ending at fourth place in Sochi.

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