Double Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu skipped first practice Friday, leaving the ice to his opponents, but there is little doubt he remains focused on completing yet another comeback in his chase for a third World Figure Skating Championships title.
The Japanese superstar finished Thursday's short program in third place at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo and must overcome a 12.53-point deficit to beat reigning world champion Nathan Chen of the United States, who scored 107.40.
Hanyu is also 1.94 points back from second-place American Jason Brown, with whom he trains in Canada under Brian Orser.
With the media and fans -- one wearing a full-size Winnie the Pooh costume -- awaiting his appearance on Friday afternoon, Hanyu was a no-show, Chen, Brown and others taking to the ice in the absence of their great rival. Injury, however, appears to not be a concern.
The 24-year-old, who tumbled while practicing the quad jump during his Thursday warmup, said the four-month break to deal with a recurring right ankle problem was not to blame for the error in his short program performance.
"I have the experience (of competing after a long injury break) before, so I don't think that was a problem," Hanyu said.
"But I regret not being able to skate a perfect routine in Japan, so I want to hold onto this frustration until (the free skate)."
On Thursday, in his first competition following the injury layoff, Hanyu missed his opening jump, turning a planned quad salchow into a double in a costly mistake.
He nevertheless enraptured his legion of fans at the arena, executing a tight program the rest of the way before hundreds of flower bouquets and stuffed toys of his favorite character Winnie the Pooh rained down from the stands.
It took attendants several minutes to clear the ice before the competition could resume.
The Sochi and Pyeongchang Olympic champion said he needed to be more aggressive in Saturday's free skate after admittedly holding back during the short program.
"I think I probably shouldn't have held back so much. I think I should have had more confidence and assumed a mindset more like that of a champion, or a king, and gone in more appropriately," said Hanyu, who skipped last year's worlds due to the ankle problems.
Though he faces a significant hurdle, Hanyu has a history of big comeback victories on the world championship stage.
He won his first world title at the same venue in Japan in 2014 after finishing the short program in third place.
The then 19-year-old dramatically beat compatriot Tatsuki Machida by 0.33 after trailing him by nearly seven points coming into the free skate.
He pulled off an even more remarkable comeback to capture his second world title in Helsinki two years ago.
There he finished the short program fifth before producing a then-world record free skate score of 223.20 points, landing four quadruple jumps, for a winning total of 321.59.
This time around, he faces a formidable opponent in the 19-year-old Chen, but said he relished competing against an athlete for whom he has immense respect.
"Due to injury, we're actually competing together for the first time this season and, now that I've had this chance, I'm really realizing how much fun it is to compete against Nathan," Hanyu said.
"I'm hoping that we can have more chances to compete at the same competitions moving forward, and I really want to do my best in the free skate."
Hanyu also lauded 24-year-old training partner Brown, who is aiming for his first-ever world championship podium.
"As a skater he is very expressive. He has very flexible moves, and I really think he has inspired me in many different ways," Hanyu said.
Japan's Pyeongchang Olympic Games silver medalist Shoma Uno placed sixth in the short program with 91.40 points.
The 21-year-old is aiming for his first world championship victory after finishing runner-up the past two years.
The other Japanese man in the individual competition, Keiji Tanaka, was 19th with 78.76.
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IN PHOTOS: World Figure Skating Championships short program
