Just before men’s single figure skating game in PyoengChang Olympic, I would like to my favorite figure skaters, Adam Rippon (USA) and Misha Ge (Uzbekistan), as well as three Japanese athletes. Some may wonder why I chose them instead of major quad jumpers. It is just because I am a writer of “Gender-Crossing in Men’s Single Figure Stating ―Focused on Performances in Olympics in the Early 21st Century―”. In Torino and Vancouver Olympic, Johnny Weir demonstrated the beauty and sensuality beyond gender ideology. After Weir’s retire, we currently can find cross-gender beauty in their performance. However, they aren’t successors to Weir, because they have been pursuing their own styles. Anyway, it is very delightful for me to see cross-gender performance on Olympic rink.

Weir’s “flamboyant” performance and costumes caused controversy in Torino and Vancouver. Also in Sochi, as “homosexuality prohibition law” was enforced in the host country Russia just before the Olympic, the media frequently covered male figure skaters’ feminity and skaters’ sexuality. I believe that cross-gender performers are not always gay. However, it is true that many gay skaters would represent beautiful performance beyond gender and be often blamed by haters for their extraordinary elegance. After Rippon performed unique cross-gender flamingo and won the bronze medal, online news and social media are buzzing him. I found a lot of positive articles, and hope the situation would not be severe like Weir’s athlete era.

The individual performance of Rippon and Ge might not seem to be so destructive and aggressive as Weir’s “Swan”, and not so valnerable and tragic as his “Fallen Angel”. After the pain and glory of the innovator Johnny Weir, they achieved their own style. I am happy to see Rippon’s creative Flamingo as the new metaphor of cross-gender performance at Team Event.

In addition, also for gold medal candidates, quad jump players, cross-gender performance would be the key to win. When they all reach to the most advanced jumps, the cross-gender elements such as grace, elegance, flexibility, spirituality will increase  the program component score. In this perspective, I believe Yuzu Hanyu and Shoma Uno would gain the highest possibility to the gold medal. They already have the ability to express beauty beyond power and .gender.