This Figure Skater Insisted On Sharing His Podium With The Runners-Up & It’ll Make You Melt

On Friday, Japanese figure skating phenom Yuzura Hanyu dazzled in the men's free skate, winning his second consecutive Olympic gold medal in men's singles figure skating. But if you're looking for something to really bring some joy into your life, what happened after might be the thing that does it. Simply put, you need to watch this video of Hanyu sharing the first place platform with the silver and bronze medal winners, because it's adorable and heartwarming beyond compare.

It happened following the full slate of figure skating routines on Friday night. Hanyu, who also won gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, shot to the head of the field after turning in a virtuoso performance, followed by fellow Japanese skater Shoma Uno, and Spanish skater Javier Fernandez. Hanyu and Fernandez have a unique bond that ties them together, namely that they're both friends and rivals who train together under the guidance of figure skating coach Brian Orser.

But it's clear that Hanyu is quite fond of Uno too, and in a gesture of gratitude, grace, and goodwill, he beckoned both of his competitors to stand alongside him on the first place platform after the event concluded. Here's how it looked as it happened ― as sportsmanship goes, this is pretty cool.

The final three medal winners came on pretty late in the competition ― Uno, in fact, was the very last skater to hit the ice, and early in his routine he fell during a jump, throwing his chances into severe question. He quickly and coolly got to feet, regained his composure, and skated to a silver medal finish. In fact, it took him a few seconds to realize he'd done it, after which he looked slightly dumbfounded by his own epic achievement.

Fernandez, on the other hand, turned in a flawless and picturesque routine set to Man of La Mancha, vaulting himself into second before being overtaken and dropped down to bronze by Uno at the end.

For Hanyu, however, there was no such drama; he was widely considered the world's best figure skater entering the 2018 Winter Games, and he did nothing but cement that reputation. In fact, some figure skating analysts and observers consider him potentially the greatest of all time. And if his show of solidarity and goodwill on Friday night was any indication, he's clearly great at more than just skating.

It remains to be seen whether Hanyu will add any more medals to his incredibly epic, decorated Olympic career. As it stands now, he's the most recent figure skater to win gold in men's singles since American skater Dick Button pulled it off in 1948 and 1952.

If he chooses to continue training for a spot in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, he'd be vying for a chance to win three consecutive gold medals in the men's singles figure skating, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since Swedish figure skater Gillis Grafstrom completed the trio back in 1928.

Fernandez, on the other hand, has likely mounted his final Olympic run, as he's already 26 years old. Uno, for his part, is the youngest of the three medalists at just 20; he'll likely be considered a contender by the time 2022 rolls around, and would only be 28 if he wanted to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, the site of which is currently undetermined.

Whatever the Olympic future of these three exceptional figure skaters, however, they'll now always have medals to their names, in addition to the memory and the image of them all standing together on the winner's platform, all of them flashing smiles.