Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu attends a press conference in Tokyo on July 19, 2022. (PHILIP FONG / AFP)

TOKYO - Japan's two-time Winter Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu announced his decision to retire from competitive figure skating and would turn professional at a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.

"I'll no longer be compared with other skaters as a competitor," the "Ice Prince" told a packed press conference, saying he will concentrate on skating in exhibition shows for his adoring fanbase.

Hanyu began skating as a child in his native Sendai, in Japan's northeast and won his first Olympic gold in Sochi in 2014, before becoming the first man in 66 years to defend his title at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

But he has been dogged by injury in recent years, including an ankle ligament problem that he had to overcome to win his second Olympic gold.

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Yuzuru Hanyu, of Japan, competes during the men's short program figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb 8, 2022, in Beijing. (DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP)

The same ankle forced him to miss the 2021 Grand Prix season, but he returned at national championships, where he attempted to become the first skater to land a quadruple axel jump which was expected to be his secret weapon at Beijing.

But instead, the elfin skater tumbled twice and said: "It feels like everything has gone wrong this time around."

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In this Feb 17, 2018 file photo, Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's free figure skating final in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea. (BERNAT ARMANGUE / AP)

Hanyu is a national hero in Japan, where he became the youngest recipient of his country's prestigious People's Honour Award in 2018, and his every move is headline news.