Figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu has been awarded the title of Happy News Person for featuring in newspaper articles that brought joy to many people.

The award is part of the Happy News 2017 campaign by the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association and was announced in time for the annual spring newspaper promotion week that kicked off Friday. 

For the campaign, the association asked newspaper readers to send in articles that made them happy, along with their thoughts on the stories.

Hanyu, 23, overcame an injury to win the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

“I feel honored,” Hanyu said. “Since I was a child, I’ve received a lot of positive power from athletes who succeeded at the Olympics. At the Pyeongchang Games, too, athletes from various other sports encouraged me a lot. I’m very glad that I’ve been able to join them.”

Hanyu is known for his polite and sincere speeches at press conferences. Asked about his polite speaking habits, the star said he often comes up short, even though he tries to speak with good diction.

“I’ll keep on working on this as I get more interviews,” he added.

Hanyu said he appreciates newspapers as he can learn about a wide range of topics and news from them. 

“You can also find data only available in newspapers and read opinions based on such information,” he added. “I think newspapers are also appealing because you can learn words and knowledge that are useful for daily life.”

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