Chinese media have reported Hanyu Yuzuru's retirement from competitive figure skating as top news. Japan's "Ice Prince" has long been hugely popular there.

China's state-run media reported Hanyu's announcement as breaking news, and online media held live coverage of his news conference.

The news topped online search rankings on Chinese social networking giant Weibo.

About 2.8 million people follow an account on Weibo which posts information about Hanyu. Some messages on the account regretted his retirement from competitive skating. But others said "This is not the end, but a new beginning" and expressed expectations for "Hanyu Yuzuru as a professional skater."

A 33-year-old woman in Beijing said Hanyu was trying to perfect very high level skills. She said she wanted him to make more records, so she is sad. She said she wants him to achieve his dream in professional ice skating shows.

A 44-year-old woman said her children know about Hanyu and had been watching his competitions. She said the decision to retire was probably due to his physical condition and injuries. She said she hopes he will teach skating to children and do whatever he wants.