Yuzuru Hanyu is to miss the World Championships due to an ankle injury ©Getty Images

Japanese two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu is to miss the World Figure Skating Championships later this month due to an ankle injury he sustained at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Hanyu sprained his right ankle during practice, a day before the free skating segment.

He finished fourth in the men's competition and he later admitted he would have withdrawn if it had not been the Olympics, getting through the pain by taking injections.

The 27-year-old had attempted a quadruple axel - becoming the first skater to be officially recorded as attempting the jump at a major international tournament - but failed to land the move.

Hanyu had previously been cagey over his participation at the World Championships.

"There are things I've yet to take a clear stand upon, and that includes my future," he said last month.

"I will take everything into consideration in my decision about the worlds."

Nathan Chen claimed the men's title at Beijing 2022 ©Getty Images
Nathan Chen claimed the men's title at Beijing 2022 ©Getty Images

American Nathan Chen won the men's singles at Beijing 2022, followed by Japanese duo Yuma Kagiyama and Shoma Uno for the silver and bronze.

Instead, 16-year-old Kao Miura will make his debut at the World Championships which are scheduled to take place from March 21 to 27 in the French city Montpellier.

Chen is the defending world champion.