Originally, it seemed almost inconceivable that Victor would return to skating. He’s won so many gold medals they probably have their own room in his apartment, and at (almost) 28, he’s older than most of his competitors. Even after Yurio beat one of his records, Victor seemed proud rather than jealous of his achievement.
As it turned out, the thing that persuaded Victor to return was the same thing that persuaded him to leave in the first place: Yuri Katsuki. After discovering Yuri’s plan to retire after the Grand Prix Final, Victor decided to provoke Yuri’s competitive spirit by returning to skating himself—while also staying on as Yuri’s coach, as promised.
This felt like the ultimate example of how Victor and Yuri feed off each other’s energy, both on and off the ice. Instead of being driven by his own desire to win, Victor’s new goal is to take the world by the throat and yell, “Pay attention to Yuri Katsuki’s awesomeness!” And if that means returning to the competitive circuit when he may be too old to win another gold medal, then so be it.
