Yuzuru Hanyu Cheer Thread

2 weeks ago, Brian had a chat with Ice Talks (a series of podcasts done by Ice Network) where he talked for about 40 mins about various topics.

For those who want to listen to it fully, here is the link: https://t.co/fGD70ao6Sw

For those who want just to read Yuzu's part, Japan Times has published a sum up of it all in one of its latest articles:
-------

Talking it out: Speaking of Orser, he was a recent guest on Ice Network’s “Ice Talk” podcast with host Nick McCarvel and had some very revealing comments on his relationship with Hanyu.

Orser spoke at length about the demands of stardom on Hanyu, the “disconnect” he and the superstar had before Skate Canada, and Hanyu’s technical aspirations. It made for some very interesting listening.

“I think that a rise to stardom would be overwhelming for anybody, as it was for Yuna,” Orser told McCarvel. “We have a little bit of experience with that because I have never seen anything like that before. Now it is happening again with Yuzu. The Japanese hold these athletes up on such a giant pedestal, so they have a huge amount of pressure to continue to perform and skate well for their fans, and that’s life.

“We have those conversations with Yuzu. We can say, ‘We went through this with Yuna and this is what we did and this is what she did and this is what her people did.’ “

Orser believes that Hanyu is boosted by the awareness of what his team has been through in the past.

“I think he takes a little bit of comfort in knowing that we have been there before, even as athletes,” stated Orser. “Tracy (Wilson) was an Olympic medalist. I was an Olympic medalist. So we can actually say, ‘I know what you feel.’ “

Orser admitted that Hanyu’s level of celebrity is something that is hard to fathom at times.

“I am a little bit overwhelmed, too, with the level of stardom and what it is now requiring, especially for Yuzu,” Orser commented. “He needs to have a couple of people (in Toronto) for security and he needs people to help him organize. There is my team at the rink, but then there is a whole other satellite of another team that helps with Yuzuru to try to make his life easier.”

Orser said that his two prized pupils are individuals in their own way.

“I think he (Hanyu) is very private. Javi and Yuzu are two different people completely,” Orser said. “Yuzu’s mom is in Toronto and they have their condo here. They have their life and it is basically skating. He does study. He has some university programs that he is in.”

McCarvel asked Orser about how Hanyu and Fernandez interact.

“They are friendly and it’s geniune,” Orser stated. “They respect each other and I think perhaps because they are in the same boat together.”

The discussion became even more compelling when Orser was questioned about the communication issue between he and Hanyu that was brought up at the NHK Trophy last month.

“I went through a little bit of that before Skate Canada with Yuzuru,” Orser noted. “We had a little bit of a disconnect and we had to sort it out and we did. We got together and we had our meeting. We sat across the table from each other in a board room and just said, ‘OK. This is what I’m seeing.’ And then he would say, ‘Well this is what I’m feeling.’

“So I said, ‘OK. Good. This is helpful,’ and we just got through it like adults.”

It sounds like the meeting was a fairly serious get together.

“It was with some of his people that advise him, and it was important for him to be there,” Orser recalled. “We just kind of hashed out a few things that we thought that we needed to. Tracy was there. And he wanted to talk, so it wasn’t with a translator, so it took a little extra time. But we have to hear from his heart what he’s feeling.”

Orser said that despite the gravity of the conference, there was no finger pointing.

“There wasn’t anything nasty or mean,” Orser told McCarvel. “It was just communicating. We kind of all got through it and we all hugged and OK let’s move forward, and all of a sudden the skating got better.”

Orser then explained how his philosophy with Hanyu is different now from what it was last season.

“He (Hanyu) of course always wants to skate perfect. There are times of the season where it’s going to be a bit of a challenge because nobody is ready in October,” Orser said. “. . . I’m actually quite satisfied that we are actually building this season and not kind of unloading everything in December, like we did last year. And then all of a sudden everybody is expecting it. . . . So now we are going to just keep building. There are little mistakes along the way, but nothing too major, that you try to build on for the next one.”

Orser was queried about whether Hanyu may soon attempt a quadruple axel.

“Quad axel — you never know,” Hanyu replied. “He has probably the best triple axel on the planet, and technically as well. Could it happen? Probably.”

Orser then praised Hanyu for his fortitude in always trying to raise the bar with bigger challenges and his foresight.

“He keeps upping the ante, which I’m so proud of him for,” Orser said. “We had this discussion this season about the quad loop and I said to him after Skate Canada, ‘You really don’t need to do a quad loop in the short program.’

“No. I need to do the quad loop, and I need to do it now, and I need to make the mistakes now, so that next year I’m not going through this,” Orser said Hanyu told him.

“Which was like Wow. You know what, you’re right!” Orser acknowledged to McCarvel.

“It’s not that important to win Skate Canada, it’s more important to get one more chance at figuring out the quad loop when you’re under pressure and you’re in front of judges, and in front of a crowd. It’s a completely different situation than when you are in a practice session.”

Orser then concluded by saying that a quad lutz could also be in the cards for Hanyu.

“He’s very competitive,” Orser stated. “He has landed some quad lutzes. I’m sure it’s something that’s on the horizon.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/.../time-mao-change-direction-give/#.WGLc91xG42x
 
Looking back at the 1st half of 2016-17 season.
Interview with Ms Kobayashi of Japan Skate Federation.

This is an important season, going towards 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. Looking at this first half, Yuzuru Hanyu has won his 4th straight victory in GPF and Shoma Uno is in 3rd place. For top male skaters, there are quads in both SP and FP, and it has progressed to 2-3 types and as many as 5 quads.

After Worlds this year (2016), due to recuperation/treatment for left foot lisfranc ligament injury, Hanyu could not practise for 2 months. Receiving good support, he confronted his injury, and in the midst of that, he was able to create/produce layouts with a quad loop and a difficulty level higher than last season; that is something very remarkable.
From the start of the season at Autumn Classic to Skate Canada, NHK Trophy and GPF, his condition has been improving steadily; it would be good if it can be brought to completion at Worlds when the new year starts. I am looking forward to that.

On top of that, Hanyu chose completely opposite types of music for the short and free programmes for this season to widen the breadth of expression. If you think about Pyeongchang, this is the last season for doing a challenge. While he challenges something new, it also shows judges that he is "a skater who can express anything". He will also see the reactions and then for the Olympic season, he will choose something that "in the end this is best for me" and compete with that. I think this is what any skater will be thinking.

For his new free programme, the music in the later half is especially hard to grasp, so at first, everyone was saying, "Is it ok?", "Isn't it better for Hanyu-kun to do it this way?", there were many various thoughts. But I think that Hanyu is a skater who makes us say, "Indeed, this, is amazing," at the very end of it all.

-- translated by Angelica from facebook group
(some parts are summarised)
 
Meoima said:
2 weeks ago, Brian had a chat with Ice Talks (a series of podcasts done by Ice Network) where he talked for about 40 mins about various topics.

For those who want to listen to it fully, here is the link: https://t.co/fGD70ao6Sw

For those who want just to read Yuzu's part, Japan Times has published a sum up of it all in one of its latest articles:
-------

Talking it out: Speaking of Orser, he was a recent guest on Ice Network’s “Ice Talk” podcast with host Nick McCarvel and had some very revealing comments on his relationship with Hanyu.

Orser spoke at length about the demands of stardom on Hanyu, the “disconnect” he and the superstar had before Skate Canada, and Hanyu’s technical aspirations. It made for some very interesting listening.

“I think that a rise to stardom would be overwhelming for anybody, as it was for Yuna,” Orser told McCarvel. “We have a little bit of experience with that because I have never seen anything like that before. Now it is happening again with Yuzu. The Japanese hold these athletes up on such a giant pedestal, so they have a huge amount of pressure to continue to perform and skate well for their fans, and that’s life.

“We have those conversations with Yuzu. We can say, ‘We went through this with Yuna and this is what we did and this is what she did and this is what her people did.’ “

Orser believes that Hanyu is boosted by the awareness of what his team has been through in the past.

“I think he takes a little bit of comfort in knowing that we have been there before, even as athletes,” stated Orser. “Tracy (Wilson) was an Olympic medalist. I was an Olympic medalist. So we can actually say, ‘I know what you feel.’ “

Orser admitted that Hanyu’s level of celebrity is something that is hard to fathom at times.

“I am a little bit overwhelmed, too, with the level of stardom and what it is now requiring, especially for Yuzu,” Orser commented. “He needs to have a couple of people (in Toronto) for security and he needs people to help him organize. There is my team at the rink, but then there is a whole other satellite of another team that helps with Yuzuru to try to make his life easier.”

Orser said that his two prized pupils are individuals in their own way.

“I think he (Hanyu) is very private. Javi and Yuzu are two different people completely,” Orser said. “Yuzu’s mom is in Toronto and they have their condo here. They have their life and it is basically skating. He does study. He has some university programs that he is in.”

McCarvel asked Orser about how Hanyu and Fernandez interact.

“They are friendly and it’s geniune,” Orser stated. “They respect each other and I think perhaps because they are in the same boat together.”

The discussion became even more compelling when Orser was questioned about the communication issue between he and Hanyu that was brought up at the NHK Trophy last month.

“I went through a little bit of that before Skate Canada with Yuzuru,” Orser noted. “We had a little bit of a disconnect and we had to sort it out and we did. We got together and we had our meeting. We sat across the table from each other in a board room and just said, ‘OK. This is what I’m seeing.’ And then he would say, ‘Well this is what I’m feeling.’

“So I said, ‘OK. Good. This is helpful,’ and we just got through it like adults.”

It sounds like the meeting was a fairly serious get together.

“It was with some of his people that advise him, and it was important for him to be there,” Orser recalled. “We just kind of hashed out a few things that we thought that we needed to. Tracy was there. And he wanted to talk, so it wasn’t with a translator, so it took a little extra time. But we have to hear from his heart what he’s feeling.”

Orser said that despite the gravity of the conference, there was no finger pointing.

“There wasn’t anything nasty or mean,” Orser told McCarvel. “It was just communicating. We kind of all got through it and we all hugged and OK let’s move forward, and all of a sudden the skating got better.”

Orser then explained how his philosophy with Hanyu is different now from what it was last season.

“He (Hanyu) of course always wants to skate perfect. There are times of the season where it’s going to be a bit of a challenge because nobody is ready in October,” Orser said. “. . . I’m actually quite satisfied that we are actually building this season and not kind of unloading everything in December, like we did last year. And then all of a sudden everybody is expecting it. . . . So now we are going to just keep building. There are little mistakes along the way, but nothing too major, that you try to build on for the next one.”

Orser was queried about whether Hanyu may soon attempt a quadruple axel.

“Quad axel — you never know,” Hanyu replied. “He has probably the best triple axel on the planet, and technically as well. Could it happen? Probably.”

Orser then praised Hanyu for his fortitude in always trying to raise the bar with bigger challenges and his foresight.

“He keeps upping the ante, which I’m so proud of him for,” Orser said. “We had this discussion this season about the quad loop and I said to him after Skate Canada, ‘You really don’t need to do a quad loop in the short program.’

“No. I need to do the quad loop, and I need to do it now, and I need to make the mistakes now, so that next year I’m not going through this,” Orser said Hanyu told him.

“Which was like Wow. You know what, you’re right!” Orser acknowledged to McCarvel.

“It’s not that important to win Skate Canada, it’s more important to get one more chance at figuring out the quad loop when you’re under pressure and you’re in front of judges, and in front of a crowd. It’s a completely different situation than when you are in a practice session.”

Orser then concluded by saying that a quad lutz could also be in the cards for Hanyu.

“He’s very competitive,” Orser stated. “He has landed some quad lutzes. I’m sure it’s something that’s on the horizon.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/.../time-mao-change-direction-give/#.WGLc91xG42x
Click to expand...
Good stuff! Thank you for sharing.

I appreciate that Yuzuru keeps challenging himself, exciting times! I hope that he can remain injury free when attempting these quad jumps. Go Yuzu! :cheer2:
 
Meoima said:
2 weeks ago, Brian had a chat with Ice Talks (a series of podcasts done by Ice Network) where he talked for about 40 mins about various topics.

For those who want to listen to it fully, here is the link: https://t.co/fGD70ao6Sw

For those who want just to read Yuzu's part, Japan Times has published a sum up of it all in one of its latest articles:
-------

Talking it out: Speaking of Orser, he was a recent guest on Ice Network’s “Ice Talk” podcast with host Nick McCarvel and had some very revealing comments on his relationship with Hanyu.

Orser spoke at length about the demands of stardom on Hanyu, the “disconnect” he and the superstar had before Skate Canada, and Hanyu’s technical aspirations. It made for some very interesting listening.

“I think that a rise to stardom would be overwhelming for anybody, as it was for Yuna,” Orser told McCarvel. “We have a little bit of experience with that because I have never seen anything like that before. Now it is happening again with Yuzu. The Japanese hold these athletes up on such a giant pedestal, so they have a huge amount of pressure to continue to perform and skate well for their fans, and that’s life.

“We have those conversations with Yuzu. We can say, ‘We went through this with Yuna and this is what we did and this is what she did and this is what her people did.’ “

Orser believes that Hanyu is boosted by the awareness of what his team has been through in the past.

“I think he takes a little bit of comfort in knowing that we have been there before, even as athletes,” stated Orser. “Tracy (Wilson) was an Olympic medalist. I was an Olympic medalist. So we can actually say, ‘I know what you feel.’ “

Orser admitted that Hanyu’s level of celebrity is something that is hard to fathom at times.

“I am a little bit overwhelmed, too, with the level of stardom and what it is now requiring, especially for Yuzu,” Orser commented. “He needs to have a couple of people (in Toronto) for security and he needs people to help him organize. There is my team at the rink, but then there is a whole other satellite of another team that helps with Yuzuru to try to make his life easier.”

Orser said that his two prized pupils are individuals in their own way.

“I think he (Hanyu) is very private. Javi and Yuzu are two different people completely,” Orser said. “Yuzu’s mom is in Toronto and they have their condo here. They have their life and it is basically skating. He does study. He has some university programs that he is in.”

McCarvel asked Orser about how Hanyu and Fernandez interact.

“They are friendly and it’s geniune,” Orser stated. “They respect each other and I think perhaps because they are in the same boat together.”

The discussion became even more compelling when Orser was questioned about the communication issue between he and Hanyu that was brought up at the NHK Trophy last month.

“I went through a little bit of that before Skate Canada with Yuzuru,” Orser noted. “We had a little bit of a disconnect and we had to sort it out and we did. We got together and we had our meeting. We sat across the table from each other in a board room and just said, ‘OK. This is what I’m seeing.’ And then he would say, ‘Well this is what I’m feeling.’

“So I said, ‘OK. Good. This is helpful,’ and we just got through it like adults.”

It sounds like the meeting was a fairly serious get together.

“It was with some of his people that advise him, and it was important for him to be there,” Orser recalled. “We just kind of hashed out a few things that we thought that we needed to. Tracy was there. And he wanted to talk, so it wasn’t with a translator, so it took a little extra time. But we have to hear from his heart what he’s feeling.”

Orser said that despite the gravity of the conference, there was no finger pointing.

“There wasn’t anything nasty or mean,” Orser told McCarvel. “It was just communicating. We kind of all got through it and we all hugged and OK let’s move forward, and all of a sudden the skating got better.”

Orser then explained how his philosophy with Hanyu is different now from what it was last season.

“He (Hanyu) of course always wants to skate perfect. There are times of the season where it’s going to be a bit of a challenge because nobody is ready in October,” Orser said. “. . . I’m actually quite satisfied that we are actually building this season and not kind of unloading everything in December, like we did last year. And then all of a sudden everybody is expecting it. . . . So now we are going to just keep building. There are little mistakes along the way, but nothing too major, that you try to build on for the next one.”

Orser was queried about whether Hanyu may soon attempt a quadruple axel.

“Quad axel — you never know,” Hanyu replied. “He has probably the best triple axel on the planet, and technically as well. Could it happen? Probably.”

Orser then praised Hanyu for his fortitude in always trying to raise the bar with bigger challenges and his foresight.

“He keeps upping the ante, which I’m so proud of him for,” Orser said. “We had this discussion this season about the quad loop and I said to him after Skate Canada, ‘You really don’t need to do a quad loop in the short program.’

“No. I need to do the quad loop, and I need to do it now, and I need to make the mistakes now, so that next year I’m not going through this,” Orser said Hanyu told him.

“Which was like Wow. You know what, you’re right!” Orser acknowledged to McCarvel.

“It’s not that important to win Skate Canada, it’s more important to get one more chance at figuring out the quad loop when you’re under pressure and you’re in front of judges, and in front of a crowd. It’s a completely different situation than when you are in a practice session.”

Orser then concluded by saying that a quad lutz could also be in the cards for Hanyu.

“He’s very competitive,” Orser stated. “He has landed some quad lutzes. I’m sure it’s something that’s on the horizon.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/.../time-mao-change-direction-give/#.WGLc91xG42x
Click to expand...
Very interesting.
Thank you. I wonder what the "disconnect" was about. Have there been other interviews/articles that mention it? Maybe :sekret: ? :D
 
aemeraldrainc said:
Very interesting.
Thank you. I wonder what the "disconnect" was about. Have there been other interviews/articles that mention it? Maybe :sekret: ? :D
Click to expand...
I think the main reason was from culture differences and Yuzuru's weak English.
But recently Yuzuru's English has improved so their connection has become better I am sure.
 
51st TV Asahi Big Sports Award was held in Tokyo on 13th January 2017. Yuzuru Hanyu who was absent from Japan nationals, was at his training base in Toronto, said ANA’s manager, Ms. Noriko Shirota.

On December 15 last year, he had influenza. Complicated with pharyngitis, he could not move for almost a week before he recovered. He spent the new year period in Japan, and then went to Toronto on the 7th to prepare for 4CC (February 16-19). Regarding his absence at the Japanese nationals that could have been his 5th straight victory, Ms Shirota said, “(We) don’t look back at the past. (Our) feelings are looking ahead to 4CC. He will do good practices and will be able to make improvements towards 4CC.”
He is with his choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne, to confirm some detailed movements such as entries to jumps.

Hanyu, who was absent from the awards ceremony, gave a video message. He said, “I’d like to work hard and aim towards the 5th consecutive GPF victory.”

https://youtu.be/6rGAnSjwG9s

From Angelica tumblr: http://yuzusorbet.tumblr.com/post/155843680132/51st-tv-asahi-big-sports-award-was-held-in-tokyo
 
Sharing from YHIFG FB. A skater training at TCC posted this message today on her weibo account

Translation by Tan Ke Xin @YHIFG FB:

"Until now, I'm still remembering about the truth that Yuzuru greeted me first today. He was dragging his suitcase, preparing for his training while I'm getting off the ice rink. He wore a mask, singing while walking, and greeted me "morning!" when he saw me. Then, we settled down and changed our shoes together....but I still dare not to talk to him. How could Yuzuru be this friendly, polite and down to earth?! Although I can't skate together with the World Ice Skating Champion,but we can change our shoes together...."
 
There's a second post after the first one, translated by Amy So
-----
Although he had an intense aura around him as he passed by me today, when he fell in practice he switched to cute mode and refused to get up. So he was just sprawled there, face down but kicking his legs up like a teenage girl... After a bit he propped himself back up with a big laugh, and wiped the bits of ice off from his face. Brian was laughing at him and said that was "face landing"
 
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Ambesi and Dolfini from Italian Eurosport mentioned Yuzu at European comentary.
They say that the success rate of Yuzuru's 4Lz is over 60% and that in some run-throughs he did 4S-1Lo-4S as last jump. They said probably next season but the jump is almost ready. Massimiliano Ambesi also says Yuzuru trains both jumps, so let's wait and see.
 
Originally Posted by gladiolusc from Golden skate forum

Peaking comes soon for Yuzuru (Chapter 5, part 9 to Team Brian II)

－skipping some general comments about peaking and Javi’s part —

As for Yuzuru, we're still at the stage of figuring out his peaking plan. General theories about peaking don't apply well to Yuzuru. Yuzuru takes a very short time to go from adjustment to peak, so if he is even a little more motivated or tries a little bit harder, he will reach a peak really quickly. (In another section, Brian mentioned that Yuzuru had trained without him for two weeks before NHK while he was accompanying other skaters to GP series. Upon return, he was surprised at how good Yuzuru’s condition was and took note of Yuzu’s ability to bring himself to peak very quickly.) Many skaters aim to peak in the second half of the season and gradually get themselves there, so they haven’t yet peaked in December. However, in the last three years, Yuzuru's peak had come in the Grand Prix final in December of the first half of the season. Based on Yuzuru’s physical predisposition and personality, he'll will probably need to peak twice or thrice each year. After December, we have to test how to recreate the peak again in the season.

Considering Yuzuru's pace these two years, the first peak in the Grand Prix final is fine. After that, it was also fine to let himself dip a bit at the All Japan Championship at the end of December. However, although we’d wanted to peak again in March, we had had to go into World Championship without conditioning going up. We talked about peaking so many times, and Yuzuru also understands its importance. But he wanted to live up to the expectations that surround him--to always perform well and win. When the Grand Prix Final comes up, he goes all the way there and burns out. By the time March comes around, although he has both the physical strength and the ability to peak again, he wasn’t able to do so.

One of the reasons that I can think of is that there is no match between Japanese Nationals in December and World Championships in March and it's too long to go without a single competition. Javier has the European Championship at the end of January and both American and Canadian nationals are in January. Only Yuzuru has this giant 3-month gap in the middle of the season. Competitive instincts and tension could have dulled, and the body feels like it’s in a different season. In that way, his condition may have dropped. So, we think that 4CC to be held in February will be an important timing for peaking this season.

There is yet another advantage of bringing a peak in February. After Yuzuru gave perfect performances at the NHK Trophy and the Grand Prix final last year. There were two weeks in between the two competitions. Yuzuru was able to maintain his peak for that long. It's about a month from 4CC to world championships, so we can see what happens with this interval. If he ends up participating again in the Olympic team competition, it will be a short period of about a week from team to singles. What happens this February will also become a hint for us to find out if he should drop the peak or try to maintain it.

In this way, this February will give us opportunity to figure out what kind of competitive pace at which Yuzuru’s condition goes up/ is maintained. And when this season is over, I'd like to discuss all this thoroughly with Yuzuru so he has a good idea about the timing of his peak and physical condition, and we can maintain a good conditioning plan for the Olympic season.
 
Yuzuru looks ok for first practice at 4CC: https://m.weibo.cn/status/4075021430987563

He looks good: https://twitter.com/fslove08/status/831345656618967040

3A in SP run-through: https://twitter.com/GeumNa/status/831345369468448768

Full video of his SP: https://twitter.com/jp9VWTRG333kn7Y/...46306069041152

3A-3T: https://twitter.com/GeumNa/status/831347345925120000

4S: https://twitter.com/GeumNa/status/831347937930207232, https://twitter.com/Sanhocho/status/831348125470126083

4S-3T: https://twitter.com/GeumNa/status/831348365640085505

4Lo: https://twitter.com/GeumNa/status/831349902298865664

Edit: Yuzuru making chocolate for Lotte https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZX-xTP4hUU
https://68.media.tumblr.com/0b41c97743555829fc8cae8ab29fc36d/tumblr_olc33sXNmP1viav73o2_250.gif
https://68.media.tumblr.com/48e32468d16f925f551215c0a398707f/tumblr_olc33sXNmP1viav73o3_250.gif
Isn't that too sweet?
Gif from yuzuruedits
 
 
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Interview of Team Japan by ISU

Below is Yuzuru's part only

Q: How did you get into figure skating?
YH: It was my elder sister who started to skate first. At that time I wasn’t particularly into figure skating, but I was just following my sister and skating with her.

Q: When did you decide to dedicate yourself to this sport and be an athlete?
YH: For me, an athlete equals to an Olympian, an Olympic gold medalist. When I was around five-years-old, I already seriously thought about winning the gold medal at the Olympics. But what made me want the Olympic title strongly was the battle between Yagudin and Plushenko at 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Q: Did you already have the confidence that you were going to be a top skater in the world?
YH: Yes! I remember I got the second place at my first ever competition since I started to skate, but soon I won my next competition. I was presented a trophy in that competition, and I lifted the trophy over my head, just trying to imitate what Plushenko and Yagudin always did. It was a small trophy like this size (he pointed to his beverage bottle), and I did it like this (he held up the bottle over his head). It was a small, domestic competition, I think I was five years old, or maybe first grade in elementary school.

Q: Being an athlete is tough, but is there anything even tougher that you hadn’t expected or imagined?
YH: The risk of injury is high, and there is no guarantee that the harder you train the better you become, so I think that’s really the difficult part. Also, I think this is unique in Japan, but figure skating is so popular here that I cannot go out easily, and there are paparazzi around, so this is something difficult to deal with too.

(Does training in Canada make things easier?)

Yes, I can get more of my own time in Canada.

Q: Could you share with us the stories or inspirations of your programs this season?
YH: The music of my free skate was composed by a Japanese composer, if I go deep into the story behind the music, it was actually the opening song of 1998 Nagano Paralympics. My mom watched the Nagano Olympics and Paralympics, and then she wanted my elder sister to skate, so she took her to skating class. If you think about it, those Olympics were the starting point of my skating life, so I want to use this piece of music. Also, as I mentioned, it was composed by a Japanese composer, so I think I can continue to present something I’ve learned from “SEIMEI”.

The Olympics really is something special for you, isn’t it?

Yes. On one hand, when it comes to competing at a competition, like in Sochi, I treated it as a normal competition; but on the other hand, I am planning and preparing for the next Olympics, so I guess I have a special feeling for it. Of course, I want to win the gold medal again in Pyeongchang.

Your long program is called “Hope and Legacy”, and you talked about how skaters’ performances can remain as a legacy. Which performance of yours do you think is your legacy?

YH: It was my first novice national championships, which I won. I was very happy at that time, not only happy for the win, but also for my score. It was still under the 6.0 system, I watched competitions on TV a lot, so I knew only those very top skaters in the world could get over 5.5 points, but I got 5.2 for my presentation. I was so happy at that time, and my performance at that competition became my motivation of skating, and it still motivates me now.

Q: What’s your equity in Team Japan? For example, are you the one that laughs the most, or talks the most, or are you the one who likes to give advice and take care of rookies, or are you the one that doesn’t talk at all, etc.
YH: We are all teammates, but at the same time competitors. For example, I am at the same age with Ryuju Hino and Keiji Tanaka who also competed at NHK Trophy, we know each other since we were kids, we are really good friends off the ice, but on the ice, we are competitors.

Q: Yuzuru, Keiji just said you always talk so much that he sometimes cannot follow.

YH: I admit. I really talk a lot, but I am thankful that he is always willing to listen. Just like I said, we knew each other from long ago, so I feel like he can understand me.

Q: Yuzuru, you are taking university courses via e-school, right?

YH: Yes, but I am too busy training to keep up with my studies. Nevertheless my classes are very interesting. I am majoring in Human Science, it is very broad, and I study a lot about human, about computer science, etc. Recently I am really into Human Bioethics. I’ve thought a lot about “life” in my life so far, and I am also thinking about “life” when I perform “Hope and Legacy”, so studying Human Bioethics helps my skating. Given that I don’t really have much time, I try to take less courses, but study in depth and make every minute out of it count.

Q: Last but not least, what would you say to non-figure skating fans to invite them into the world of figure skating?
YH: Figure skating is very popular in Japan now, but it didn’t come over night. In recent years the level of men’s and ladies’ singles became higher and higher, I hope people around the world can look at the sport from an international point of view, and be excited for the development of the sport regardless of which part of the world.

ETA:
Added parts where other mentioned Yuzuru

Q: Did you already have the confidence that you were going to be a top skater in the world?

Keiji Tanaka: I still don’t think I am competitive on the international stage, but one thing that inspired me was when Yuzuru won the World Junior Championships. He is the same age as me, and the best among us. When he won the junior title, I thought it was really awesome, and I wanted to catch up with him. So I made up my mind and set my goal to be a competitive skater in the world. One year after, I won the silver medal at junior Worlds.

Q: What’s your equity in Team Japan? For example, are you the one that laughs the most, or talks the most, or are you the one who likes to give advice and take care of rookies, or are you the one that doesn’t talk at all, etc.
KT: I am the shy one and not good at talking. On the contrary, Yuzuru is very outgoing and really talks a lot, sometimes I cannot follow him.
 
Yesterday one of the Spanish Private TV broadcasted a short documentary about Javier Fernández, Yuzuru Hanyu appears shortly (9:22, 10:30 and 21:20) and Brian Orser commented about how he started working with him (8:25) and Hanyu/Fernández different dinamics (just after Hanyu statement and 20:57 when he comment how Hanyu really flies on the ice). They explained that Hanyu doesn´t like cameras on the ice rink but accepted them for a short time (20:47).

I will post later in the Fernández thread, about the Spanish spoken parts, but I thought Hanyu fans could be interested in those parts, that are in English with Spanish subtitles.

Here the link
 
Congratulations Yuzuru for winning the free skate at 4CC. I was right that he won the LP. People have a pattern. Skate Canada and 4CC are never meant for Yuzuru. It's okay.

You can get lucky at one place one time. Yuzuru has saved his luck for one year later. The result of 4CC today somehow tells me that he will get that second Olympic gold.

Here is his beautiful free skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opRv2SABBzk
 
Last edited:
I really want Yuzuru to win the next world an Olympics. What does he need for that? Just skate clean? Those five quad kids are posing a real challenge.
 
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