Yuzuru Hanyu Cheer Thread

[livetoskate]

I would assume so. Let the athlete focus and enjoy his experience. That would be rude for a volunteer to snap away when encountering a skater. When I volunteered at Worlds, we were supposed to do our tasks and blend quietly into the background.

 

[Frau Muller]

Is that not allowed?

Volunteers cannot divulge information that has not been officially released. They could be punished by the government. With regard to Hanyu, it’s no longer a problem because his arrival is now official.

 

[Amantide]

Volunteers cannot divulge information that has not been officially released. They could be punished by the government. With regard to Hanyu, it’s no longer a problem because his arrival is now official.

Ah volunteers of the OG. I didn't knew that rule either, but I thought you were ref. to airport. Although, I don't know what was I thinking...volunteers at the airport.

 

[Sylvia]

NBC Sports' video of Yuzuru's first practice session, including his 4A attempts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR4X6l8S2d0

Article by Jack Gallagher:

[ICE TIME] Grafstrom’s Family Wishes Hanyu the Best in Quest to Equal Legend's Third Olympic Gold | JAPAN Forward

"It would be really wonderful if he (Hanyu) could win again,” the Swedish great’s step-daughter Vera Schieckel said in an exclusive interview.

japan-forward.com

 

[ShuPa]

Good luck to Yuzu in the short program!

 

[DreamSkates]

In my mind and heart, Yuzuru is GOAT, regardless of what happens in these Olympics.

He has 2 OGMedals and that cannot be taken away, or matched any time soon.

 

[Vash01]

I am nervous for Yuzuru. I keep telling myself that he already has two OGMs. Even if he finishes off the podium in Beijing, nobody can take those away.

 

[Amantide]

Men's SP competition starts now, right?

 

[Vash01]

I am afraid Nathan is going to get a huge lead, so the free skate won't matter. The quad lutz really makes a difference. Yuzuru needs to skate clean. That's all I want tonight. I want to see a real close contest that goes into the LP. Makes it more interesting.

 

[Amantide]

I couldn't see Yuzu. In fact, I missed lots of skaters. Eurosport stopped broadcasting the FS after the first 2 groups and came back after Shoma. Soooo annoying.

So, he popped 4S, I read. Podium or not, I say still go for it (4A) in the free. It's up to him, obviously, but I don't see the point of playing it safe. In my mind I would be like, I have 2 OGM, back to back. Do I care more to win a silver or bronze - which is not even guaranteed - or take the risk and make history? I'm a risk taker, but that's just me.

 

[Fiero425]

I couldn't see Yuzu. In fact, I missed lots of skaters. Eurosport stopped broadcasting the FS after the first 2 groups and came back after Shoma. Soooo annoying.

So, he popped 4S, I read. Podium or not, I say still go for it (4A) in the free. It's up to him, obviously, but I don't see the point of playing it safe. In my mind I would be like, I have 2 OGM, back to back. Do I care more to win a silver or bronze - which is not even guaranteed - or take the risk and make history? I'm a risk taker, but that's just me.

A 4A may not be enough IMO! The sport really moved forward in the last couple years where Yuzu needs more than a complete collapse of Nathan to win and take OG! His own teammates are coming into their own!

 

[Vash01]

Let us face it. Yuzuru will not win the gold. He may not even make the podium. After his huge mistake he needed help from other skaters but they all skated their best. Yuzuru is now in 8th place. It is impossible for him to win a medal here. He won't even be in the final skating group.

I am wondering if he set the wrong goal for himself? He was so wrapped up in the 4A that he forgot about winning? I am heart broken for him. He looked so sad in his interview with Andrea!

He said there was a hole in the ice left by an earlier skate (His). He couldn't get the lift he needed for the 4Sal. I think that's what Tara also said when he finished the SP.

It wasn't meant to be. I hope he skates lights out in the LP, and feels good about these Olympics. May be he will continue to compete until he lands the 4A. I don't see him sticking around till 2026. I am very sad for him.

 

[Amantide]

A 4A may not be enough IMO! The sport really moved forward in the last couple years where Yuzu needs more than a complete collapse of Nathan to win and take OG! His own teammates are coming into their own!

I'm not saying it is enough. On the contrary. It may not be enough even if he had a clean skate to begin with. I'm saying take the risk and skate the program with the elements you had set your mind on. If 4A is something he wanted to do and planned, then go for it. Don't think about squeezing into the podium. If it happens, great. If not, Amen! You tried.

As for the sport moving forward. Well, he's the guy who pushed the sport forward, and there is a chance to do it again. So there is that.

 

[Vash01]

Since his goal was to land the quad, he should go for it. The 4A has only 12 points. It was never going to be enough to win. He knew it too. The only way he could have won was by skating two perfect programs and if Nathan made a major mistake. Now he is in 8th place. Who would have thought?

He has nothing to lose. He can skate a brilliant LP with a 4A (landed or not) and feel good about himself.

BTW is Orser Not his coach anymore? I thought they were remotely communicating, but Orser was not in the K/C for him. He was there for Jason.

Right now it looks like Nathan will win the gold. Silver/Bronze will go to Yuma/Shoma in any order. Yuzuru is likely to finish in 4th or 5th place. That's life.

He will forever remain a two time Olympic Champion. Nobody can change that.

 

[Amantide]

BTW is Orser Not his coach anymore? I thought they were remotely communicating, but Orser was not in the K/C for him. He was there for Jason.

I read on FB a couple of days ago that it was Yuzu's decision not to have Orser in the K&C.
Nothing happened. I think it was for protection reasons.

 

[Vash01]

A 4A may not be enough IMO! The sport really moved forward in the last couple years where Yuzu needs more than a complete collapse of Nathan to win and take OG! His own teammates are coming into their own!

It is not just about the sport moving forward. Yuzuru has had a lot of injuries in the last quad. He cannot do the more difficult quads. He got injured first before the 2018 Olympics while training a 4Lz. After the injury he never tried it. His gold in 2018 was a miracle. He was off the ice, until two weeks before the 2018 Olympics. I don't believe he ever worked on the 4f.

He was doing 4R and I don't see why he cannot do it now. However, he didn't do it at the most recent nationals. Either he lost it too to injuries or he just focused on the 4A. So it is not that Yuzuru was sitting on his laurels. Rather he had to manage his injuries so that he could compete in the most important competitions- the Olympics. He has won everything else and he has no interest in e.g. a GP win.

 

[Vash01]

I read on FB a couple of days ago that it was Yuzu's decision not to have Orser in the K&C.
Nothing happened. I think it was for protection reasons.

Good to know they are on good terms.

 

[Vash01]

This has not been a good day for me. First Vincent's news. Now Yuzuru out of even medal contention. I know these two cannot be equated. Vincent's disappointment is far worse.

 

[Allskate]

A 4A may not be enough IMO! The sport really moved forward in the last couple years where Yuzu needs more than a complete collapse of Nathan to win and take OG! His own teammates are coming into their own!

Let us face it. Yuzuru will not win the gold. He may not even make the podium. After his huge mistake he needed help from other skaters but they all skated their best. Yuzuru is now in 8th place. It is impossible for him to win a medal here. He won't even be in the final skating group.

I disagree with the idea that Yuzu cannot win or even medal. Ice is slippery and nerves can appear in the long program and the differences in difficulty and PCS are magnified in the long program. One missed jump doesn't determine everything. After all, Yuzu himself didn't skate entirely cleanly at either of his previous Olympics. Shoma isn't the most consistent. Kagiyama is inexperienced and doesn't have the same difficulty level as Yuzu in the long program. Nathan is mortal. None of the others currently ahead of him have close to the same overall difficulty and quality. I love Jason's skating, but their difficulty levels in the long program are night and day. I'm not wishing for any of the other skaters to make mistakes. I'm just saying that it's entirely possible for Yuzu to make up some or all of the difference in the long.

I know Yuzu wants to land the quad axel, but I was watching his practice yesterday and he simply wasn't rotating it and popped multiple attempts. I'm not sure it's worth hoping that the adrenaline will result in a successful attempt. But, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he goes for it.

 

[bardtoob]

Yuzuru is going for the 4A in the LP.

Whatever happens, I hope he is happy with himself and his career.

 

[Vash01]

I disagree with the idea that Yuzu cannot win or even medal. Ice is slippery and nerves can appear in the long program and the differences in difficulty and PCS are magnified in the long program. One missed jump doesn't determine everything. After all, Yuzu himself didn't skate entirely cleanly at either of his previous Olympics. Shoma isn't the most consistent. Kagiyama is inexperienced and doesn't have the same difficulty level as Yuzu in the long program. Nathan is mortal. None of the others currently ahead of him have close to the same overall difficulty and quality. I love Jason's skating, but their difficulty levels in the long program are night and day. I'm not wishing for any of the other skaters to make mistakes. I'm just saying that it's entirely possible for Yuzu to make up some or all of the difference in the long.

I know Yuzu wants to land the quad axel, but I was watching his practice yesterday and he simply wasn't rotating it and popped multiple attempts. I'm not sure it's worth hoping that the adrenaline will result in a successful attempt. But, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he goes for it.

All true, but the probability of Yuzuru moving up to the podium is miniscule. Nathan has a 20 point lead over him. It is impossible to make up for that, even In The age of the quads. In the ladies field it is possible if Sasha Trusova lands 5 quads and others don't. In men's everyone not named Jason lands quads. We saw this tonight. Yuma has 13 points lead and Shoma has 10 point lead over Yuzuru. Mathematically it is possible for him to make up the difference but in reality it is not going to happen (everyone ahead of him making multiple mistakes).

I will be quite happy if he skates as well as he did at his nationals. It may feel like redemption, but Yuzuru is so competitive that he might feel the sting of the loss even if he climbs over 4-5 skaters that are ahead of him.

This reminds me of what happened to Mao Asada in the 2014 Olympics. She was even further back than Yuzuru is now. She skated perhaps the best LP of her career. I would like Yuzuru to have that kind of experience in the LP.

 

[Allskate]

All true, but the probability of Yuzuru moving up to the podium is miniscule. Nathan has a 20 point lead over him. It is impossible to make up for that, even In The age of the quads. In the ladies field it is possible if Sasha Trusova lands 5 quads and others don't. In men's everyone not named Jason lands quads. We saw this tonight. Yuma has 13 points lead and Shoma has 10 point lead over Yuzuru. It is mathematically possible for him to make up the difference but in reality it is not going to happen (everyone ahead of him making multiple mistakes).

I will be quite happy if he skates as well as he did at his nationals. It may feel like redemption, but Yuzuru is so competitive that he might feel the sting of the loss even if he climbs over 4-5 skaters that are ahead of him.

This reminds me of what happened to Mao Asada in the 2014 Olympics. She was even further back than Yuzuru is now. She skated perhaps the best LP of her career. I would like Yuzuru to have that kind of experience in the LP.

Nathan is a classic example of problems in an Olympic short program and then a great long program. But, the difference is that Nathan made mistakes on all his jumps in the short program in 2018. Yuzu missed one jump. What if Shoma misses one quad in the long? I love Shoma's skating and am rooting for a clean program, but it really isn't that hard to imagine Shoma missing a jump. What if Yuma misses one quad? He can't really afford to do that because his long program is not as difficult as Yuzu's. IMO, it's really not hard to see a way for Yuzu to make the podium. As Nathan said after the short program, you can't ever count out Yuzu:

https://twitter.com/rockerskating/status/1490931249585688576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3Arockerskating%7Ctwgr%5EeyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19%7Ctwcon%5Etimelinechrome&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rockerskating.com%2Fnews

 

[Vash01]

Nathan is a classic example of problems in an Olympic short program and then a great long program. But, the difference is that Nathan made mistakes on all his jumps in the short program in 2018. Yuzu missed one jump. What if Shoma misses one quad in the long? I love Shoma's skating and am rooting for a clean program, but it really isn't that hard to imagine Shoma missing a jump. What if Yuma misses one quad? He can't really afford to do that because his long program is not as difficult as Yuzu's. IMO, it's really not hard to see a way for Yuzu to make the podium. As Nathan said after the short program, you can't ever count out Yuzu:

https://twitter.com/rockerskating/status/1490931249585688576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3Arockerskating%7Ctwgr%5EeyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19%7Ctwcon%5Etimelinechrome&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rockerskating.com%2Fnews

I hope you are right.

 

[ShuPa]

I am wondering if he set the wrong goal for himself? He was so wrapped up in the 4A that he forgot about winning?

We can't judge what is 'good' or 'wrong' for Yuzu. Only he knows what he wants after winning two Olympic gold medals. Before Nationals 2021 he has never said he was aiming for a third gold or even going to the Olympics. He said 4A is his goal and if Olympics was in the way of pursuing the 4A then he'd go.

It is not just about the sport moving forward. Yuzuru has had a lot of injuries in the last quad. He cannot do the more difficult quads. He got injured first before the 2018 Olympics while training a 4Lz. After the injury he never tried it. His gold in 2018 was a miracle. He was off the ice, until two weeks before the 2018 Olympics. I don't believe he ever worked on the 4f.

He was doing 4R and I don't see why he cannot do it now. However, he didn't do it at the most recent nationals. Either he lost it too to injuries or he just focused on the 4A. So it is not that a Yuzuru was sitting on his laurels. Rather he had to manage his injuries so that he could compete in the most important competitions- the Olympics. He has won everything else and he has no interest in e.g. a GP win.

It's not true that he never tried the 4Lz after the injury in 2017. He jumped it at the Grand Prix Final in 2019 and then again at the Four Continents in 2020 before the pandemic.
He said at Nationals that doing 4A and 4Lo in the same program wasn't possible for him then. He chose 4A over 4Lo, because his dream is to land the 4A.

The thing is, he doesn't owe anyone anything at all. I respect him so much for going to the Olympics for one more time after winning two Golds. His achievements will never be surprissed no matter what place he finishes here.

Wishing him all the best for the free skate.

 

[Vash01]

We can't judge what is 'good' or 'wrong' for Yuzu. Only he knows what he wants after winning two Olympic gold medals. Before Nationals 2021 he has never said he was aiming for a third gold or even going to the Olympics. He said 4A is his goal and if Olympics was in the way of pursuing the 4A then he'd go.



It's not true that he never tried the 4Lz after the injury in 2017. He jumped it at the Grand Prix Final in 2019 and then again at the Four Continents in 2020 before the pandemic.
He said at Nationals that doing 4A and 4Lo in the same program wasn't possible for him then. He chose 4A over 4Lo, because his dream is to land the 4A.

The thing is, he doesn't owe anyone anything at all. I respect him so much for going to the Olympics for one more time after winning two Golds. His achievements will never be surprissed no matter what place he finishes here.

Wishing him all the best for the free skate.

As I wrote in an earlier Post, in my mind and heart he is GOAT, no matter what happens in these Olympics.

 

[Amantide]

I know Yuzu wants to land the quad axel, but I was watching his practice yesterday and he simply wasn't rotating it and popped multiple attempts. I'm not sure it's worth hoping that the adrenaline will result in a successful attempt. But, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he goes for it.

I keep hearing about the 4A (and I'm all for it) but I don't follow the news from practices. So I'm curious to know, has he ever landed or fully rotated a 4A? I don't mean in competition (I'm assuming he hasn't?) but in practices.

 

[BittyBug]

He has not.

 

[clairecloutier]

He has not.

Which is why I feel like he has no plan at this point. When your “strategy” is to land a jump that you have never landed before, even in practice, you are no longer operating in the real world, but in fantasyland.

Sorry if this sounds harsh. I remain a huge fan and love his skating tremendously. But like I said elsewhere, I have no idea what he’s doing right now, and I don’t think he does, either. I can only imagine the emotional undertow he’s probably dealing with at this point, with his plans and dreams for the Axel not reaching fulfillment.

 

[orbitz]

I don't see the point to throwing in a 4A attempt just for the sake of trying it at the Olympic. Yuzu has never came close to landing the jump cleanly on one foot. He should just concentrate on doing a clean LP with the elements that he can do.

 

[Cachoo]

I don't see the point to throwing in a 4A attempt just for the sake of trying it at the Olympic. Yuzu has never came close to landing the jump cleanly on one foot. He should just concentrate on doing a clean LP with the elements that he can do.

I do. He has proven how great he is and now maybe he wants to innovate. It doesn't mean it will work but if he wants to try it then I think he should. I don't necessarily think it is about winning rather than conquering new ground.