Javier Fernandez, un Don Quijote sobre hielo ("a Don Quixote on ice")

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August 8th article in Spanish: http://www.marca.com/deportes-invierno/2017/08/11/598cdfa246163f63568b45e5.html

Google translated excerpt:
He will again emulate Chaplin, something he already did in 2013, and will be in the shoes of 'Man de La Mancha', the musical based on the work 'Yo, Don Quixote' by Dale Wasserman, in separate montages of the Canadian David Wilson, who has traveled with Fernandez to Spain.

"With Chaplin I won the first European gold medal and the first world medal, so it will always be considered as one of my best programs, taking it back is a nice way to close the circle of my career, but we will present it differently. Charles Chaplin of 'Candilejas', but 'Modern Time', a man who fights labor exploitation and the dehumanization of industry. It will be a conceptual choreography based on gesture, "he says. Remnants of this montage have already been seen in his recent tour of Japan.
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He will begin his season by going up against Hanyu at Autumn Classic International, Sept. 22-23, 2017, in Pierrefonds QC.
 
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JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ – THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM
By Hiro Yoshida
https://europeonice.com/2017/11/02/javier-fernandez-the-impossible-dream/
Whether Fernández is able to win a coveted Olympic medal or not in PyeongChang next February, his legacy and contribution to Spanish figure skating is secure. In December 2016, he headlined “RevolutiOnIce”, his own show, that played to a packed house in Madrid. During summer 2017, he organised a week-long summer camp for promising skating talent also in Madrid. Earlier this year, he signed a sponsorship deal with La Liga, Spain’s professional football league. The partnership will see Fernández promoting the league in markets where his and figure skating’s popularity exceeds that of soccer.

“We want to take the LaLiga brand to countries where we’re well-known and very popular,” Fernández explained at the announcement of the deal. “Walking and working hand in hand will be highly mutually beneficial and we’re going to do our very best. LaLiga is helping Spanish sport and the fact that they’re going to pay for elite sportspeople’s social security is one of the best developments in the country’s sporting history.”
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Javier Fernandez interview by Tatjana Flade for ISU (Nov. 28, 2017): http://www.isu.org/figure-skating/f...and-of-course-it-wasn-t-easy?templateParam=15
Excerpts:
Q: At the European Championships, you will go for your sixth title.

J: That would definitely be a big achievement. That’s why the Europeans is a really important competition because I also want to keep doing the little goals that I can still reach and that’s a really big one. To keep making history, also in figure skating history, I think is really important and special for me. So, I am definitely going to try to make it happen.
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J: My first Olympic Games in Vancouver were an experience. I was young. I knew I didn’t have a chance to be in the top 5 or top 10. So I just took it like an experience. Something to learn, to be at an Olympics with all the Olympians and athletes. It was a great experience. I learned a lot from it because it was the first time I was around that many incredible athletes from all around the World, from all sports and it was impressive. My second Olympics in Sochi, my mind was different. I wanted to get onto the podium but it didn’t happen. I didn’t have a bad competition but it was not good enough. I still remember I had one little mistake, one triple Sal too many, and then Denis Ten beat me. But that’s sport, that’s competition and that’s the way it is. We learn from it and keep working. So I think that kept me going even harder for practices. Because I remember when I got back on the ice right after Olympics I had so much energy to give in practice that I never had before. So, I think, it was actually positive for me to not even achieve the medal in Sochi.
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Q: Will your parents come to the Olympics to watch?
J: Yes. They will come to Europeans and the Olympics.
...
Q: How do you feel when your parents and, perhaps, your sister are coming and watching you?
J: It’s great! It’s great to see them around the competition and to be able to skate great when they are there – it’s a great feeling. And then, of course, celebrating with them after the competition is done. It’s just a different atmosphere that you have when your family is around.
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Javi Fernandez attended the unveiling of his own wax figure (dressed like Don Quixote) at el Museo de Cera de Madrid earlier today - several photos tweeted by the museum:
https://twitter.com/MuseoCeraMadrid/status/940622774502125569
https://twitter.com/MuseoCeraMadrid/status/940541675549741057

Spanish article/photo: http://www.marca.com/otros-deportes/2017/12/12/5a2fd368e5fdea35428b4587.html

Another Spanish article: http://www.europapress.es/madrid/no...cultura-museo-cera-madrid-20171212202932.html
Google translated excerpt:
For his part, the director of the Wax Museum of Madrid, Gonzalo Presa, said that "it is a pride to pay tribute to a discipline that is still not very well known but thanks to Javier Fernández has become fashionable in Spain."
"From the Wax Museum of Madrid we are very proud of being able to convey our admiration to Javier Fernández," said Presa, who also said that the skater "is an example for the youngest, not only in sports but in life daily."
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^^^ Very :cool: - thanks, @Zemgirl!

Reuters article by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber (published on Jan. 4 before Europeans): World champion Fernandez carries Spanish hopes
Excerpt:
“Javier is a fighter, a person whose ideas are clear and who follows his goals to the end,” Spanish Ice Sports Federation (FEDH) general secretary Xavier Cherta told Reuters.
“Only good things can be said about Javier.”
...
Cherta has seen Fernandez’s success spark growing public interest in figure skating.
“When we have a high-level athlete, he has to leave Spain to train because we cannot give him the facilities for his calibre,” Cherta said.
“But Javier’s appearance has allowed us to work toward building a high-performance center and we have the support of public institutions.”
In its history Spain has won only two medals at the Winter Olympics -- a gold in the men’s slalom in 1972 and a bronze in the women’s slalom in 1992 won by siblings Francisco and Blanca Fernandez Ochoa.
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Associated Press article by Jim Heintz: Fernandez wins 6th straight European gold
The Spaniard projected both the bravado and humor of the program's Don Quixote alter ego, including his putting his hand behind his back at the end of a triple-double combination, a gesture reminiscent of sword fighters.
Spain last won a Winter Olympics medal in 1992, a few months before Fernandez was born, and he hopes to end that quarter-century drought.
"It will be something important for me, important for the sport of Spain and of course for figure skating in Spain. It will be good for a lot of things, so I'm going to try my best to do it and try to bring the medal to Spain, but I know how hard the competition is," he said.
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Interview with Jean-Christophe Berlot after he won Euros: Fernández: In quad debate, more not always better

Excerpts:
Icenetwork: And yet other skaters are coming up with three new quads. How do you feel about that?
Fernández: When I see my results I get at competitions and compare them to theirs, I tell myself that I'm not doing that bad! With a clean program, I know that I can make it. We all want to do that much, but sometimes we miss the point we're trying to make.
I think that the more quads you add, and the more you make your body suffer, the more tired you are. And if you're tired, you also risk more. That's a problem for the younger skaters. By doing more quads all at once, they don't let their bodies acclimate and get into a place where they feel comfortable. If you're not comfortable, you won't be as confident with your programs, at least in the longer term. You can injure yourself more. And in a competition, what you need is to be most confident in your jumps.
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Our choreography will change throughout the year (to include more transitions). Working on a program is just like using a new pair of shoes. At first they hurt, but then walking becomes easier and easier. But when things look too easy, they don't work. You need to find the right balance between skating easy and having everything flow, and making things too complicated. So, each time we add some difficulty to maintain the balance, and we work at [the programs] to make them look smooth. That's how we have the best program at the end of the season!
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Icenetwork: How do you see the Olympics?
Fernández: I may be going to win, I don't know. You never know. Figure skating is quite different from running. You can't control everything. Sometimes you wake up tired and you don't skate the same way. You can work a lot, but that doesn't mean you're going to be good every time. This is a sport of imbalance!
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Icenetwork: Will we have a chance to see you skate again next year?
Fernández: Maybe I'll throw in one more competition and go for seven European titles? You never know! Sometimes you wake up and say, "I want to achieve this goal!" Or maybe, after two weeks of vacation, I'll feel so bored that I'll say I need to go back to skating.
Seriously, I'll sit down after the [Olympic] Games, and we'll check. We'll decide. Just like in skating, step by step, right? How many (European) titles did [Karl] Schäfer get? Eight? That's two more (he grins). And [Evgeni] Plushenko? Seven? You never know. ... It will all depend on how my body goes and on how long I feel strong enough. I don't think I'll do one more Olympic cycle, but doing one or two (more) seasons, Grand Prix or Europeans...why not?
(After thinking a little) You know, you always need to be thinking a step ahead. If you put a ceiling above you too quickly, you're blocked, and it's not good!
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Bellanca

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^ I believe Javier can defeat any of the skaters that you have mentioned. I also think the skaters (discussed above) can beat Javier, and have, but thanks for throwing Javi a (Shoma) bone. Nice of you.
 
bardtoob

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Weve3 said:
^ I believe Javier can defeat any of the skaters that you have mentioned. I also think the skaters (discussed above) can beat Javier, and have, but thanks for throwing Javi a (Shoma) bone. Nice of you.
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My bone is only because Shoma has only three types of quads, unlike the others. Of course, Javi only has two types of quads that he has used in competition. There is that rumor that Javi can do the 4Lp, but he does not seem to be interested in overextending himself.

. . . Of course, you might be taking into account that Yuzuru, Nathan, and Shoma all see to be experiencing injury from the amount of stress on their body in one way or another.

Javi seem to be the most healthy of this group.
 
wickedwitch

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bardtoob said:
My bone is only because Shoma has only three types of quads, unlike the others. Of course, Javi only has two types of quads that he has used in competition. There is that rumor that Javi can do the 4Lp, but he does not seem to be interested in overextending himself.

. . . Of course, you might be taking into account that Yuzuru, Nathan, and Shoma all see to be experiencing injury from the amount of stress on their body in one way or another.

Javi seem to be the most healthy of this group.
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Javi has beaten a relatively healthy Yuzuru at 2 of 3 worlds this quad.

Frankly, none of these men are that consistent. I wouldn't be that surprised to see any of them beat any of the others.
 
MAXSwagg

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wickedwitch said:
Javi has beaten a relatively healthy Yuzuru at 2 of 3 worlds this quad.

Frankly, none of these men are that consistent. I wouldn't be that surprised to see any of them beat any of the others.
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What other Worlds? 2013 Worlds, Hanyu was not "relatively healthy" and he was no where near healthy at 2016 Worlds. 2015 Worlds is also arguable.

Javi can win, yes. But across the entire men's field, the fact of the matter is no one has really ever come close to Hanyu's top marks in the SP (112 and 110 before that), or his top total competition marks which he got with only a THREE-quad free skate. In fact, Javi only managed to do that once, and out of all the men, Hanyu and Boyang are the only ones to have done an absolutely clean competition. Which, as you stated, proves that the men are as consistent as the others.

Of the current men, Hanyu, Javi, and Patrick are the one's that most deserve to be on the podium, as they had to work for the marks they get. Shoma and Nathan's (especially) PCS just skyrocketed over a season, the likes of which has only been beaten by Zagitova's.
 
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skatfan

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Wow - you included Patrick with Hanyu and Javi? Gosh, the past couple of years, I just don't see it. He hasn't skated a clean program in a while, his triple axel is scary, and the quads aren't all that consistent. Beautiful skating skills and presence on the ice though. Love his SP.

Shoma and Nathan are miles better this season (particularly in their SPs) in the PCS, and I really think Nathan's SP shows him to be the dancer he trained to be as a boy. Whether he can do that with all of the content in the LP is certainly a question (it hasn't happened yet, and with him changing around his program, who knows?). I'm kinda sad that I saw him at US Nationals when he was sick, because he clearly didn't have that extra oomph. Even Jin is looking better to me this season - which kinda shocks me.

On a purely sentimental basis, I'd love for Javi and Hanyu to place 1/2 in either order - they are such classy skaters and are so well-rounded with the quads and then everything else. And how great that would be as a testament to how Orser has coached them both.
 
aftershocks

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Javi's very popular, and he has the skill and talent to be on top of the podium, without a doubt. Shoma's a strong contender as well, but I think the judges are overly mesmerized by Shoma's smooth moves, precociousness and exquisite knee bend to the point of not recognizing his weak points re jump technique miscues, and his one-note dramatic gesturing and expressions. Hanyu could slam dunk and win it all if he's healthy and in the zone.

Jin Boyang and Kolyada have chances to challenge for the podium, if both are healthy and consistent, and lucky. Kolyada is gorgeous when he's on, but trying to add more quads has been often hit or miss for Kolyada this season.

Obviously the "younger skaters" Javi is referring to must be Shoma, Boyang, Kolyada, Nathan especially, et al:

"... sometimes we miss the point we're trying to make.
I think that the more quads you add, and the more you make your body suffer, the more tired you are. And if you're tired, you also risk more. That's a problem for the younger skaters. By doing more quads all at once, they don't let their bodies acclimate and get into a place where they feel comfortable. If you're not comfortable, you won't be as confident with your programs, at least in the longer term. You can injure yourself more. And in a competition, what you need is to be most confident in your jumps."

Too much overthinking methinks re 'the younger skaters'. Javi should then just allow it to be the younger skaters' problem and maintain his focus (as athletes usually say they do) upon himself and his own performances. Quads are surely hard for everyone, no matter how old or how young. On average learning new quads and pacing how you train and perform them over the course of a season might be less of a short-term problem physically for some younger skaters than for those in their mid-to-late twenties. Everyone apparently approaches the quad conundrum differently anyway.
 
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Here's a Spanish article with an almost 2-minute clip of Javi being welcomed at the Madrid airport by media and fans :): https://www.sport.es/es/noticias/ju.../calurosa-bienvenida-javier-fernandez-6633806
Google translated excerpt:

Upon his arrival at the Madrid airport he met with great expectation. Some two hundred people were waiting for him, among them numerous girls and boys who did not care about the time, close to dawn.

"I'm back home and super happy to bring a medal and share it with people, my state is full of happiness, I'm just nervous to see all these people at the airport, I did not expect it at all," he said. skater after arriving at the Madrid airport, where he received about two hundred people.

"That Javi deserves a wave! Or Champion, champion!" Were some of the songs that did not stop ringing during the wait and that went up the volume decibels with their arrival through the arrivals gate.

The departure of Javier Fernández caused an avalanche of media to pounce on him to take his first statements, record him on video and take pictures.

After finishing the press, the skater started signing books and autographs for the fans and posed with his medal in front of a cloud of mobile phones.

Many of these fans accompanied the skater on a long journey through the corridors of the airport, before he took a car to spend a few days with his family.

Despite the numerous hours of flight from Korea that were reflected in his tired face, the skater did not stop smiling and was happy for the welcome and affection of the people who valued his feat.

Article in English - Spanish figure skater after bronze win: “A weight has been lifted”: https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/02/19/inenglish/1519028908_187305.html

More Spanish articles:

About 200 people received the Madrid Olympic skater at the Barajas airport: https://www.20minutos.es/deportes/noticia/javier-fernanzdez-bronce-recibimiento-espana-3265397/0/

Javier Fernández becomes legendary with an Olympic bronze:
http://www.mundodeportivo.com/juego...e-hace-legendario-con-un-bronce-olimpico.html

ETA that this Spanish article tht was posted in another thread includes a 5-minute video: http://www.marca.com/juegos-olimpicos-invierno/2018/02/19/5a8a0b20e2704e58398b463b.html

Google translated excerpt:

Fernandez left a message to the young skaters and skaters who swarmed around him in search of a greeting and a photograph. " I want you to know that there is nothing impossible, that everything can be achieved, I want the skating to continue growing, that in the future there will be more children who have more opportunities than I did and get better results," he explained.

About his future, he did not say anything concrete but let me glimpse again that it is almost impossible that I arrived in active until the next Olympic Games. "Four years left, I would be quite a veteran in this sport and we'll see, the first thing is this season that has not ended yet, the World Cup, I do not know if I'll play, I have to talk to the coaches and decide, " he said.

Although he does not yet see his retirement, 'SuperJavi', as his followers acclaim, seems to be clear that in the near future he will compete less. " I still want to do some more competitions , but I do not know if they will be full seasons," acknowledged the skater, who will rest a few days in Madrid before returning to Pyeongchang again to participate in the final exhibition and, who knows, maybe carry the Spanish flag in the closing ceremony.
 
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bardtoob

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:shuffle: I thought he would be one to stay in the Olympic Village and enjoy the camaraderie :grope:

. . . Although it looks like he is going back to the village in a few days ;)
 
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Javier Fernández: "I'm not going to the World Cup": http://www.marca.com/juegos-olimpicos-invierno/2018/02/20/5a8c4ea3268e3ee6118b45b7.html

Google translation:

"No, I'm not going [to Milan Worlds], this morning I talked to my coach and we decided not to, we've been working a lot, we've done a lot these months and we're happy with this end of the season," said the skater, who also confirmed that the of Pyeonchang will undoubtedly be his last Olympic Games.
...
Javier Fernandez will be in more European Championships so he could overcome the seven titles of Yevgueni Pliushchenko: "It's not just for beating him, because if it was for that he would go for the eight [won by Karl Schäfer. ] or the nine [Ulrich Salchow] I want to go to Europeans and see what happens, I do not intend to go to the Games and I will not do full seasons either. "

New challenges are set for the future: "The challenges that I have already had, if I put one more, would be the number of Europeans, but I do not believe in it. I am prepared for other challenges such as exhibitions or promoting the creation of a High Performance Center ", points out the six times champion of Europe and two of the World.
 
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