An interview with
Oda Nobunari (excerpt) -
Age is Just A Number:
https://mainichi.jp/articles/20241220/k00/00m/050/284000c (Behind the paywall)
-Your performance changed the atmosphere of the venue.
I am 37 years old, and it is difficult for me to rotate jumps or spins quickly, or doing physically sharp moves like younger skaters. But figure skating is a sport that is also an art. My style of art is to enjoy myself on the ice, and let the audience enjoy it.
-After the performance, you were talking with your mother and coach, Noriko, with tears in your eyes.
Yes, she has been with me for my practice during both my first and second amateur careers, and before I started my performance today, she said “Really, really enjoy it, and give it all you've got. It doesn't matter if you fail or succeed. What's important is that you enjoy yourself." I was able to enjoy my skating with her words in mind, so I expressed my gratitude to her and told her I had a good time.
-What does age mean to you?
When Fuji Television asked me to write a few words before this competition (Note: you can see skaters' words on the wall of K&C),
I told myself that age is just a number, and by reminding myself of that, I realized that it really is true. I have been telling myself that there is nothing I can't do just because I am getting older, and I think I have come one step closer today to really proving that.