(Machine translation)
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[Shoma Uno's retirement press conference] Chairman Akio Toyoda is "really kind"
Q. Toyoda Akio of Toyota Motor Corporation (Uno's company) heard about my retirement and said something like, "Support for athletes should only be given when they are in their prime; that's not enough." I've met Akio three or four times...I've met him more than once, and I've been really rude to him a few times...
(MC: He describes himself as an ordinary man who likes cars.)
It's hard to say (laughs), but he's really that easy to talk to.But when my grades were really bad, he was always worried about me, and when my grades were good, he told me he was really happy for me. I had the opportunity to visit Akio's house for the first time, and when I was there to write my name, I wrote it in katakana. But he still forgave me.
(Host: The correct answer is "Toyoda" which is pronounced as "Toyoda")But still, he laughed and said, "These are the names, so remember them when you go home."
That's the kind of person he is, so he's really kind.
Q. Regarding a second career as an athlete: Up until now I've been living a pretty much same routine every day, so I feel like I need to have a lot of different experiences, including in the future.
(MC: Telling children about the appeal of figure skating, etc.)
I also started skating because I admired Mao, so when I was little, rather than being particularly attracted to skating or anything like that, I think it was mostly because I wanted to become like the skaters I admired, and therefore wanted to play the same sport.
But it's amazing. That I can be in that position. It's a very moving experience.
I'd like to ask the opposite question. I'd like to know what it is about me that the players and everyone who looks up to me admire.
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[Shoma Uno's retirement press conference] The memory that remains vivid is "the sight of my coach Stephane Lambiel when I won my first World Championship"
Q. When did you decide to end your career at this season? I first started thinking about retirement about two years ago.
However, even though I couldn't really imagine myself retiring from that point on, I continued to dedicate myself to skating with all my might, and since then I've had a variety of experiences, which has brought me to where I am today.
The time when I decided clearly is gradually approaching...However, as for when I told my coach, after the All Japan Championships were over, I told Coach Stefan that I wanted to retire from active competition at the next tournament.
Q. What have you gained or felt from experiencing the big stage? I've never been someone who was good at standing in front of people and speaking like this, or performing on a big stage.
By experiencing a big stage once, I think it helps to make you feel less nervous about anything than you were before.
I've had a lot of experiences on big stages, but even when it's not a big stage, there are many times when I get nervous, even in my private life.
What I think most about it is that I will look back and think of it as a precious treasure, a valuable experience that I could only have now.
Q. I think that the scene or tournament that I can relive over and over is the sight of Stephane's joy after winning his first World Championship. It's a memory that remains very vivid in my memory.
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[Shoma Uno's retirement press conference] "I felt left behind" by the retirements of Yuzuru Hanyu and Nathan Chen
Q. What was the reason or trigger that made you start thinking about retiring? Originally, rather than being motivated by a strong desire to achieve great results, I had always wanted to do my best every day, and give it my all to make the best possible performance in the competition that was coming up.
After I won the World Championships once, of course my desire to continue working hard didn't change, but with the retirements of Yuzuru and Nathan, and the retirements of my teammates who I'd fought alongside for so long, I felt very lonely and like I'd been left behind, and I think that's when I started to think about it.
Q. Regarding any regrets about leaving the sport, to be honest I don't have any.
Personally, I'm really happy that I'll be able to skate freely again, but when I look back at old footage, I realize how hard I worked.I don't want to praise myself too much for being able to hone the same thing every day to this extent, but I do think I've accomplished something truly amazing.
Q. What was the most memorable match between you and Yuzuru Hanyu and Nathan? To me, they were two incredible skaters who were like gods to me. I always thought I would like to be able to compete on the same level as them someday.
I don't know if I would have been able to reach that point, but I do think I was able to live my life as a figure skater to the fullest in my own way.As for what will be memorable, rather than the tournament itself, I think what will stick in my memory is the truly wonderful humanity of the two of them.
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[Shoma Uno's retirement press conference] "I look forward to seeing figure skating at an ever-increasingly high level"
Q. In the field of figure skating, you have been able to express yourself amongst athletes with larger statures, so have you ever felt at a disadvantage because of your short stature?
I'm really glad that I chose figure skating.
First of all, with my height of 157 cm, there aren't many other sports in which I can excel, so I feel truly blessed to have taken up figure skating.
I don't think I ever had any negative thoughts like that.
Q. What message would you like to give to the younger skaters who will be competing against rising skaters such as Marinin? (note: Malinin) I recently skated an old program at an ice show, so I had the chance to watch footage of my old competitions.
When I watch videos of myself, I realize that I have really evolved in terms of my expression compared to the past.
I'm looking forward to seeing figure skating get increasingly more advanced, and all the younger Japanese skaters are really nice. First of all, they all get along really well.
Of course, everyone wants to achieve good results, but I hope that as many skaters as possible will emerge who can have the most fun and embody the type of skating that I am aiming for.
Q. What are you thinking about when you are skating? When I was little, I was a very introverted person and couldn't speak in front of people.
I don't think my parents even thought that I would be able to stand on the ice alone and perform in front of that many people.
On the contrary, it is precisely because I am the only one there that they can properly see the world and expression that I create.
I'm very grateful that, here and elsewhere, people listen to what I have to say sincerely and report on it, and I think that's why it's a place where I can easily express my true colors.
I think that because I'm not the type of person who is very good at communicating, this was a sport and environment that suited me really well.
Also, regarding the skating I want to perform in the future, first of all I want to do is give it my all.
I want to create programs that I can enjoy every day, and show everyone programs that really express my emotions, and I'm excited to think that I'll be able to create great programs in the future that are born from the feeling that I want to do it, not that I have to do it.
Q. To be honest, I don’t know what motivates you to pursue skating.
I've loved video games since I was really little, so at first I just worked hard at skating because I really wanted to play games.
However, as I continued skating every day, I gradually became attracted to the appeal of skating and the idea of myself being able to compete at the world's top level.I also think that it's very important to have a place where I can give it my all, or to devote all my time to it, including my hobbies.
I realized that being able to give it your all no matter how depressed you are is an incredibly valuable thing.
Although sometimes it can be tiring.
However, I believe that the time I have spent facing this challenge single-mindedly will become an asset for me in the future, and I believe this experience will be something that I can make use of in my life going forward.
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I thought it was obvious he hadn't figured out a "new" style yet without his old coaches and to start giving the judges something fresh, and this one turned out to be a failed experiment for me. The LP was a success to me, but then it was lyrical/contemporary and he'd done well with similar before.
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