Can Yuzuru Hanyu close the gap on Patrick Chan? | Golden Skate

Can Yuzuru Hanyu close the gap on Patrick Chan?

Mao88

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 9, 2011
This is Hanyu's new free program, Romeo and Juliet (music by Nino Rota from the 1968 film). Wisely, he has retained the same short program, Parisienne Walkways, which he had so much success with last season

What Hanyu lacked last season was consistency in his long program. He would regularly skate superb short programs (setting a new world record for the SP), only for it to all to fall apart in the free skate. His problems with asthma have always been a factor in terms of his stamina problems in the free skate, although according to this excellent article, he is now able to train for 3-4 hours a day. Youth and inexperience at the senior level probably also play a part. However, its been asked before, but with the start of a new season, does Hanyu have enough time to close the gap on Chan and overtake him before the 2014 Olympics?
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
think he can. Patrick is presenting Yuzuru (also Fernandez) a stationary target, not having much to show for his experiment with "artistry" last season.
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
I don't think he can. His look is too immature.

I'm not a huge Patrick fan, and I do think he's vulnerable. Highly vulnerable.

But I don't think Hanyu's a real threat.

Of course, my opinion is hardly unbiased. His skating does not suit my eye.
 

yude

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Thank you for the link to the article! This is an excellent article indeed with good summary of his book.

Another video of his new free program (this is not the real one of course, his debut of new FP is going to be in Finlandia Trophy).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LqbWuTgV-8

I think he can close the gap on Chan, but at the same time, other skaters also can if they have quads. It just depends on how Chan and they will skate on the night.
 

msteach3

Medalist
Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Country
United-States
I'd like to think Hanyu has a chance to dethrone Chan as Yuzuru is currently my favorite skater. I'm not a huge Chan fan, but he has proven time and time again he can win, so I think it'll be tough for anyone else. However, Yuzu has the artistry, musicality and jumps to rival any other top contender, so yes he has the ability to make it very interesting if he skates well. The Nino Rota score plays to his strengths and I'm super excited to see him perform it at Finlandia.
 

spikydurian

Medalist
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
Yes, he can. And so can Fernandez, Daisuke and Oda (who's skating very well). Maybe can include Kozuka and Abbot (depending on how they skate and their quads in the coming grand prix season). Not forgetting Plushenko and Evans too if they return to competition. All these skaters have beaten Patrick before. And I am a Patrick fan. ;)
 

Nadia01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
Not this season. I'm disappointed that he's recycling his programs, BTW. I expected something new this season.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
I dont think Chan is the favourite - look for Javier Fernandez, Takahashi and Hanyu to be the faves. Chan has not grown as a skater artistically or technically and going back to Four Seasons and no real coach - yikes.
 

airin

Rinkside
Joined
May 7, 2013
I think Yuzuru can get closer to Patrick, at least I think things will work better than last year because Hanyu and his coaches share more understandings to each other. But watching the current situation, if everyone skate cleanly Chan will get the better or others. Chan can earn huge points both in TES and PCS. And Hanyu is still 18 now, not at his peak in terms of age. (So I hope him to continue developing his physical strength, techniques and artistry in the long term:)) But Chan also lacked in consistency in last season, it’s difficult to predict what will happen in the OG.
 

Moment

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 18, 2013
I dont think Chan is the favourite - look for Javier Fernandez, Takahashi and Hanyu to be the faves. Chan has not grown as a skater artistically or technically and going back to Four Seasons and no real coach - yikes.

Daisuke is struggling with jumps too. He isn't in better state than PC.
 

phaeljones

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
yup

Hanyu will if he hasn't already. He just gets better and better. He skates for the skate, not just the win, and that will make him more consistent over time. His choice of music this year was a disappointment to me as well, but no matter what the music, he will always have beautiful ina bauers, the biellmann, beautiful spins, great speed, great height in his jumps, amazing triple axel with unbelieveable entry and exits, and great bladework and musicality. (Screw the choice of music, just skate kid.) The salchow quads he will get. He is just too good not to.

Chan has to reverse his trajectory. Hope he does, so that he stays great, is better and more consistent, but I don't see it happening.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I don't wish Patrick any bad luck. He had the misfortune of peaking between Olympics, but he is still the defending world champion going into Sochi. The burden is on the other guys to knock him out.
 

Nadia01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
I don't wish Patrick any bad luck. He had the misfortune of peaking between Olympics, but he is still the defending world champion going into Sochi. The burden is on the other guys to knock him out.

Based on scoring, I think he can zamboni during the entirety of SP & LP and still win OGM.
 

cinnamon

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
I'm just impressed by his effortless jumps...
Of course figure skating should be judged as a total package, being so young and lack of experience, he needs lots more to go to be top of the world. But on the other hand, in Olympics anything can be happened.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Hanyu's presentation style isn't my cup of tea, but I acknowledge that he is quite good and can certainly beat Chan. Given that neither skater typically goes clean over the two programs, if Hanyu can make fewer errors than Chan it should be very close between them.
 

Li'Kitsu

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Nadia01 said:
Based on scoring, I think he can zamboni during the entirety of SP & LP and still win OGM.

Yeah of course, like at the GPF 2012 :rolleye:

Patrick isn't unbeatable, he peaked and while he holds his level quite well (which is impressive given that this level is anything but low), others have closed the gap. But for whatever reason there are still people doing this 'he will win anyway'-boo-boo-whining stuff, which the last season clearly showed isn't true. If Patrick manages to skate well, he has all the chances to win the OGM. But he is defintily not a shoe-in, not in the least.
Yuzuru is amazing and I really, really love him, but he's a little bit of a wildcard to me. He never managed to connect to his Notre Dame FS, and it will depend on his new FS a lot. But if he really manages to skate well at the Olympics, I'd expect a monster of a score. It depends on his health too...
He's still 18 though, who knows how good he can become in the years to follow! :love:

My favorite for the OGM right now though would be Javier. His skates from Euros last year were by far the closest to clean we've seen this last season from the top contenders, and it would have easily made him the world champion.
 
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