I am not convinced Hanyu's spot is locked either. Based on his performance at Finlandia : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EkVx3jyFUg
I note the jumps are fairly good and solid. But other than that, the performance showed little improvement from what I saw at the 2013 Worlds in London. His issue back then was his strong start but weak finish - he did it again. Granted, I wasn't live at Finlandia so the caveat of judging via a video clip should be noted - that said, his performance did not strike as having made any significant stride in terms of his ability to deliver his performance. In fact, his style pretty much similar vs. to his past FS, you could mute the music, and think he is skating to the same program. I didn't pick up any noticeable changes in his transitions or creativity in that department.
Finally, the costume - for me, it comes across as very distracting and somewhat inappropriate for the Olympics. With the controversy surrounding Russian gay rights in Sochi, would it be wise for the sport of figure skating, at least Men Singles, to be perceived as effeminate with costume like that? He is a handsome young man if you google many of his off ice pics, he has the qualities to carry the torch after Takahashi retires as Japan's poster boy. That said, he really could learn from Takahashi when it comes to fashion. Takahashi strikes a fine balance when it comes to fashion, which makes very endearing. Hanyu on the other hand seems to copy Johnny Weir from head to toe - not the wisest decision.
I know look is subjective and don't claim to be any authority when it comes to style. Though with decades in this sport, I want to believe I have keen sense of what's too far and what's not. When the Shibutani were red hot a few years ago, I knew their outward projection could eventually become a burden for them and it did. Take it however you will, appearance and how you project yourself still matter a great deal in this sport, so is the perception of the outside world beyond the skating community. We don't live in bubbles. In an Olympic year, Hanyu's choice of style and lack of improvement in his delivery presents a risk should he fails to deliver his jumping content. We are already seeing some early signs - in Finlandia FS where he made 3 jumping errors, his first mark is still vastly higher than his PCS. That's in a competition where he had no close rivals. Fernandez who arguably doesn't have the same natural technical talent that he has, consistently beat Hanyu in PCS last season - again, Fernandez projects very well on ice and off, which helps him a great deal and compensate for his disadvantages. As a result, Hanyu having the highest TES at the 2013 Worlds FS but only 6th in PCS, failed to make the podium. The difference between his TES and PCS was a wooping 9 points, in favor of TES. Even Joubert had higher PCS than he did, who finished 10th in the FS.
Simply put, JSF will need to take into account this obvious problem that Hanyu has, his inability to get high PCS scores. Having the same coach as Fernandez and outskated him technically yet still lost is a major warning sign that something is not right with his skating.
I note the jumps are fairly good and solid. But other than that, the performance showed little improvement from what I saw at the 2013 Worlds in London. His issue back then was his strong start but weak finish - he did it again. Granted, I wasn't live at Finlandia so the caveat of judging via a video clip should be noted - that said, his performance did not strike as having made any significant stride in terms of his ability to deliver his performance. In fact, his style pretty much similar vs. to his past FS, you could mute the music, and think he is skating to the same program. I didn't pick up any noticeable changes in his transitions or creativity in that department.
Finally, the costume - for me, it comes across as very distracting and somewhat inappropriate for the Olympics. With the controversy surrounding Russian gay rights in Sochi, would it be wise for the sport of figure skating, at least Men Singles, to be perceived as effeminate with costume like that? He is a handsome young man if you google many of his off ice pics, he has the qualities to carry the torch after Takahashi retires as Japan's poster boy. That said, he really could learn from Takahashi when it comes to fashion. Takahashi strikes a fine balance when it comes to fashion, which makes very endearing. Hanyu on the other hand seems to copy Johnny Weir from head to toe - not the wisest decision.
I know look is subjective and don't claim to be any authority when it comes to style. Though with decades in this sport, I want to believe I have keen sense of what's too far and what's not. When the Shibutani were red hot a few years ago, I knew their outward projection could eventually become a burden for them and it did. Take it however you will, appearance and how you project yourself still matter a great deal in this sport, so is the perception of the outside world beyond the skating community. We don't live in bubbles. In an Olympic year, Hanyu's choice of style and lack of improvement in his delivery presents a risk should he fails to deliver his jumping content. We are already seeing some early signs - in Finlandia FS where he made 3 jumping errors, his first mark is still vastly higher than his PCS. That's in a competition where he had no close rivals. Fernandez who arguably doesn't have the same natural technical talent that he has, consistently beat Hanyu in PCS last season - again, Fernandez projects very well on ice and off, which helps him a great deal and compensate for his disadvantages. As a result, Hanyu having the highest TES at the 2013 Worlds FS but only 6th in PCS, failed to make the podium. The difference between his TES and PCS was a wooping 9 points, in favor of TES. Even Joubert had higher PCS than he did, who finished 10th in the FS.
Simply put, JSF will need to take into account this obvious problem that Hanyu has, his inability to get high PCS scores. Having the same coach as Fernandez and outskated him technically yet still lost is a major warning sign that something is not right with his skating.