Yuzuru Hanyu - interview after Worlds’ SP - 140326
Q: Your mood right now?
A: Not content. Very unhappy.
Q: What point makes you the most unhappy?
A: It doesn’t need to be said; of course it’s the 4T. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve done one that’s so bad. From when I started the jump, I sensed that something was off. In the end, I have to prepare better and adjust for tomorrow.
Q: As the person who achieved a world record in SP and became Olympic champion, is there anything different about participating in this event?
A: No, there’s nothing that’s really different. It’s just that this time, I planned to enjoy it. Even though my opening 4T was a failure, I still thought that as long as I did well on the rest of the elements that had high GOEs, I would still be able to top 90 points. I tried to keep my focus until the very end, so I feel like after skating this program for two years, I’ve truly developed a lot.
Q: This year’s Worlds are taking place in Japan after nearly eight years. Is there anything that you feel is different from usual?
A: There are a lot of people in the audience, but this time a lot of the competitors have shown very clean and unique performances. In the beginning I was hoping that I would also be one of them.
Q: How about someone who you’d like to chase in the free skate, given this opportunity?
A: I feel like Tatsuki Machida made a very outstanding performance. I seriously think that this time around, I didn’t do enough practice. I haven’t skated the free cleanly yet, so for tomorrow and the next day I have to fix it up and work hard to show a good performance.
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Q: How does it feel at the first competition after getting the gold medal?
A: I came to perform with the usual attitude. My mistake on the 4T makes me truly regretful. In practice, I never messed it up either, so it’s possible that maybe I was overconfident or I just got weaker.
Q: Was it before the performance that you started being overconfident?
A: No, that’s not it. I was originally planning on having fun with this time’s SP. Because this time would be the last performing this specific program in a competition, so no matter how I did I made up my mind to enjoy it. Truthfully, I’m happy about it.
Q: Why would you get weaker?
A: The title of ‘Olympic champion’ brings so much pressure, and maybe I was a bit too confident. In regards to this, truthfully the phrase ‘Olympic champion’ itself doesn’t have the meaning of automatically bringing pressure, but being overconfident is my own attitude problem. There was really only one small mistake, but that small mistake made me mess up the 4T, and then my success rate fell, which led to my fall.
Q: Where do you feel like you got weaker?
A: The past is the past; things that I made mistakes on are things that I can’t change. The SP is already over, and all I’m planning is to think more for the future.
Q: Do you think what you have to reform the most is your attitude?
A: Instead of saying reforming, it’s more like I want to become like normal. The day after tomorrow’s skating is something left to the day after tomorrow; today is just today, and tomorrow’s practice is just tomorrow’s practice. Right now’s priority is this interview (laugh). So I won’t especially toil over the future or the past, but focus on the present me.
Q: It’s become a situation of going after first place.
A: I’m very happy. That’s all.
Q: After the 4T, everything was perfect.
A: Even though I messed up the 4T, I wanted to get good GOEs to break 90 points. GOE is the area with this program where I can earn the most point. Although I minded what happened with the 4T, I’ve already worked hard.
Q: Regarding the free skate.
A: I’ve decided to work hard on that day. Even though I haven’t sorted out my feelings yet, I will sort them out nicely. Today I’ll rest well, tomorrow I’ll practice well, and then the next day I’ll work hard.
interview (up to line break): x
chinese trans sr: weibo
eng trans: hanyusan @ tumblr