Back in 2012 he donated the royalties and part of the earnings from his biography to Sendai rink.
Don’t you think he was already terribly and incredibly mentally strong in London?
No one would have had the guts to skate like that in the FS , despite being miserably and visibly gasping and in pain.. he didn’t withdraw because he had the the Olys spot mission and responsability on his shoulders.
I think the KID is a true champion , one of the best ever , and last season he was forced to mature even too much and too quickly as a person in my opinion , considering how much sofference and pain he had to go through and to face right after the earthquake season.
I think Yuzuru is an incredibly mature person for his young age, not a very mature skater yet.
He definitely needs to rest .
Don’t you think he was already terribly and incredibly mentally strong in London?
No one would have had the guts to skate like that in the FS , despite being miserably and visibly gasping and in pain.. he didn’t withdraw because he had the the Olys spot mission and responsability on his shoulders.
I think you forget the fact that Yuzuru, himself, was also a victim of the earthquake. His house was damaged, he lost his home rink and was even thinking of "had my hands full making a living to stay alive" back then. He was the one who needed help and support. So wasn't it supposed that other people (skaters or not) should do charity/ contributions to Sendai instead of asking for it from Yuzuru? He already did a wonderful job to "return the favour" to people in Sendai, both mentally and physically, you still find that's not enough???
To think that I even believed it when you said you were his fan...
Don't know if this is something everybody already knows or if anybody cares (I kinda didHana ni nare programOne of my favorites ever
), but I found this website with a pretty detailed transcript and translation of the song
Don't know if this is something everybody already knows or if anybody cares (I kinda did
I agree with both of you. How's that?!
There is an interesting point here though. Because Hanyu came in 4th at last year's worlds, it made it possible for him to compete against Patrick Chan twice in the Grand Prix preliminary skates at Skate Canada and TEB without contravening the 1-3 and 4-6 rule. (The general rule is that the first three at worlds do not compete against each other and that the 4th to 6th placements of worlds do not compete against each other in the preliminary grand prix events . . . although there are host country exceptions like NHK at Sendai in 2012). If Hanyu had medaled last year at 2013 worlds, he would not have been able to get that experience of competing against Patrick in those preliminary events, and I think that was a very special and positive learning and improvement phase for him in his skating and his being able to deal with pressure.
I am not sure who was behind that pairing (if anyone) of Hanyu and Chan at both TEB and Skate Canada, but, as bad as it might have looked for Yuzuru after St. John, it seemed to toughen Yuzuru up over time in the long run. (For instance, consider how he seemed to toughen up in TEB compared to his nerve situation at St. John. He learned from St. John, it appears.) He seemed to grow by competing more against Chan.
Yuzuru is a dynamic skater, one who gets better over time by overcoming the challenges he meets, not a static skater where who he is at the beginning of an event is going to be who he is after the event. However he is skating today, he will take what is given to him, absorb it like a sponge, and be better tomorrow.
p.s.: I think Chan also improved greatly by competing against Yuzu. They are both truly great skaters and competitors.
I'm not sure though whether Patrick got the same level of "benefit" competing against Yuzuru as the other way around. Patrick did skate his best against Yuzuru in the TEB, and his total score remains the world record up till now. Patrick may have peaked too early for the Olympics, while Yuzuru, as you rightly pointed out, was in an upward arc.
Hello Yuzusan
Here is a translation of the interview Yuzuru gave just before the exhibition skate of RJ1.
"Kokubun: It has been two days since you won the gold medal. Can you tell us how you feel?
Yuzuru: I must say that I am happy but when I think about it winning the Olympics and winning Worlds those were both big things for me but they are only part of this season and I need to look forward to next season and the new competitions and do my best for that.
K: Over the past two days have you had any time to mentally relax?
Y: Well, I’m a little tired. This season, which included the Olympics I felt was a little long, but I overcame many challenges and felt I improved which is an important point.
K: Since you won the Olympic medal, hasn’t your environment changed a lot including the people around you? Given that was the case how did you deal with it and what were your hopes for the World Championships?
Y: Well, Worlds were held in Japan and many, many people supported me so I was able to feel really good and enjoy myself while I was skating.
K: Japanese Nationals and also World Championships were both held in the Saitama Super Arena but for this competition what did you feel regarding the cheers of the 18,000 spectators in the audience?
Y: Well, I could really feel that the audience are true skating fans and love skating. In addition they could enjoy a variety of skating from the various skaters who came from all over the world.
K: In today’s exhibition, what kind of program are you planning to
Y: For me this particular program is very special. It is a program about looking forward, about being able to continue to skate against the odds. Also, it is a program that many people will feel an affinity for and be a little sentimental about so I want to skate my very best for them.
K: We are looking forward to it! Thank you very much.
Y: Thank you too. "
Don't know if this is something everybody already knows or if anybody cares (I kinda did
