Oda and Matsuoka interview Hanyu: Translation

Mii9000 from the Hanyu forum has kindly translated the interview for us. I'm posting this with her permission, many thanks!!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2cjwwz_20141214エキシ前-修造-織田x羽生インタ_sport
Yuzu interview with Shuzo and Nobunari before the exhibition

(0:23~)
Putting his medal on Shuzo,

Yuzu: The reason why I did it was because I have learned a lot though interviews. (Matsuoka has interviewed Hanyu many times and also right after his accident at COC etc.)
Shuzo: What are you talking about? Well, first, please have a seat.
Congratulations, again. Wonderful. This was a hard-to-forget season and here you grabbed your victory.

Yuzu: Well, first of all, I am relieved. I am glad that I kept pushing myself, that is all I can
say.

Shu: The person who felt that most was Mr. Oda here, who has been watching (your performance) next to me and he went like “Ganbare!” He was with such an enthusiasm.

Yuzu: He went more excited than Shuzo-san. (Everyone laughs)

Nobu: Yeah, since that was an incredible performance, so I could not help going like “Ganbare!, Ganbare!”

Shuzo: So, how was it? I think you were tired in the end?

Yuzu: Well, yeah, after I landed on the 3 loop, I felt I was getting tired.

Nobu: The exhaustion got into your legs?

Yuzu: Yes, into my legs and I could not do anything (to fight against it) only with my fighting spirit.

Nobu: I think I was screaming most at that time. That was his last jump, so I went like “Ganbare! (hang in there!)”

Yuzu: But as for 3Lz, I was not confident. I have not been confident and I have popped the jump often before, so I think I could not do it with my full confidence.

Shu: Well, what I think everyone in Japan may be wondering about is,… well, let’s see the scene. This (Yuzu pointing his finger up), what did you mean by this?

Yuzu: I'm Number ONE!! Haha.

Shu: The first! Well, you skaters don’t usually do that kind of thing, right?

Nobu: But that performance was really overwhelming. I was overwhelmed.

Yuzu: Well, for me, that was the first competition in which I had a clean landing on my quad sal, and I felt happiest about landing on the sal and continuing on to the clean quad toe loop. I was really glad. The last 3Lz, I could not help it, well I could have helped it, though, well, let me just say that I could not help it. (Everyone laughs)

Nobu: Well, that quad sal, I think, after the accident at COC, your salcow has gotten better with no unnecessary tension in your shoulders.

Shu: Despite the accident?

Nobu: Despite that accident, I think the quality of your jumps has gotten better.

Shu: What do you think?

Yuzu: Well, I, with Mr. Oda (laugh)…, Is (calling him) “Mr. Oda” OK? I have been with him at the ice shows during the off-season, several times, no, more like all the time (laugh), and during that time he saw my salchows and loops ((could mean that he has given me advice on the jumps?)) and after that and before COC, during the practices the success rate for the jumps went up. The stability (of the jumps), … or I was getting the knack of how to jump them during the practices and before COC my jumps were fine. So, well, when I went to China, I was not doing very well, though, ((aside from that time at COC)) I had a feel that I am getting to master the sense ((to jump those jumps)). Also, I had done run-throughs ((before the GPF)). I practiced paying attention to how I succeed on the jumps with the music.

Shu: Well, that scene (please). I think you have not seen your salcow, yet.

Yuzu: No, (I have not).

Shu: Acutally the scene where you jumped the sal this smoothly…,

Nobu: Really beautiful.

Yuzu: That went clean. Rare for me, (Laugh)

Shu: I want you to do a commentary by yourself.

Yuzu: All, I did everything as I planned. Well, I…, before starting the sal, (the move) so called chasse, that is one of the steps, and I did that, and at which note (of music) I do that chasse, which timing I raise my arms and my head, when to rotate three times, to pull my legs swing my arms, which timing I land, I put all in my head and I did them all.

Shu: That was difficult, so what is “chasse”?

Yuzu: Well, “chasse” is, what can I say, a move to see the timing (for the next move) in a brief moment? (Nobu trying to help Yuzu to explain in the background.) Can we see a video?

Shu: Yes, it is coming.

Yuzu: Well, if you can start with the back-cross..,

Shu: You are the first person who explains ((to us)) like this. (Laugh)

Yuzu: 3Axel after the counter ((turn?)), … after this, well this was a kind of chasse, too, I turned forward here, and here I did chasse once, a little, a little, I was doing it not fully、because it was before the jump, I did not do it fully, though. A little, at instance, there is a move to hold and make time. I did that and I could jump (the sal) at the practice, at the official practice, I could not jump it, only at the real performance, no, during the run-thru at the official practice only, I could do it and I recreated precisely the series of moves at the time when he landed the sal ((in the actual performance)).

Shu: You said “recreated”. So in a sense, you had no worry cause you just needed to do ((those moves))

Yuzu: Yes, I believed I could jump that, or I assumed that I can jump that. Just to that flow…,, because the condition of my body was getting better and so my body was able to move, and my body can move the way that I want it to move, I could jump that. This is something I am good at, to move my body to fit my images/to move my body as I imagine it to do.


Shu: That quad sal, well, you have the quad toe loop, too, but you have been struggling with it, and you have purposely put that in your programs. Landing on the sal was your problem to overcome, and how do you feel about having overcome that?

Yuzu: Well, to be honest, I am happy, but, first, I thought about why I had landed on the sal. This time, before my name was called, when the skater before me, that was Machida-senshu, was waiting for his score, I jumped a 3Axel.

Shu&Nobu: You did.

Yuzu: My 3loop became a double, but I was thinking what to do to warm up my body. In practices, well, it was true in practices in Japan, too, but, my body does not warm up fully for the sal, since it is my first jump ((in the program)), or I cannot wake my muscles up enough. So I was thinking what to do, but in the previous competition or COC, I could not jump 3 Axels ((during practices)) because I was not confident enough, but this time the confidence given by the fact that I had had that tough training before coming in made me jump that and hence I could stimulate my body by that jump. And that steered me into a good direction, and I could think that since I did jump the 3Axel, that was as good as having done ((the full)) warm-up.

Shu: You have to go to the exhibition soon after this, but you went through difficulties this season. You had talked about the surroundings you see after overcoming your adversity would be like. Now you are finished, how did you feel and what do you see around you?

Yuzu: Listening to our national anthem was the best thing. That fact I made it happen. At NHK, I was really upset ((at myself)). I strongly wanted to be the one who makes the national anthem play. Watching Daisuke Murakami-senshu on the podium, I was thinking like “ Next time, really, I will be standing there.” I am glad that I won.

Shu: [To Nobu] You seem to be moved.

Nobu: Yeah, there aren’t many skaters who can make their wishes come true. I felt, because he is Hanyu-senshu with his strong mind, he could do that.

Shu: Well, now, the exhibition will start, the one people in Japan and in the world are looking forward to, what will you skate?

Yuzu: Well, I will skate to “The final time traveller”. This is the one I skated when I collaborated. This piece is Ms. Sarah Alainn’s. It is a very beautiful piece. But, it is a beautiful piece in a different way from Chopin (ballade) for my SP. With a very feminine, a soprano voice special to her, so I want to show soft flowing skating.

Shu: [To Nobu] As an athlete, the same as he, what do you think now?

Nobu: Well, I cannot express my feelings with any words because he is too great.

Yuzu: Well, but you have to do that. That is your job.

Shu: We are running out of time. Please tell them.

Yuzu: Your job. ((Do)) your job. (Everyone laughs)

Nobu: This was so wonderful. I can only praise him. Congratulations.

Shu: With our praises, we would like to wait for the exhibition. Thank you very much.

Yuzu: Thank you.

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Mrs. P said:

Can you repost the link? It's not working.

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This is something I am good at, to move my body to fit my images/to move my body as I imagine it to do.

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WoChair said:

In the first interview with Oda, Oda mentioned that Yuzuru warmed up by doing 3A I thought he was exagerating or joking; apparently not
Super interesting interview, Matsuoka should do all the interviews all the time. Poor Oda even at nhk and their first interview Yuzu teased him.

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