Yuzuru Hanyu
FS
NHK 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfKHP8z3XDI
If there's anyone else the Japanese audience waited for with more eagerness, I don't know who that is. It's Yuzuru Hanyu, the Olympic Champion, World record holder in SP, FS and cumulative scores, who's performing in his homeland. As a matter of fact, he's from Sendai, which is not far from Sapporo, on the same island of Hokkaido (
some seriously skewered geography here, I know).
4Lo, great! 4Sal, beautiful! 3F. One more 4Sal in the second half of the programme, deep into the second half of it! He didn't succeed with it, so the jump will have a lowered base value. What is Hanyu coming up with! 4T! Four quads and three done cleanly or very cleanly! 3A-3T in the second half of the programme! (
after Yuzu doubles his salchow) Even Hanyu lacks strength a bit sometimes. 3Lz right at the end!
Hahyu is stunning even even when he falls! He does something incredible! Not long before the beginning of NHK Yuzuru said he felt ready to reach 300 points in his score for two programmes. So if we remember how well he skated in his SP, we'll find out he got 103.89 points, which means he has to get a little over 196 to get to that phenomenal mark. Judging by his technical marks he might well do it, since this is his home GP, home stadium, home audience, home ice. The love of home audience can produce miracles with Yuzuru. Well, yes, he didn't manage to land his second 4Sal, and since it had to be in a combo - you can't repeat the same jump solo, one of them has to be in a combination, that's why its base value will be lowered, -4 and a deduction for the fall. But even without that jump Hanyu is just brilliant: 4 quads, 3Lz right at the end, wonderful spins, step sequence... Where does this delicate and outwardly frail young man take his energy from? There, he touched his talisman, the yellow Winnie the Pooh, for luck and set off to make history for the umpteenth time. It's just unbelievable!
Now I'll get down to calculations to see who's going to the GPF - Javier Fernandez, Patrick Chan, Shoma Uno and now Yuzuru Hanyu - the four of them are going there. We have the only skater left - Nathan Chen, who was fourth in France, so he has to finish second here to get to the Final. Then he edges out Adam Rippon, but Rippon will go to the Final, but Boyang Jin will be left at home. If Chen comes third or lower, Boyang will go to the Final and Nathan will be left out, just like Sergey Voronov. Can you imagine that - even Voronov had a chance, albeit thin, to go to the GPF. But it was highly unlikely because for Sergey to get to the Final, Hanyu had to finish outside the six top men here, which is improbable. So far we've enjoyed the best part of Hanyu's performance (
he goes over his calculations again!!!) There comes the score! Oh yes, yes! Yuzuru Hanyu gets 300 points! 197.58 and over 301! 301.47 is the score Yuzuru Hanyu gets! He said he would do it, and he kept his word!
but until the professor comes -he made a small, usual intro. Called the 4Lo wonderful and the 4S beautiful. Another 4S in the second half of the program, third but did not make it. Then something like, look what he does, a 4T. Tried four quads, did three clean ones or very clean. That the 3A combo is in the second half of the program. After the program if I am hearing this correctly says Yuzuru said he'd have a 300 for both, before the NHK and how if he remember how he skated the SP so he needs 196, something in order to pass the phenomenal number of 300. That it's possible as TES, home ice, home crowd, the love of home audience. That he didn't make the 2nd 4S, that should have been a combo so that there is the deduction for the fall and the REP. But even without that, Hanyu is superb, repeats that he tried 4 quads, wonders where all the energy comes from in such a fragile/delicate and slender young man. Something I'm not entirely sure of but about making history. Lots of talk about the GPF, sorry but skipping that, how Chen can make it, Rippon, Voronov, etc. Then says we're again enjoying the most beautiful moments that Hanyu performed. Again about Chen. And results. Yes, yes, 300 points, 197,58, 301 and a bit. He promised, he did it. Man of his word, Yuzuru Hanyu. Sorry it's not better, my brain is cooked.
bon appétit!
