*Machine-translation. Inaccuracies exist*
2014.08.15
Source: https://digital.asahi.com/articles/DA3S11300320.html?ptoken=01KNDWYC0APHVWJJPXQP81MQMA (Paid Article)
(Sports Human) Yuzuru Hanyu: Towards a new me, I want to constantly change and improve myself.
◇ Yuzuru Hanyu (19) = Figure Skating
He has become the kind of skater admired by people all over the world. After winning the gold medal in men’s figure skating at the Sochi Olympics, he now enters a new season as the reigning champion. Ahead of the season’s opening, he spoke about his thoughts.
“I don’t want to stop changing. I want to keep evolving and constantly push myself higher. Winning the Olympics is a glory of the past. It’s already last season’s story.”
Further growth. With that as his theme, he spends his days working with coach Brian Orser to build new programs at a rink in suburban Toronto, Canada.
“When I skate, I do it with the resolve to give everything, as if my life depends on it. I want the four years leading up to Sochi and the four years from here on to be completely different. This season, I want to compete with the mindset that I’m going in as a new version of myself.”
■ Three Quad Jumps
As a challenge to himself, he's increasing the number of quadruple jumps in his free skate. He's added one more from last season, bringing the total to three. He's aiming for a highly difficult program that includes a combination jump starting with a quadruple toe loop in the latter half, when fatigue tends to set in.
“I was the one who said I wanted to do it. I love the sense of accomplishment I get when I attempt a difficult jump and land it successfully. I love that feeling of total focus, going all out, and succeeding in a single attempt.”
His free skate music is from the musical The Phantom of the Opera. Ever since watching it in a music class during junior high school, he had hoped to skate to it someday.
“I’m not really the type who performs with sheer power, but I hope people can see my version of the Phantom (the main character).”
■ A Fulfilling Life in Canada
He lives in Canada with his mother. Unlike in Japan, where everyone recognizes him, he finds a quiet kind of happiness in being able to live without worrying about others’ attention.
Even when walking down the street, he says with a smile, “I’m hardly ever noticed.”
“Sometimes people from China or other Asian backgrounds recognize me at the supermarket. Canadians? Not really. Ah, but recently, when I was about to get on a bus, an elderly Canadian man asked, ‘You’re a figure skater, right?’ I think it’s a good environment to fully devote myself to training.”
Although Niagara Falls and other tourist spots are nearby, he hasn’t visited any of them.
“It’s just back and forth between home and the rink. I haven’t even gone to downtown Toronto. I do think I’d like to see a game by Masahiro Tanaka (MLB pitcher) at least once.”
Still, he says he doesn't feel stressed by that lifestyle.
“I think I’m like those hot-blooded athletes you see in manga or anime. I’m not particularly into shopping, and I don’t care much about fashion. I came to Canada to skate, so rather than spending energy on other things, I’m fine living like this.”
■ It’s All About Being Seen
Last season, he achieved a “triple crown”: Olympic gold, Grand Prix Final victory, and World Championship title. This season, he will be performing with the weight of expectations that he will win. Yet he says he doesn’t feel that pressure.
“Maybe I don’t feel it yet because I haven’t competed. But during ice shows after the Olympics, I did feel that atmosphere that I was expected to deliver good performances. If you feel pressure, then just train—that’s how I see it. I’m so absorbed in practice that I don’t even have the space to feel it.”
“With practice and such, I can’t stay motivated unless someone is watching me. I think that’s how it is for people who do figure skating. In the end, it’s a sport where being seen is everything, so I like being in the spotlight.”
Just as he himself admires Plushenko (Russia), who is known as the "Emperor," this season he has become a role model for skaters all over the world. What is his ideal image of a skater?
“I don’t have a fixed ideal. It’s not something set in stone. I’m still an active competitor, after all. Every day in practice, it’s just about what I could or couldn’t do, and focusing again to improve. If I had quit by now, maybe I’d have gotten a bit arrogant, saying, ‘I’m an Olympic champion!’”
“That’s why, over these next four years, I want to be a completely different Yuzuru Hanyu from the skater I was before. I don’t want to stay the same. Regardless of results, I want to create something new.”
Yuzuru Hanyu
Born in Sendai. Graduated from Tohoku High School in Miyagi Prefecture; currently a student at Waseda University. Affiliated with ANA. At the Sochi Olympics, he became the first in figure skating history to surpass 100 points in the short program, scoring a world-record 101.45. His personal best total score (combined short and free) is 293.25, the second highest in history at the time, behind Patrick Chan of Canada. Height: 171 cm.