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Hello everyone. It's that time of the year when we all miss Yuzu a little more than usual. This is the first winter Olympics without Yuzu since 2014, and it feels more than a decade ago when I fell in love with a new superstar in Sochi... I can't believe it's been 4 years since Beijing! It was his last olympics but I had hope that he would comeback for a season or two, because he said in the press conference that he didn't rule out the next Olympics... Although we don't get to see him compete ever again, I am glad he is still skating in ice shows. I just wanted to rant about how much more I miss him during these winter Olympics.. the media hype around his airport arrival, the Twitter frenzy around his practices, the prayer circles on Twitter.. most of all I miss the fans and their energy during this time. Although we have Ilia, and I do like him, the fan community around him doesn't feel quite the same.. I will forever miss the days as a Yuzu fan especially during the golden era of 2014 ~ 2019. The year before Corona was still so entertaining for us, because he was doing all the grand prix events. I feel Corona kind of ruined the momentum of Yuzu's competitive career and it was sad to see his last competition end that way.. without the crowd and pooh bears. Figure skating will never be the same in my heart after 2019.

Concur, it was rather telling whilst watching the conclusion of the team event that the commentators, on the coverage that I'd been watching, had up until the Men's FS, been informative and truthful about the strengths of the various skaters and where they could improve and what they were doing well. The female commentator was very impressed by Shun's programme, she even speculated that Shun might get a higher score with the PCS, the male commentator ( 1980 Olys Men's single gold medallist ) answered a very flat "no" and did not elaborate, with a slightly defeated flat tone as if he already knew that the score would not be higher than Ilia and did not wish to say anything undiplomatic, characteristic of my home country's polite and understated style, but it tells you everything really.

Like others have said in this forum I've had mixed feelings about watching the Olympics this year and after watching the team event I'm reminded why I both love and loathe this sport... While I miss Yuzu I'm happy he's retired and moved on. Shun though skated lights out in the team event, he was SO GOOD and I'm so proud of him! It came down to the wire between Japan and the USA and honestly Japan should've won. Ilia was very bobbly and his program was very stilted, still seemed nervous. Him getting 200 versus Shun's 194 was insane. I figured they were going to give it to the US but Shun getting a while 6 points lower than Ilia was too much of a gap. It's a shame because I am getting a bit warmer on Ilia, he seems more mature than in the past. Unfortunately the terrible judging, plus the media circus reinforcing the whole QuadGod thing (not to mention his FP includes his own voiceover) makes me just cringe... I'm rooting for Yuma and Shun in the individual but not optimistic on their gold chances

It's the 9th here, so the time to celebrate Yuzu winning 4CC in 2020 and thereby becoming the one and only male skater to achieve the Career Grand Slam (something that will not be matched for many years, of ever)

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist* 2026.02.08 Source: https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASV1Z5T2JV1ZOXIE025M.html (paid article) “I was his earliest fan-chaser” - Sato Shun Following Yuzuru Hanyu’s path, and heading toward his next dream. There is a scene that male figure skater Shun Sato (Aim Service, Meiji University ) will never forget. JP text:

[2026.02.06] *Machine translation from Portuguese to English, inaccuracies exist* Source, “The Olympics”, article in Portuguese: https://www.olympics.com/pt/milano-cortina-2026/noticias/por-onde-anda-hanyu-yuzuru-idolo-japones-patinacao-artistica Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20260207221912/https://www.olympics.com/pt/milano-cortina-2026/noticias/por-onde-anda-hanyu-yuzuru-idolo-japones-patinacao-artistica Where is Hanyu Yuzuru, Japanese idol of figure skating, these days? Two-time Olympic Champion left competitions after Beijing 2022, but continues sharing his art with the world. Check out what he has been doing in recent years. By Sheila Vieira February 6, 2026, 02:36 GMT-8 Four years ago, one of the most popular figure skaters in history, the Japanese Hanyu Yuzuru, competed for the last time in the Winter Olympic Games. His thousands of fans around the world, including in Brazil, felt a bit orphaned without his unique way of expressing himself on the rink. However, even though Hanyu’s Olympic career came to an end after Beijing 2022, the Japanese skater did not stop skating. Currently 31 years old, he has been producing shows that fill the largest arenas in his country, in addition to charity performances. “I want to cling to hope for my future and enjoy the opportunities that appear,” said Hanyu at the time. First tours and mastery of the craft His first foray into the new venture was a re-edition of his golden performance from PyeongChang 2018 entitled “Seimei,” broadcast on YouTube [note: in reference to SharePractice]. The livestream accumulated more than three million views in one month on the platform. Also in 2022, he launched his saga entitled “Ice Story”, with the presentation “Prologue,” lasting 90 minutes, going through eight skating routines, including quadruple jumps and the triple Axels. In 2023, Hanyu brought the first chapter of the franchise, “Gift,” filling the Tokyo Dome, an arena with a capacity of 55 thousand people, and traveling to other Japanese cities. He was accompanied by an orchestra, other dancers, and a band. The show was later made available on Disney+ [still available worldwide except in Europe]. While many see figure skating as a sport in which athletes lose (physical) performance while still young, Hanyu feels that he is at his peak. “I always thought there was a regression at this age as a skater. But if you look at baseball or football, your 30s are when you start putting everything together: experience, technique. That’s when you master the craft.” [Link to @YUZURUofficial_ twitter post with Echoes of Life edit] Hanyu Yuzuru’s next show is already scheduled for 2026 In the 2023/2024 season came the sequel “Repray Tour”, once again exploring themes such as humanity and technology. The skater added music from the world of video games, bringing new fans to the spectacle. The next chapter was the “Echoes of Life Tour” in 2024/2025, with impressive visual and scenic effects. “In Echoes, we ask about the future and the past. I think the future is much brighter than I expect,” explained the skater. In 2026, Hanyu will present the show “Realive” in two performances, on April 11 and 12, at the Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Rifu, in the region where he was born. [Link to @HANYUYUZURU2624 official YouTube Channel, “Mass Destruction” (P3R) video] Hanyu Yuzuru’s solidarity with the victims of earthquakes in Japan In addition to his professional performances, Hanyu also puts on many charity shows. Since March 2023, the skater has promoted the annual show “Notte Stellata” (Starry Night), honoring the victims of the earthquake that devastated eastern Japan in 2011. This spectacle includes the participation of other stars from the arts and Japanese sports. The 2026 edition will take place on March 7, 8, and 9, in Rifu, at the arena that served as a morgue after the earthquake. At that time, the skater needed to sleep several nights in an evacuation center. “On March 11, 2011, a day of losses for many people, I looked at the sky at dusk and it was beautiful. I think it would be very simplistic to say that I took hope from the stars I saw that night, but I remember how beautiful it was, and that became an important memory for me,” commented Hanyu, about the inspiration for the title. Hanyu also held a charity performance after the earthquake in Noto, in 2024, selling more than 10 thousand tickets and keeping the structure of the spectacle as streamlined as possible to reduce costs and increase fundraising. “I feel that I still have a lot to offer, to move forward.”

Although Yuzuru is not competing, there have been articles and TV programs featuring him.

Ubutan is practicing hard with a balance ball. His big brother Yuzu is surely proud of him.

"The glory of figure skating is gone, Yuzuru Hanyu. Such grace, such fluidity. If you don't know what Hanyu did, look him up, take a look because it's unlikely that art in ice skating will ever reach those levels again." From a Mexican commentator.

See nice to see Jun carry the flag! Thoughts on the team competition so far?

So many beautiful new photos of Yuzu... such a treat!

I'll be watching what I can. Right now I'm just hoping Deanna Stellato-Dudek is okay. She had a training accident early this week which took her and Max out of the team pairs event and so far there's been no real news on her condition.

Wooow...

Sorry if this question has already been asked in another thread: Does anyone know if "REALIVE" will be shown in cinemas in Japan (parallel to the show in Miyagi)?

This will be my first Winter Olympics since 2018 without unbearable excitement and sleepless nights.

No space between first names? Oh, I should have checked earlier. On the one hand, I am the happiest person on earth since a friend has won in the lottery for members and I am her accompanying person! I still can't believe it! Here, my two first names and the space in between were no problem. However, since my partner wants to go, too, he has participated in the second, official, lottery, too. And he has two first names, too ...

I'm just like you @Perelandra Regarding my French time zone : the opening ceremony will be broadcast live Friday evening on France 2, and then, depending on my preferences, some of the events will also be shown live. It's clear that the symbolism of Baron Pierre de Coubertin is no longer relevant... and I'm learning with you that the ISU is getting involved in track and field! And there are French skaters involved in the G. Cizeron controversy, which is causing a major debate in France... In 4 years, 2030, heading to France, and until then!?!?

Yes, I will be watching and I enjoy the TV coverage of Olys Summer and Winter in general. For athletes and spectators alike , it's the big sporting event of the season and the live coverage this time will be easy from my timezone. The BBC have published the day by day programme calendar and what to look for in terms of daily medal events. I'm UK based and there are quite a lot of good Team GB athletes who have done well at World Championships and X games. I'm always in awe of people throwing themselves down mountain slopes, ski jumps and sled runs etc. I hope that they do well. I realise that many Fanyus, myself included, have mixed feeling about the rink events, not just Figure but also the speed and short track which all come under the ISU governance. imvho, I understand that the Olympic Games is a major international event in which athletes from many disciplines and many countries and territories have the chance to come together and represent their country. The athletes have worked hard, it may be their once in a lifetime chance to be an Olympian and for the athletes and national sporting bodies it is considered one of the ultimate celebrations of sport and it will be interesting and exciting to watch. Clearly, there are certain aspects of the games which have been made at Olympic committee and sporting federation level with which some people do not agree and or are controversial to say the least, but this is not the forum to discuss those issues. Sadly, the world is not perfect and the sporting events reflect those imperfections, even at the highest level. That is not fair and not just, but until such time comes where efforts are correctly rewarded. ( massive understatement ). We can live in hope that one day the Olympic movement will be one of the pioneers which will completely erase cheating, bias and unfairness in competitive sport and ensure that the Olympic Games and the Olympic ideals will be something that people can be proud of.

Anyone here watching Milan olympics coming up?

They are completely sold out of any CDs for Arirang. You can get vinyl that they've restocked but it doesn't even look like you can pre-order a cd....

2026.03.30 [ Photon ] Yuzuru Hanyu Photo Collection Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4910319069