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I tried to clarify something I read/saw two or three times, once with the word ban. Now I understand from your question that there is no real problem. So thank you for that.

* machine translation, inaccuracies may exist Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20251113190928/https://blog.goo.ne.jp/whiteandblue/e/f9bf5eec1525d2a186ddcbf8ee0df66e https://weibo.com/6177279020/LtkTFCjam Full Interview with Yuzuru Hanyu Hanyu achieved the remarkable feat of winning a bronze medal on his very first appearance at the World Championships. The fact that he performs well when he knows he is being watched gives one a sense that he has the potential to become a great performer. When asked questions, he answers properly in his own words, in a way that makes it hard to believe he is only seventeen. My impression was that he is a very intelligent young man. I believe that he will grow into a skater who can hold his own on any international stage. --Congratulations on winning your first medal. Thank you. Yesterday, Patrick praised me so much (at the press conference), and I was really happy. --This was your first time standing on the podium together, wasn't it? Yes, it was the first time. At events like the Grand Prix Final, I came close, but I just couldn't quite make it. --Looking back on the competition as a whole, how do you feel? I was really surprised to learn that I was only the third person in history to score over 170 points in the free skate. Personally, I felt that I had given a good performance, but I did fall. Having my performance evaluated so highly has also given me confidence. --You managed to land your final Salchow this time. That was a matter of sheer determination. My coach, Nanami Abe, had also told me, “You absolutely must land the Salchow.” After the step sequence, I was really out of breath and felt dizzy. When I watched the footage, my lips were completely blue. But I jumped as if my life depended on it. (laughs) --I feel there is an incredible contrast between Hanyu when he is performing and Hanyu when he finishes his performance and returns to being a seventeen-year-old young man. Even when I'm performing, I still have my own emotions. But there are times when my body moves unconsciously in time with the music. --Can you hear the audience during your performance? Yes, I can. I could hear them particularly clearly after I fell (laughs.) When I watched the footage, the cheering was incredible. I thought that, really, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without being pushed forward by that support. --Are you particularly sensitive to other people's reactions? I wonder... Ah, but when I practice alone, I can't even land the Axel, and I can't do anything. So I'm the type of person who can perform when someone is watching me, when they have expectations of me, and when I'm under pressure. --You're the Western type, then. Yes, that's right (laughs). I think so myself, too. I need someone watching me, and I need some kind of reaction, whether I’m praised or scolded. Otherwise, I can’t do well. --Conversely, can being criticized make you think, “I'll show them!” and bring out more strength? Yes, absolutely. There are times when I jump using nothing but strength and willpower, regardless of my physical condition. --So, whether the reactions from others are positive or negative, you perform better when you get some kind of response from the outside. That's why I think I was able to bring out my abilities on such a big stage. And the more people there are in the audience, the greater the power of their support becomes. So I think I was able to turn that support into energy during my free skate this time. --You're suited to being a performer. (Laughs) I'm glad to hear that. I like being watched by people, so ever since I was little, I preferred competitions to practice. Even at school, I was the type who wanted to play the lead role in school plays and things like that. --That's unusual for someone from Tohoku. That's true. A lot of people from Tohoku tend to be shy and reserved. --What would you say is the aspect of your skating that you feel most confident about right now? Probably my triple Axel. I wasn't in particularly good form this time, and I even fell during the six-minute warm-up, but I still earned positive grades of execution on it, and I can generally land it from any position. --Conversely, what areas do you need to work on from here on? This time, I really felt that I lacked stamina. I fell partway through the free skate, and I also lost a little speed in the second half. Next season, I may have to increase the number of quadruple jumps I include. If I'm going to work toward the Sochi Olympics, I need to do that next season. I want to build up my stamina properly so that even if I include two or three quads, I can continue skating strongly all the way to the end. --Will you include a quadruple Salchow as well? Yes. My quadruple Salchow is going well at the moment, so if I were to include two quads in the free skate, I think they would be the Salchow and the toe loop. I don't really think I'll include two toe loops. --Your musical expression is very rich. Have you always liked listening to music? I don't listen to classical music very much. If anything, I prefer jazz. I previously skated to “Sing, Sing, Sing,” and that was my favourite. It was a piece of music I'd wanted to skate to ever since I was in the lower grades of elementary school, so I was really happy to finally get the chance. --Is there a piece of music you'd like to skate to next? There is, but... I'm not sure whether I should reveal it without getting permission from Coach Nanami. I'm sorry. --I understand. Thank you very much. (Interview conducted on the final day of the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships in Nice)

Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4403310729 ◆ ISU World Championships 2012 — World Championships A Magnificent Flower Blossoming in the Blue Sky ◇ INTERVIEWS Daisuke Takahashi: “I feel this is a medal I won through my own strength.” Akiko Suzuki: “If you don’t give up, your dreams will come true.” Mao Asada: “It’s important to figure out what you really want to do.” Kanako Murakami: “If you believe in yourself and do it with confidence, you can succeed.” Yuzuru Hanyu: “I was able to turn everyone’s support into strength.” Takahiko Kozuka: “I didn’t even have the mental space to feel the pressure.” Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran: “We’re amazed by what we’ve accomplished.” ◇ REPORT An Intense Battle as Top Athletes Clash in a Fierce Contest ◇ INTERVIEWS Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir: “We’re able to complement each other.” Nathalie Péchalat & Fabian Bourzat: “We’ve developed an even stronger desire to aim for a higher ranking.” Ashley Wagner: “‘Black Swan’ is one of my favorite programs.” ◇ Interview with a Top Coach in the World Igor Shpilband ◇ PICK UP Misha Ge Highlights from the Medalists’ Press Conference ◆ ISU World Junior Championships 2012 — World Junior Championships Competition Report: A 13-Year-Old’s Grand Slam Medalists’ Press Conference Report / Comments from the Japanese Skaters ◇ REPORTS Ice Rink Sendai: A Recovery Exhibition Great East Japan Earthquake Charity Exhibition — From Kobe, the City of Recovery A World on Ice Woven from the Heart: Reborn Garden ◇ PREVIEW Just Before Opening! Prince Ice World 2012 Cover: Yuzuru Hanyu

More shopping news Yuzu art canvas, pre order starts end of October Red or Blue, Blue or Red - tick tock tick tock Both !!!

Shopping news Luxury jewellery has been added to the Shower of Heart goods catalogue

Elegant serene Yuzu, 'Energy' costume

* machine translation, inaccuracies may exist Source: https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404039922460800282 Yuzuru Hanyu and Blade Sharpener Toshinobu Yoshida Text/Shinichi Yamaguchi Unlike coaches and choreographers, they rarely appear in the spotlight. Yet, without the skill and craftsmanship of these individuals, skaters would be unable to deliver their performances on the ice. In the world of figure skating, there are specialists who occupy this unique position. A blade sharpener is a technician who sharpens the metal blades attached to the bottom of a skater’s boots, known as the edges. Mr. Toshinobu Yoshida, the skate sharpener whom Yuzuru Hanyu trusts immensely, has built a bond with Hanyu that goes beyond the relationship between a skater and the person working behind the scenes to support him. Their connection has reached the place it occupies today. The Microscopic Grooves Beneath a Skater’s Feet Can Make or Break Their Performance As autumn turns to winter, each day passes in the blink of an eye for Toshinobu Yoshida, who runs the skate shop NICE in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Once the competitive season begins, he faces a workload so demanding that even twenty-four hours a day seem insufficient. Mr. Yoshida’s shop is located right next to Ice Rink Sendai. Although the shop stocks only figure skating-related products, its work extends beyond selling and displaying merchandise. What truly determines the shop’s reputation is Yoshida’s skill in sharpening skate blades. A figure skating blade is approximately four millimetres thick. Depending on a skater’s preferences and abilities, a groove is ground into the blade as part of the sharpening process. The reason figure skaters can lean into their edges and execute spectacular movements on the ice—movements that would be impossible on land—is that the shape of the groove ground into the blade allows it to grip the ice effectively. The depth of the groove varies according to each skater’s individual characteristics. Although factors such as body weight and skating quality also come into play, a deeper groove generally allows the blade to grip the ice more firmly. On the other hand, if the groove bites too deeply into the ice, it can place additional strain on the knees and ankles. A shallower groove can reduce the physical strain on the body. However, if the blade does not grip the ice sufficiently, it can potentially contribute to injuries and poor performance. Whether a groove, measured in microscopic increments, is precisely suited to a skater can determine the quality of their performance. This is why the more elite the skater, the more carefully they approach the sharpening of their blades. Once the competitive season finally arrives, highly skilled blade sharpeners become much sought-after figures among skaters. Their clients include not only figure skaters but also ice hockey players. Even sharpening blades alone is a time-consuming task, and a single day can easily be consumed by the work. In other words, the busier a blade sharpener is, the more likely it is that their craftsmanship is highly regarded. Mr. Yoshida has been sharpening Yuzuru Hanyu’s skate blades ever since Hanyu was skating in Sendai, and he continues to do so to this day. In addition to this work, Mr. Yoshida is also responsible for managing equipment for figure skaters and ice hockey players across Japan, as well as the FREE BLADES, a top ice hockey team based in the Tohoku region that competes from summer through to the following spring. During the season, the FREE BLADES travel from their home base in Hachinohe to compete in South Korea, Russia and China. When the team is not competing, Mr. Yoshida follows Hanyu to competitions within Japan. However, most of the time, the process is handled by air mail: Hanyu sends his skates to Mr. Yoshida, who sharpens the blades and mails them back. This back-and-forth arrangement has continued for several seasons. “During the season before Yuzuru won his Olympic medal (2012–2013), we exchanged a lot of opinions about how his blades should be sharpened. Since then, though, the sharpening method has hardly changed. Basically, he leaves it up to me.” The craftsmanship applied to a blade just four millimetres thick; the grooves ground into it with precision measured in microns. It is within this delicate world that Hanyu and Mr. Yoshida have forged their connection. It is the work of a blade sharpener to bring out the full potential of a good pair of skates in ways that the skater cannot achieve through training alone. Before the season begins, skaters decide which skates they will use for the coming season. In Yuzuru Hanyu’s case, the manufacturer sends him several pairs of boots, from which he selects the ones that best fit his feet. The blades are also selected separately from several options sent to him, then paired with the boots. These combinations will become the skates he uses throughout the season. The setup of both the boots and the blades is finalised soon after he begins practising on the ice. First, the blades are sharpened according to established principles, with the edges and grooves ground to appropriate specifications. Hanyu then takes them onto the ice to test them himself. Through an exchange of feedback—“Please make the groove deeper here,” or “This part is too deep; I’d like it to be shallower”—the ideal blade profile gradually takes shape. When it comes to his blades, Hanyu appears to feel little pressure. That is because this is Mr. Yoshida’s responsibility. It is up to Yoshida to determine what kind of sharpening will best reproduce the sensations Hanyu wants to feel while skating, and what adjustments will allow him to skate comfortably, both physically and mentally. Perhaps most skaters have experienced this: freshly sharpened blades can bite too deeply into the ice, making it difficult to skate. However, Mr. Yoshida’s philosophy is that “after a blade has been specially prepared through sharpening, it should be in its easiest-to-skate state.” Rather than expecting the blades to gradually settle into harmony with the skater’s feet after a period of skating on the ice following sharpening, Yoshida believes that the blades should be at their easiest to skate on immediately after sharpening. That is the standard he strives to achieve. “Skaters can train their bodies and build their physical fitness themselves, regardless of the circumstances. So how far can we help elevate their performance on the ice? That is precisely the job of people like us who work with equipment. Their skating performances are world-class, and if a skater falls because an edge fails them, I consider that my responsibility.” When the conversation turns to Hanyu’s skates, Mr. Yoshida admits, “I’m afraid to watch him skate. If he falls while landing a jump or in the middle of a step sequence, I feel that it would be my fault.” During the competitive season, the shop is exceptionally busy, so Mr. Yoshida has very few opportunities to watch Hanyu compete in real time. As mentioned earlier, even the chances for them to travel together to competitions are few and far between over the course of a year. “Through our conversations, we came to the decision that it would be all right even if I didn’t go to the venue in person, as long as we could work together to create that ideal setup. However, this is only possible because he has several pairs of skates. I don’t think it would be possible if he had only one pair.” Reuniting with Nanami and Meeting Her Student, Yuzuru Hanyu Mr. Yoshida’s journey has been quite unique. He initially played ice hockey at Sendai Ikuei High School in Miyagi Prefecture. After graduating, he went on to study at a music vocational school and spent some time performing in Tokyo as a bass guitarist. However, in his late twenties, he gave up his musical pursuits and returned to Sendai, where he joined former friends in a business involving imported vehicles. For a while, it seemed that he had left the world of skating behind. Then, one day, Yuko Hongo, a figure skating instructor and a childhood acquaintance from their days at the rink (as well as the mother of figure skater Rika Hongo), came by to greet him. “Nanami-chan is about to return to Sendai after completing the Disney on Ice world tour. Since you’ve returned as well, Yoshida-kun, why don’t we get together with some of our old friends?” she suggested. Mr. Yoshida had once had a family in Tokyo, but at the time, he was single. It was at that gathering that he reunited with Nanami Abe. Their reunion marked the beginning of their relationship, and they married a year later. After beginning her career as a figure skating coach in Sendai, Nanami was extremely busy every day. In addition to coaching her students on the ice, she was also responsible for purchasing their skates and costumes, and even took care of sharpening their blades. Mr. Yoshida looks back on what Nanami’s life was like during that time. “Back then, I suspect she was using tools she had never used before to adjust and set up the blades. In the world of figure skating at that time, coaches had to take care of absolutely everything for their students. She would spend the entire day standing at the rink, teaching skating, and then sharpen the skates of around thirty people at night. It was simply too exhausting. The coaches were already worn out, so I imagine the blade sharpening probably wasn’t always done as well as it could have been.” What could he do for her as her husband? After giving it some thought, he decided that the two of them should run a skate shop together. Yoshida himself would become a skate sharpener. After the shop opened, Nanami’s students gradually began bringing their skates to Mr. Yoshida for sharpening. Among them was a child with extraordinary talent: Yuzuru Hanyu. It was here that Yoshida and Hanyu began to forge the bond that would grow between them. For Yoshida, sharpening the blades of a skater like Hanyu, who was expected to become an Olympic medallist in the future, was a tremendous responsibility. “Fortunately, though, I was in a position where I could talk to Nanami every single day of the year. When the blades are in a particular condition, the skates will respond accordingly. So, the next time, we might try doing things a little differently. We could have conversations like that every day.” His wife provided instruction on the ice, while he maintained the skates to ensure they were best suited to her students, drawing on her feedback and expertise. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the presence of these two played a part in allowing Hanyu to develop and showcase his talent and strength. However, on March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake struck northeastern Japan, with the Tohoku region at its centre. From that moment on, their lives were changed dramatically. “Perhaps I would never have another chance to sharpen Yuzuru’s skates again.” Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, Ice Rink Sendai was forced to close. Having lost his home rink and training base, Hanyu would go on to train primarily in Kanagawa and practice in ice shows across Japan. Mr. Yoshida’s shop also suffered considerable damage in the earthquake. “The shop itself was gone, so I ended up keeping the sharpening machine in the garage at home. It's only now that I can say this, but Nanami and I both felt that perhaps we should close the shop because of what had happened. We talked about it and said things along those lines. Running a shop costs money, and I had experience working in fields unrelated to skating equipment. But Yuzuru and many other skaters were relying on us to sharpen their blades. In the end, I simply couldn’t give it up. The garage where I kept the sharpening machine had a roof, and I also had a motorcycle. So I thought, why not use the motorcycle to transport the skates? As long as I could sharpen them and get them back into the skaters’ hands, that would be enough.” Eventually, Ice Rink Sendai was able to reopen. Thanks to the kindness of Teruo Arai, who was the rink manager at the time, Yoshida was able to rent a small space inside the facility and reopen his shop next to Ice Rink Sendai. Meanwhile, despite the extremely difficult training conditions, Hanyu reached the podium at the Japanese National Championships for the first time during the 2011–2012 season. That was not all. At his first-ever World Championships, he won the bronze medal. His "Romeo and Juliet" free skate, which earned him second place in the free, became an enduring topic of conversation among fans. For some time after the World Championships in Nice, Hanyu did not appear before Nanami and Mr. Yoshida. The two assumed that he was receiving treatment for the pain in his foot. Then, one day, news began circulating online that Hanyu would be relocating his training base to Canada. The reports suggested that Hanyu would be leaving Sendai, which meant that his coach–student relationship with Nanami would come to an end. Perhaps it is impossible to establish every detail of what happened and all the circumstances surrounding that decision. Taking into account the accounts and opinions of various people, if I may be permitted to offer some subjective speculation and conjecture, I would say that, at this point in time, Yuzuru Hanyu was not yet in a position to determine his own path forward entirely according to his personal wishes. In other words, within the world of figure skating, he had not yet become the figure of such significance that he would later be. Whatever the process behind the decision may have been, and whatever Hanyu himself was thinking and feeling, the path that Nanami, Hanyu and Mr. Yoshida had travelled together now diverged, at least for a time. At the time, Mr. Yoshida thought, “Perhaps I’ll never have another chance to sharpen Yuzuru’s skates again.” About three months after Hanyu left for Canada, Yoshida finally came to terms with his feelings and made peace with the situation. Even so, Hanyu would occasionally come to mind at unexpected moments. “Yuzuru has always been very particular about what he wants. I wondered whether it would be difficult for him to find a technician who could understand exactly what he meant and translate those wishes into the actual sharpening. To communicate such subtle nuances, you need to be able to express yourself to a certain degree in the same language.” No matter how much Yoshida worried about Yuzuru’s future, things had more or less already been decided. There was little he could do to help Hanyu, no matter how concerned he was. During this period of time, Mr. Yoshida received the following message one day: “Long time no see. It’s Yuzuru. Actually, I’d like to ask you to sharpen my skates.” Mr. Yoshida was very surprised and told Nanami without any hesitation, "I got this message from Yuzuru!" "I hope you will refuse his request." At first, Mr. Yoshida thought Nanami would say that, but what Nanami said was the exact opposite. “As a coach, I formed a bond with Yuzuru. And you formed a bond with him as a technician. Although my relationship with Yuzuru is now like this (no longer as a coach–student), it wouldn’t make sense for you to refuse his request. If he wants your skills and your help, shouldn’t you give him that support?” “Honey, sharpen Yuzuru’s skates for him.” Yoshida remembers Nanami saying something along those lines. “Perhaps Nanami was feeling several times more sorrow than I was. But this was how she expressed her feelings.” Once he had made up his mind, Yoshida contacted Hanyu straight away. “How are your skates at the moment? For now, just bring them to the shop and let me have a look.” Hanyu responded immediately to Yoshida’s message and brought his skates to him. But he did not send them by airmail. Instead, he boarded a plane himself and travelled all the way to Yoshida’s shop. Several months later, Mr. Yoshida sharpened Hanyu’s skate blades once again. After taking them onto the ice and trying them out, Hanyu said: “Just as I thought, Mr. Yoshida’s work is still the best. Your way of sharpening my blades is my absolute favourite.” From that day onward, Mr. Yoshida resumed responsibility for sharpening Hanyu’s skates. And he continues to do so to this day. Canada is a figure skating nation, and Toronto is even known as a skating town. There are plenty of skate shops and blade-sharpening specialists throughout the city. Yet, none could match Yoshida’s craftsmanship, honed through years of repeated trial and error. After trying the services of several shops, Hanyu ultimately chose to return to Yoshida. Thus began a routine in which Hanyu’s skates were transported by airmail, with each delivery taking several weeks to arrive. Whenever Hanyu returned to Japan, he would sometimes visit Yoshida’s shop before even going home. There, he would have his blades sharpened and spend time talking with Yoshida. And when it was time to return to Canada, he would stop by the shop on his way from home to the airport. He would have his blades sharpened, talk with Yoshida, and only then set off on his journey. Just as Nanami had hoped, Hanyu and Yoshida continued moving forward together, each fulfilling his own role as skater and technical specialist. No Matter How Far Apart They May Be, Their Love for Yuzuru Hanyu Knows No End Mr. Yoshida and Nanami have three children: a daughter in her third year of elementary school, a son in his fifth year of elementary school, and a twenty-one-year-old eldest son. Hanyu happens to be of the same generation as their eldest son. “I’ve been asked about this in many interviews. Back when he was in Sendai, Yuzuru was just an ordinary high school student, and even now, he’s still just an ordinary 21-year-old young man. We talk about video games, headphones, which he’s interested in as a hobby, and all sorts of other things that boys his age would normally talk about.” “Speaking as a man, from my own perspective, Yuzuru really is a good person. Seriously, he’s a really good guy. Although saying it like this might be a bit... well, it might be a little different from the image people see in the media." Another aspect that piques one's curiosity, meanwhile, is the relationship between Hanyu and Nanami. “Nowadays, Yuzuru and Nanami have opportunities to work together at ice shows. I can’t remember exactly when it was, but I believe there was an occasion when Yuzuru asked Nanami something along the lines of, ‘This is how my jumps and my condition feel at the moment. Could you take a look for me?’ Nanami apparently replied, ‘You’re Orser’s student now. Unless Orser asks me to, I can’t coach you.’ There seems to have been an episode like that.” Whenever Hanyu’s competitions are broadcast live, Nanami sits glued to the television screen, watching intently. As she watches, she quietly murmurs something to herself. What exactly she says, even Mr. Yoshida doesn’t know. “Nanami and I usually finish work and get home quite late, so we rarely get the chance to watch the competitions live. But you could almost say it’s a certainty that we’ll watch recordings of Yuzuru’s performances. Then the two of us would drink together for hours, talking as we drank. We’d discuss things like the way he executed his jumps… I’d say things like, ‘Yes, it does seem like the blade of his skate scraped the ice there. I wonder if he’s developed some strange habit?’ That’s the sort of thing the two of us would talk about together.” As though their own child had gone to live far away, the two of them sit together late into the night, drinks in hand, pouring one another another glass and talking as if they could go on forever. Whenever Hanyu returns to Japan, the first thing he does is stop by Mr. Yoshida’s shop to see him. As mentioned earlier, he usually tells Yoshida about what has been happening in his life. “Yuzuru, rather than telling me all this, you should tell Nanami!” And Hanyu will usually laugh and reply, “No way! You absolutely can't tell Nanami-sensei!” Mr. Yoshida understands perfectly well that when Hanyu says, “Don’t tell Nanami,” what he really means is, “Please make sure you pass all of this on to Nanami-sensei.” Yuzuru Hanyu has now built a strong bond of trust with Brian Orser, and last season, he broke the world record twice. The strength of their coach-student relationship and Hanyu's growth are undeniable. At the same time, there is no question that Hanyu remains connected by a bond of mutual affection with Mr. Yoshida and Nanami, too. At the end of the interview, Mr. Yoshida said: “Both Nanami and I love Yuzuru and think of him as a dear, precious child. Those feelings have never changed, from the time he was in Sendai until now.” Without the grooves carved into his skate blades, Hanyu’s jumps, spins and steps would not be possible in the way we see them today. Ground into a mere four millimetres of metal, those microscopic grooves carry within them the love of Toshinobu Yoshida and Nanami Abe for Hanyu, as well as the deep affection and longing that connect all three of them. All their feelings are held within that thin strip of metal.

Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4583624697 Contents - Take Me Away - Yuzuru Hanyu: Toward a New Legend. - Yuzuru Hanyu - Special Interview - “I Really Do Love Skating. While I Was Taking a Break, I Was Able to Realize That.” - Reporting from Toronto - “There’s No Anxiety. Not Anywhere.” - What Lies Ahead!? Yuzuru Hanyu and Japan This Season - Japanese Figure Skating: A Look Ahead at the New Season. - COACH’S VOICE - How Yuzuru Hanyu Will Evolve This Season. - PLAY BACK - Yuzuru Hanyu’s 2015–2016 Season. - Yuzuru Hanyu and Edge Sharpener Toshinobu Yoshida - Endless Thoughts and Feelings. - Skate Canada Takes Place in October! - Make the Most of a Trip to Canada This Fall and Winter.

Machine-translation. Inaccuracies exist* 2014.02.16 Source: https://www.nikkansports.com/sochi2014/figureskate/news/p-sochi-tp0-20140216-1258302.html Hanyu's tearful truth: "I actually wanted to be in Sendai." From the print edition Hanyu, who won the gold medal, shyly unfolds the Japanese flag <Sochi Olympics: Figure Skating> ◇14th◇Men's Free Skate He made history after 100 years. Yuzuru Hanyu (19, ANA) won Japan's first-ever gold medal in men's figure skating at the Sochi Olympics. Following his first-place finish in the short program (SP), he also skated first in the free skate, winning with a total score of 280.09 points. It has been 106 years (24th Games) since the competition began at the 1908 London Games. He became the first gold medalist from outside Europe or America, and stood at the top of the list after a total of 29 Japanese athletes had attempted to win the sport. After making the tearful decision to leave Sendai, a city still recovering from the Great East Japan Earthquake, and moving to Canada about two years ago, he delivered a medal as a token of gratitude with the best possible result. Only one person. Just one person. A small podium on the ice. In the center, where he could see a little farther than when he was skating, Hanyu bowed once and lightly stepped onto it. “There is only one Olympic gold medalist.” Something so obvious felt new. Even from a position just a few dozen centimeters higher, the view from there was one that only the man standing at the pinnacle of the world was permitted to see. And now, he was the one standing there. Hanyu: “To everyone in Japan, and to everyone around the world who supported me, I was able to stand here carrying the hopes and dreams of thousands, even tens of thousands of people. I’m so happy. I think I was able to repay your kindness.” The free skate had been marked by one mistake after another. The view before him began to loosen the heart that had been filled to the brim with frustration. It felt good. “I did it.” He couldn't stopped smiling. It was a smile that had emerged after the tears in that small room. “The truth is, I wanted to stay in Sendai.” In May 2012, in order to develop further as a skater, he moved his training base to Toronto, Canada. The path had already been laid out for him by the people around him. He would train under Coach Orser, who had coached Kim Yuna. Because he was so exceptionally gifted, they wanted to entrust him to a renowned coach with a proven record. Even as he understood the parental concern behind that decision, it was never the path he himself had wanted to take. The momentum of events could no longer be stopped. Two months before his departure, upon returning from France where the World Championships were held, he didn't see anyone in Sendai. “Am I a traitor?” He felt guilty toward the people who had looked after him, and toward his hometown, which was still struggling to recover from the earthquake disaster. He, too, had been a victim of the disaster. When the earthquake struck, he could not get his skates off, so he fled on his knees across the rink. For four days, his family of four lived in an evacuation center. He experienced living with just one blanket on one tatami mat and thought, "We're struggling just to get by, why am I still skating... Maybe I should quit." More than 60 ice shows served as substitutes for training. In the midst of them, he wrote replies to 500 letters from fans. “I realized, deep in my heart, that I was the one who had actually been supported.” That was precisely why leaving felt like an act of betrayal. The Ice Rink Sendai, where he had skated since the age of four. Just before leaving, he went there to say goodbye. “I’m off.” Those brief words were all he could manage. After he had finished, he went straight to the shop next door that sharpens the blades on his skates. In a small room at the back, he broke down in tears. It was a long, sorrowful moment. “I don’t want to go…” Even so, the time to leave came. He went to Canada with just his mother. The two of them lived together in an apartment, and day after day, he traveled to the training rink by changing subway lines. When he wore a mask to protect against asthma, “people looked at me like I was a strange person.” At a restaurant, he was nearly made to pay the expensive bill of a group seated at the next table. Under discriminatory stares, the foreign country, where he had no friends, felt cold and unwelcoming. “I can’t even speak English. Every little thing is stressful. Was this really the right decision?” But moving forward was the only path open to him. As the Olympic season approached, he chose "Romeo and Juliet" for his free skate, the same music he had chosen two seasons earlier, in the aftermath of the earthquake. “I wanted to express something that only I, as I am now, could express,” he explained. He dedicated the performance to his hometown, which was still recovering from the disaster. He believed that if he could show how much he had grown since two seasons earlier on the greatest stage of all, that would be his way of “giving back” to everyone who had supported him. The Olympic stage proved to be a tough challenge. The distinctive atmosphere he had managed to tame in the short program the previous day ran wild during the free skate. His body stiffened with tension. At the opening, he fell on his quadruple Salchow, lacking speed. He landed the following quadruple toe loop perfectly, but touched the ice with both hands on an easy triple flip. “The gold medal is now out of reach,” he thought. Overwhelmed by disappointment, he somehow managed to persevere through the second half, feeling "heavy in his legs" and "exhausted. The fall had drained his strength, and after finishing his performance, he could not get back to his feet for more than ten seconds. “No way I'll get the gold medal…” Then Chan, who was scheduled to skate next, made one mistake after another. The cushion Hanyu had built up the previous day, when he became the first skater in history to score over 100 points in the short program, proved decisive. Chan's score came in lower. Two skaters remained. Hanyu waited for the moment in front of a television in the media area. When the final skater finished his performance and Hanyu's victory was confirmed, he exclaimed, “Oh my God!” Astonishment and frustration mingled within him. The joy he had forgotten how to feel did not truly sink in until he stood on the podium. “Gratitude” washed over him. And yet, he felt he had not done nearly enough to repay those who had supported him. “Precisely because I’ve become a medalist, I want to do what I can for the recovery from the earthquake disaster. This is where it all begins.” His thoughts were already focused on what lay ahead. He would dedicate every step along the path of a champion to all the people who had supported him. “I'm still young at 19. I'll do my best at the next Olympics as well.” On the next great stage of his dreams, he would once again gaze out at the same view from the top of that slightly elevated podium. This time, he would do so with joy rising from the very depths of his heart, and with the same unwavering gratitude. Yuzuru Hanyu: Profile and Trivia ▼ Birth December 7, 1994 (Heisei 6), Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. ▼ Physical measurements Height: 171 cm; weight: 52 kg. ▼ Competitive career He began skating at the age of four, influenced by his older sister. At the 2008 Japanese Figure Skating Championships, his first appearance at the competition, he finished eighth despite being the youngest competitor, attracting attention. In 2011, he won his first Grand Prix event at the Russian Cup. At the 2012 World Championships, he won the bronze medal. He won the Japanese Championships in 2012 and 2013. At the 2013 Grand Prix Final, which he won, he recorded a world-record short-program score of 99.84 points. ▼ The origin of his name His parents named him Yuzuru (結弦) with the wish that he would “live with dignity and composure, like the taut string of a bow.” His nickname is “Yuzu.” ▼ Elite training In Sendai, beginning in elementary school, he trained alongside Shizuka Arakawa and Akiko Suzuki. Coach Tsuzuki, who coached him at the time, recalled: “I demanded things of him that were quite advanced. I instilled in him the belief that, ‘You will absolutely become number one in the world.’” ▼ The training ground During his third year of high school, he moved from Sendai City to Toronto, Canada. He began training under Coach Orser, who had coached South Korea's Kim Yuna to the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. His training base is the privately run, high-end sports club "Cricket Club," which has annual operating costs of several hundred million yen. ▼ Winnie-the-Pooh He always brings a Winnie-the-Pooh tissue box to the practice rink. He likes its relaxed expression, explaining, “Looking at it calms me down.” The Olympics are strict about the use of logos and trademarks, so he restrained himself, saying, “It's lonely, but I held back.” Pooh, he says, is staying behind to keep watch in the athletes' village. ▼ Evgeni Plushenko He became a fan of Evgeni Plushenko after watching the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. He adopted a mushroom-style haircut and even came up with a personal signature to resemble a mushroom. ▼ Baseball He is a fan of Kenta Maeda of the Hiroshima Carp. In Toronto, he sometimes plays catch between training sessions. He once said, “There are aspects of the pitching motion that are common to jumping.”

Source: https://ameblo.jp/yohoho29/entry-12162656532.html https://web.archive.org/web/20140814044438/https://ameblo.jp/stain-love/entry-11340893358.html https://web.archive.org/web/20140814044443/http://ameblo.jp/stain-love/entry-11341058695.html https://jp.mercari.com/item/m10844216614 Yuzuru Hanyu - Japan's Rising Son As a child, Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu dreamed about becoming a figure skating star. As he watched his countrymen perform before global audiences, he was inspired to join their esteemed ranks. Making the national team, winning medals - it all seemed so surreal at the time. But what was once just a dream has now become a reality. Yuzuru Hanyu first appeared on the Junior Grand Prix circuit in the 2008–2009 season, when hardly anyone was paying attention to him. Only a handful of people knew who he was. Although he won that season’s Japanese Junior Championships, he finished 12th at the World Junior Championships. However, from the following season onward, this young, dynamic skater began attracting attention by winning a succession of competitions. He won the JGP Final and, carried forward by that momentum, went on to claim victory at the 2010 World Junior Championships. A new Japanese prodigy had arrived on the scene. Movin' On Up The year after winning the World Junior Championships, Hanyu made his full-fledged debut at the senior level and won a silver medal at his first Four Continents Championships. This was the only international competition that year in which he reached the podium. Then, last season, he began with the Nebelhorn Trophy, winning by a substantial margin of more than 15 points over Czech star Michal Březina, who finished second. He delivered a performance that set him apart from the other competitors. However, something went wrong at the Cup of China, his first Grand Prix event. “I made a few mistakes, and I finished fourth, so it wasn’t a good start to the season,” Hanyu said. Even so, he quickly regained his form at his next Grand Prix event, the Rostelecom Cup, and won the competition, though he was not satisfied with his own skating. “I won the Russian Cup, but even though I won, I wasn’t happy. I made mistakes on the quad toe loop in both the short program and the free skate, so I wasn’t satisfied with my performance itself.” Based on his results at the two events, Hanyu qualified for the Grand Prix Final, where he finished fourth. “At the Final, I managed to do the quad in the short program, but I made a mistake on it in the free skate. Still, I was happy because I could feel that I had improved, and I was able to show that improvement to everyone.” At the Japanese Championships, things did not go the way he had hoped. “It wasn’t good. I made the same mistakes again as at the Final,” Hanyu explained. “I wanted everyone to see how I had grown and changed, but because I made mistakes, I wasn’t able to show them that.” Hanyu was not selected to compete at the Four Continents Championships, in accordance with the federation’s wishes that he get sufficient rest and prepare thoroughly for the World Championships. During that time, he would find inspiration from an unexpected source. “After the major earthquake and tsunami in 2011, I received letters from fans all over the world, but I hadn’t been able to find the time to read them,” Hanyu said. “In the months between the Japanese Championships and the World Championships, I was finally able to take my time and read all of those letters. The letters gave me a completely different way of thinking. Reading them made me realize just how many people were supporting me. I felt that I had to do something through my skating. I had to improve more, and I had to become more consistent. The letters I received became my greatest source of motivation.” And he evolved just as he had vowed to do. At the World Championships, Hanyu was in seventh place after the short program, but in the free skate, he sent the entire arena into a frenzy. Of the only two standing ovations given during the men’s event, one was for him. “When I went to Worlds, I did not think that I would win a medal. It was such a big surprise for me,” he said. “Brian Joubert did not make any mistakes, so I thought he would place higher. But when the results came out, I was so surprised that I was in third place. I was really happy with my performance and that was more important to me. Winning a World medal did not feel real for a long time." His success was even more surprising given that he had injured his ankle the day prior to the short program while attempting a quad during a practice session. "I came down on my ankle and twisted it," he explained. He did not want to miss the exhibition because of the injury. “I did a lot of shows before Worlds so I had skated my exhibition number many times. Going into that competition, my goal was to make the top five so I could skate in the gala. But in the end it was OK," he said with a laugh. The injury kept him off the ice for a month and forced him to skip the World Team Trophy. Overall, Hanyu said he was satisfied. “Things didn’t go well at times early in the season, but in the end I had really good results, so it was a successful year for me.” Transitions Following Worlds, Hanyu knew he needed to make a change. At this training venue in Sendai he had to practice during public sessions with many other skaters, none of which were at his level. "If I had any chance of improving and winning more medals, I had to find another place to train," he recalled. His first choice was to work with Brian Orser in Canada. The training environment at the Toronto Cricket Club was something he knew he could not get in Japan. When Orser received a call from the Japanese skating federation in early April asking if he was interested in coaching Hanyu, Orser was understandably perplexed. "The person calling told me Yuzuru wanted to move here and work with me, and that this was totally instigated by him. In my mind, I was thinking of this kid who had had a great season and was on a roll. So it was a little bit of a surprise," Orser recalled. "I did not say yes. I told the person I would have to talk to Javier Fernandez first. I did, and Javi was totally fine with it." A meeting was arranged during the World Team Trophy, which was held in Japan in late April. "I wanted to sit down with him, his mom and the federation to discuss everything. My first question to Yuzuru was: 'Why do you want to do this?' He simply said he wanted to come and train with me, so I said OK. That was a good enough answer for me." Hanyu knew exactly why he wanted to work with the Canadian legend. "I wanted to train with Brian because he coached Yuna Kim to an Olympic gold medal, and that is what I want. I believed that he would be the coach I could continue working with all the way until 2014 Olympic. Shizuka Arakawa had also trained in Canada, and the other skaters he had coached had all achieved good results.” Hanyu spent 10 days working with Orser in early May. “During that time, Yuzuru and I sat down with Tracy Wilson to discuss the training schedule,” Orser said. “How many hours he would skate each week, and what his training sessions would involve. We learned that he really did not have much of a plan. We asked him, when does he do this run-throughs, when does he do this and that and he replied, 'Well, I don't know. When I feel like it.' Right then we knew we needed to get a more structured plan in place for him." Orser believes the transition has been a smooth one for everyone. “It all worked out. Yuzuru seemed to fit quickly to the environment and the other coaches and skaters," Orser said. "He is just a real friendly character. He is polite, has manners and he works hard." Hanyu agreed. “The first month was hard but now I am used to it. It is really good here, very stimulating," he said. "At first I think we were both checking each other out and especially Brian because I think he was quite nervous. But now I am a member of this club I feel very comfortable." For Orser, coaching his young protege is a pleasure. "What I enjoy most about him is that he really listens, he hangs on to every word we say. I feel like I am always teaching him something, and that he is always wanting to learn something from me. It feels great that I have that respect from him, and I feel like I am doing my job. He knows I am always watching him when he is on the ice so he likes to show off a little bit when I am there." "When Yuzuru first came to me he would be doing a simple move in a step sequence and he would just fall over because he kept pushing the edge so hard and because he did not know where he should be standing on the blade. He is now learning that and every day it gets better." "His federation has told me that he is obviously better since coming to train with me and that is heartening. We’re focusing on his skating skills, and he’s doing very well in his sessions with Tracy. But sometimes he feels so strongly about his own skating that he loses control. That’s why he needs to understand clearly that he must build a solid foundation.” “When you compete against skaters like Patrick Chan, who has more beautiful edge control and higher-quality skating than anyone else, you have to be able to control those things. Yuzuru is learning that now, and he’s devoting plenty of time to developing these skills.” “It’s important to understand how to maintain speed and flow effortlessly, how to finish a turn, and how to distribute your power. Where on the blade should you place your weight? I think these are things Yuzuru will naturally acquire over time.” Orser said Hanyu and Fernandez have developed a really good relationship. “They are rivals on the ice and they know that. But they have respect for each other and are becoming really good friends. I think it has been really great for Javier to have Yuzuru around because Javier all of a sudden is working harder and is really taking care of his body. He seems to be much more focused." Stepping Out Of The Zone Hanyu has two new programs crafted by two people he has never worked with before. Jeffrey Buttle designed a bluesy short program, while David Wilson choreographed a more traditional free set to the music of "Notre-Dame de Paris." “I had Jeff do the short to mix it up a little bit. David would not have had time to do both anyway,” Orser explained. "Jeff came up with the blues number because he thought it could bring out a different side of Yuzuru from what he had done before. Up until now, he’d been skating to dramatic music that he wanted to skate to himself, right? But we felt we needed to work in a different direction. The choreography incorporates elements that require him to perform and show his appeal, along with a variety of skating skills.” These new concepts present a challenge for Hanyu. “The short program is completely different from anything I’ve done before, so right now I’m still trying to get a feel for it. I’ve never skated in this style before, so it’s difficult. Until now, I’ve mostly skated to classical music or film scores, which make it easier for me to express my emotions. I’m looking forward to skating this program, but at the moment, I’m still feeling my way through it.” Orser emphasized that his student was eager to take on challenges. “David had never seen Yuzuru skate before, so I showed him a video on YouTube, and he was like, ‘Oh my God! This boy is the real deal!’ But before David started choreographing his program, I made sure Yuzuru had solid transitions leading into his jumps." "The free skate is dramatic, so in the end, it turned out the way he wanted it to,” Orser added with a laugh. “But this time, it has movement, passion, and a solid structure. All of those elements are intertwined. David did a great job.” When asked if the free skate was a fun program, Hanyu laughed. “No, it’s a serious program. The story is a little difficult for me to express, but this is a chance for me to grow and to change. It was a lot of fun working with both Jeffrey and David on these programs.” Hanyu’s exhibition program was "Hello, I Love You," choreographed by Kurt Browning. Orser said his only concern with the current arrangement is Hanyu’s travel schedule. “He has been back and forth to Japan three or four times so far. He went back for school, then he went back for shows, so it has been really hard for me to have things my way. And while great things are happening with him, there is some really amazing work I know that still needs to be done.” "As we get into this season he is going to have to slow down on the traveling, and next season as we head into the Olympics he is going to really have to focus on training, being rested and healthy." While no final decision has been made about where and when Hanyu will make his season debut, his team is leaning toward Finlandia Trophy in early October. Hanyu's Grand Prix assignments are Skate America and NHK Trophy. "I am excited about these competitions, but now that I am a World medalist I know I need to do well. Now a lot of people are expecting me to win so I want to do the best I can," he said. On A Personal Note Hanyu started skating at age 4 when his older sister Saya took up the sport and he tagged along. His sister quit not long after, but by then Hanyu had developed a passion for figure skating. Off the ice, he is a typical teenager who likes listening to music and playing computer games. Hanyu will enter Grade 12 this fall and plans to complete his high school education through an online correspondence program. He expects to graduate next March. His global popularity soared following his stunning long program performance in Nice, something Hanyu is still trying to comprehend. "It's difficult, but I know that I always have to do my best now," the 17-year-old said. "When I fell during my program at Worlds everyone was still clapping. That was very unreal for me. I see the fans in Japan and I know they are supporting me and that feels good. It is a very good motivation for me." An avid fan of the sport since childhood, Hanyu said he had always watched competitions on television. His number-one-idol has always been Evgeni Plushnko. “When I watched him on TV at age 4 or 5, he was the person who really made me want to be a figure skater," Hanyu said. "I always wanted to be just like him." This season, Hanyu knows there is a good chance he will go up against Plushenko. "I am not looking forward to that," Hanyu said with a laugh. “It feels really odd. I have always been dreaming about him and now to be competing against him does not seem real.”

Info: https://web.archive.org/web/20150906013348/https://www.ifsmagazine.com/articles/32527-yuzuru-hanyu https://web.archive.org/web/20150905090231/http://www.ifsmagazine.com/issues/201210 When Yuzuru Hanyu first hit the junior circuit during the 2008-09 season, he was barely a blip on the skating radar. Few had ever heard of him. After winning the Japanese junior title Hanyu placed a distant 12th at Junior Worlds that year. But the dynamic young man served notice when he claimed gold at every event he contested the following season, winning the Junior Grand Prix Final and running away with the 2010 World Junior title. Another Japanese phenom was on the horizon.

*Machine-translation. Inaccuracies exist 2022.02.05 Source: https://www.newsweekjapan.jp/articles/-/46470 https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404733602591277280 [Exclusive Interview] Renowned coach Brian Orser talks about the possibility of Hanyu winning a third consecutive Olympic gold medal. <Yuzuru Hanyu's thoughts on the quadruple Axel, and the secret to his strong mental fortitude, as told by his coach of 10 years> Yuzuru Hanyu, the men's figure skater aiming for his third consecutive Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics, has been coached by Canadian coach Brian Orser since 2012. Even for Brian Orser, who has nurtured many top-class athletes, Hanyu is in a class of his own. Susan Russell, publisher of International Figure Skating, spoke with him about everything from their first meeting to the possibility of a gold medal in Beijing (the interview was conducted by telephone on January 26 in Toronto, Canada). —Did you feel there was something special about Hanyu from the very beginning of your coaching? In fact, I had noticed something special about him even before that. At his first World Championships in Nice, France (2012), he came in third place. His magnificent free program ("Romeo + Juliet") was a perfect example of what makes Hanyu unique. He was young, talented, and full of life—none of which could be taught. ──How did you end up becoming a coach? When I visited Japan for the World Team Trophy in April 2012, a meeting had been arranged. I had no idea what was going on, but someone met me at the airport and took me to a restaurant in Tokyo. When I walked into the room, Yuzu was there. I was really surprised, because he had just come off a fantastic season. I asked him through the interpreter, "Why are you doing this?" and he said he wanted to practice with my team and Javier Fernandez. I said, "Okay, I see." When he first arrived in Toronto, Canada, he was rough around the edges, but he had innate talent. We needed to teach him how to control it. We didn't want to drain his energy; we wanted to tame and control it. He's a free spirit, but once we helped him utilize his talent, everything started to fall into place. —What was Hanyu's jump repertoire like when he first came to Canada? How has it evolved since then? At first, he could do the triple Axel and the quadruple toe loop, but eventually, he became able to jump just about anything. The quadruple Salchow, quadruple loop, and quadruple Lutz became really important jumps for him. He also started doing a quadruple toe loop in the second half of his free skate. Then, he began doing two quadruple toe loops in the second half of his free skate, and on top of that, in 2015, he became able to do two quadruple jumps in the short program as well. That was groundbreaking. Now, it's commonplace for top skaters to do two quadruple jumps in the short program. —Hanyu has elevated men's figure skating to a new level with his programs that incorporate a variety of quadruple jumps. That’s right. He isn’t afraid to take big risks. Things don’t always go as expected, but he just couldn’t help going out onto the ice and challenging himself. Yuzu has always been a genius at improvisation. He’s also a mathematical wizard. If something goes wrong at the beginning of a program, he can calculate where to add a combination jump later on. He thinks on his feet. There have been times when I’ve watched him on the ice and thought, “What is this program? What’s going on here?” But once the scores come up, I understand. ──Have you kept in touch with Hanyu since he returned to Japan about two years ago? Yes, before the All-Japan Championships (last December), I received videos from him quite frequently. I evaluated them and sent my thoughts back. In one video of him practicing, he seemed a little anxious because other athletes were getting in the way, so I talked to him about his rhythm. I gave him not only technical feedback, but also advice on his mindset and some words of wisdom. —Hanyu had to miss the NHK Trophy in November 2017 due to injury, before the Pyeongchang Olympics. When he withdrew from both the NHK Trophy and the Rostelecom Cup last November, did you feel it was a repeat of what had happened four years earlier? Absolutely. I thought so, 100 percent. I felt sorry for him, but I also knew he could overcome it. There wasn't much time until the All-Japan Championships, and with several excellent skaters in Japan, Yuzuru had to fight to earn his place.

@Martina I found this injury list from a Chinese fan. Feel free to add/correct anything here. https://weibo.com/7548308482/NdNCt0In6 2011.11, Rostelecom Cup (Grand Prix of Russia), Gold Medal Injured his hip during the official practice before the competition and competed with it taped up. 2012.03, World Championships in Nice, France, Bronze Medal Injured his right ankle before the free skate and competed after receiving a painkilling injection. A post-competition examination confirmed an avulsion fracture. 2012.10, Finlandia Trophy, Gold Medal In the first season after moving to Canada for training, Yuzuru Hanyu developed a high fever before the competition. Without sufficient pre-competition training, he made his season debut at the Finlandia Trophy (as described in Blue Flame II). During the free skate, he suffered an asthma attack and collapsed onto the ice immediately after finishing, gasping for breath. 2012.12, Grand Prix Final, Silver Medal He was in seriously poor health due to food poisoning, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea. He withdrew from the gala after the opening performance. 2012.12, All-Japan Championships, Gold Medal He competed before he had fully recovered his health (*Blue Flame II*; the documentary Time of Awakening). 2013.02, Four Continents Championships, Silver Medal During the long program, he was affected by a minor injury to his right eyelid sustained before the competition. According to reports, he was jostled by people crowding around him at the hotel and hit the hotel glass. Had this injury not occurred, he would have become a Super Grand Slam champion at just 19 years old in 2014. 2013.03, World Championships in Canada, 4th Place He contracted influenza before the World Championships and was unable to train for about 10 days because of a high fever. He returned to the ice at the end of February, with only two weeks remaining before the World Championships. After resuming on-ice training in late February 2013, he injured his left knee and had to stop training for another week (*Blue Flame II*). During the second half of the 2012–13 season, he not only suffered frequent injuries but also fell ill often (*Time of Awakening*). During the official practice on the morning of the free skate at the March 2013 World Championships, he injured his right ankle again (*Blue Flame II*). This was one of only two times in his senior career that he failed to reach the podium at an international competition. His left knee was at Stage III of patellar tendinitis. Despite everything, he fought to secure three Olympic spots for Japan at Sochi. The other two Japanese skaters finished sixth and eighth. 2014.03, World Championships in Saitama, Japan, Gold Medal After the Olympics, he developed tonsillitis and a fever and was unable to train (*Blue Flame II*). Before the World Championships, he sprained his back and injured his right knee (documentary Covered in Scars Behind the Smile). Despite this, he achieved the Grand Slam title in a single season, a feat accomplished by only two skaters in history. 2014.09, Finlandia Trophy, Withdrew Diagnosed with lumbar myofascial fasciitis, he withdrew and underwent treatment and a month of rest (*Blue Flame II*). 2014.11, Cup of China in Shanghai, China, Silver Medal The collision accident. He sustained contusions to the head, jaw, and abdomen, a contusion to the left thigh, and a crush injury to the right ankle joint. Full recovery was expected to take two to three weeks. 2014.11, NHK Trophy in Japan, 4th Place He competed less than three weeks after resting following the collision accident. 2014.12, All-Japan Championships, Gold Medal Despite his asthma and a urachal remnant condition that caused pus and bleeding around the navel, he competed with the area wrapped in bandages. He underwent surgery immediately after the competition. Experienced alcohol allergy during surgery, and antibiotic allergy after surgery (*Blue Flame II*). 2015.03, World Championships in Shanghai, China, Silver Medal Following surgery for the urachal remnant condition, the surgical sutures failed to dissolve, causing the wound to become inflamed and infected with pus. The pain was so severe that he could not turn over in bed while sleeping (*Blue Flame II*). He underwent a second operation after the competition. 2015.04, World Team Trophy (WTT) in Japan, Team Bronze Despite being in so much pain that even bending forward or backward was extremely difficult, he competed in the World Team Trophy (*Blue Flame II*). 2015.10, Left foot injury (*Blue Flame II*) He struggled with a left foot injury throughout the entire season. 2015.10, Skate Canada, Silver Medal His asthma worsened two days before the competition. In addition to coughing and other asthma symptoms, he developed a fever above 38°C. 2015.11, NHK Trophy in Japan, Gold Medal He suffered an asthma attack. He scored 106.33 in the short program, 216.07 in the free skate, and 322.40 overall, breaking the world record in all three categories. This was the first time he ascended to legendary status. 2015.12, Grand Prix Final, Gold Medal He had a ligament injury and continued to apply emergency ice packs before the competition. In the end, he broke all three world records once again, scoring 110.95 in the short program, 219.48 in the free skate, and 330.43 overall, once again cementing his legendary status. 2016.03, World Championships in Boston, USA, Silver Medal He had a ligament injury in his left foot and was unable even to put on his skating boot. His hotel room door would not open, so he missed the shuttle bus to official practice. The zipper on his Seimei costume broke, along with many other mishaps. It was a World Championships he would probably rather not look back on. Nevertheless, he delivered an outstanding short program, scoring 110.56, just 0.39 points below the world record at the time. (he also set a world record in the short program) 2016–2017 Season The ligament injury on the top of his left foot from the previous season had not fully healed and affected him throughout the entire season (*Blue Flame II*). 2016.12, Grand Prix Final, Gold Medal He experienced gastrointestinal discomfort before the free skate. (This was revealed by someone connected to the event on Twitter; Japanese media did not report it.) 2016.12, All-Japan Championships, Withdrew He contracted influenza accompanied by pharyngitis before the competition, and his high fever would not subside, forcing him to withdraw. 2017.03, World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, Gold Medal He suffered from asthma in the two weeks leading up to the competition and had another asthma attack during official practice on the second day. His free skate score of 223.20 once again broke the world record he himself held. 2017.09, Autumn Classic International in Canada, Silver Medal His knee injury was severe. For the short program, Seimei, he temporarily lowered the planned difficulty, changing the layout from 4Lo, 3A, 4T+3T to 4S, 3A, 4T+3T. Nevertheless, he scored an impressive 112.72, breaking the world record. To this day, it remains the highest short program score under both the old and new scoring systems. 2017.11, NHK Trophy in Japan, Withdrew He had a high fever and was unable to walk in a straight line. Despite not having recovered, he took part in official practice. While practicing the 4Lz, he injured the ligaments in his right ankle upon landing (*NHK documentary*). 2018.02, PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Gold Medal The ligament injury in his right ankle had not healed. He took large amounts of painkillers to compete and became the first men's singles skater in 66 years to win back-to-back Olympic titles. 2018.11, Rostelecom Cup (Grand Prix of Russia), Gold Medal He fell while practicing the 4Lo during official practice. The ligament injury in his right ankle recurred, accompanied by an injury to the deltoid ligament and an injury to the peroneal tendons in his right ankle. He stood on the medal podium using crutches. 2019.03, World Championships in Saitama, Japan, Silver Medal Residual pain and inflammation in his ankle joint remained. He still needed two to three months of rest to recover. 2019.12, All-Japan Championships, Silver Medal Possible asthma (though there is no concrete evidence. This was the only competition in which he wore a heart-rate monitor). Due to the competition schedule, he traveled from Canada to Italy, then back to Canada, and from Canada to Japan within five weeks. Unable to adjust to the time differences and facing a graduation thesis deadline, he developed a mild loss of appetite and reached a state of physical exhaustion. 2021.03, World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, Bronze Medal He suffered a sudden asthma attack before the free skate, to the point that he was at risk of suffocation. 2021.04, World Team Trophy in Nagano, Japan, Team Bronze He experienced gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea. 2021.11, NHK Trophy in Japan, Withdrew Two weeks before the competition, he sprained his right ankle while practicing the 4A and withdrew from the event. He subsequently developed esophagitis and a fever (*All-Japan Championships interview). 2021.12, All-Japan Championships, Gold Medal He competed after taking painkillers. During official practice, he did three 4A attempts. In the actual competition, he landed the 4A on two feet, while the rest of his performance was flawless. 2022.02, Beijing Winter Olympics, 4th Place During official practice before the free skate, he sprained his right ankle while practicing the 4A. Despite the injury, he competed in the free skate. He fell on the 4A and 4S. In the second half, however, he executed two quadruple jump combinations and two triple Axels perfectly. He took seven painkillers before the exhibition gala but still insisted on performing, presenting skating fans with the beautiful and ethereal Haru yo, Koi. 2022.03, World Championships in France, Withdrew He announced his withdrawal because his foot injury had not yet healed.

2012.04.25 Source: https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNSSXKD0505_V20C12A4000000/ https://www.shikoku-np.co.jp/sports/general/20120425000473 Figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu to have a new coach: Brian Orser, who previously coached Kim Yuna. Yuzuru Hanyu (17), a rising star in men's figure skating who won a bronze medal at the World Figure Skating Championships, will be training under Canadian coach Brian Orser (50), who coached Kim Yuna (South Korea) to a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. This was announced on the 25th by Hidehito Ito, chairman of the Japan Skating Federation's figure skating committee. From now on, Hanyu will focus his activities on Toronto, Canada, where Orser has his training base. According to Chairman Ito, Hanyu made this decision because he wanted to "go abroad and raise his level," and is leaving coach Nanami Abe, who had coached him for many years in his hometown of Sendai. [Kyodo] Source: Jiji Press (https://toramomo.exblog.jp/18193844/) Yuzuru Hanyu to train under former coach of Kim Yuna It was learned on April 25th that Yuzuru Hanyu (Tohoku High School, Miyagi Prefecture), who won a bronze medal at the World Figure Skating Championships, has changed his coach to Canadian Brian Orser. He notified the Japan Skating Federation by the same day. Orser is based in Toronto and coached Kim Yuna (South Korea), the gold medalist in the women's event at the Vancouver Olympics, until August 2010. Hanyu had previously been coached by Nanami Abe. Regarding the reason for the change, he reportedly told Hidehito Ito, head of the Japan Skating Federation's figure skating department, that he wanted to "go abroad, take on challenges, and raise his level even higher." For the time being, he will train by traveling back and forth between Sendai, where his high school is located, and Toronto.　 Source: Sankei Shimbun (https://toramomo.exblog.jp/18193844/) Brian Orser, who coached Kim Yuna, to become Hanyu's coach. It was reported at the Japan Skating Federation's board meeting on the 25th that Brian Orser, a Canadian who coached Kim Yuna (South Korea), the gold medalist in women's figure skating at the Vancouver Olympics, has been appointed as the new coach of Yuzuru Hanyu (Tohoku High School, Miyagi), who won the bronze medal at the World Figure Skating Championships. According to Hidehito Ito, head of the figure skating department, Hanyu has said that he "wants to go overseas and raise his level even higher." At the board meeting that day, the athletes designated as special elite skaters for 2012 were also announced. In addition to Mao Asada (Chukyo University) and Daisuke Takahashi (Kansai University Graduate School), former world champion Miki Ando (Toyota Motor Corporation), who has taken a break this season and has indicated her intention to enter this year's Grand Prix (GP) series, was also selected. Source: Mainichi Shimbun (http://mainichi.jp/sports/news/20120426k0000m050020000c.html ; https://think58.exblog.jp/17859055) Figure Skating: Yuzuru Hanyu Changes Coaches to Brian Orser Yuzuru Hanyu (17) = Tohoku High School, Miyagi Prefecture = who won a bronze medal at the World Figure Skating Championships (March, Nice, France) will be coached by Brian Orser, the coach who trained Kim Yuna = South Korea =, the gold medalist at the Vancouver Olympics. This was announced on the 25th by Hidehito Ito, head of the figure skating department of the Japan Skating Federation. According to Director Ito, the coaching relationship with his current coach, Nanami Abe, was amicably dissolved on the 24th. Hanyu has said that the reason for the change of coach is that he "wants to go overseas, challenge himself more broadly, and raise his level even higher." As Hanyu is still in high school, he will be traveling back and forth between Toronto, Canada, where Orser is based, and Japan for the time being.

Obviously, these are just my hypotheses, but the questions might be as follows: 1 - Which of your programs is your favorite? 2 - ??? 3 - What is the most important place to you? 4 - How do you spend your free time? 5 - Who are your favorite skaters? 6 - What are your favorite programs? (Note that, many years later, he would go on to skate to the music from the first of the Plushenko programs he mentioned, as well as the music from the Weir program.) 7 - What is your favorite sport? 8 - Who are your favorite athletes? (I don’t know the other two, but Ichiro is a legend of Japanese baseball.) 9 - I have two theories here: either what he would do if he were to be born again, or what he thinks I will be doing in X years. 10 - Who are your favorite artists/what are your favorite works? (The first two are musical groups we know he loves; the other two are anime—the second of which he has mentioned on other occasions as well.) 11 - What is your favorite food? (Not gyoza?) 12 - What other sports/sporting activities do you enjoy practicing?

* machine translation, inaccuracies may exist Japanese Men's Figure Skating Fan Book Cutting Edge 2012+Plus Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4789962067 Source: https://x.com/jenif_valentine/status/1093275381497393152 https://weibo.com/1746783312/Hfz62gEgb https://weibo.com/1580373983/C6gsr4TZf 2012.07.27 Interview with Yuzuru Hanyu conducted on his third day of training at Cricket Club Regarding his move to the Cricket Club: “The talk about having a new coach came up right after the World Championships. Things were pretty hectic.” “I myself had been thinking, ‘Someday, I’d like to learn in the world outside [Japan].’ But at the same time, it all felt a little too sudden. So I really agonized over changing coaches. I worried and worried so much that I got a headache and even felt like I might collapse from anemia (laughs). “But when I took a step back and thought about it calmly, I realized that I had achieved a result at the World Championships, and now it was time to set my sights on Sochi and PyeongChang. I started to feel, ‘Maybe it’s good to change to a new environment at this point. Maybe this is the right time to go abroad.’ “So, once I had decided to go, I started to feel excited. I could really imagine the future ahead of me, thinking, ‘From now on, I’ll get to be coached by the coaches here!’ “But when I said goodbye at my club in Sendai… I cried. It wasn’t actually a farewell gathering where I announced that I was leaving the club. It was a gathering to share the news that I had placed third at the World Championships. When I was asked to say a few words, the moment I stood up, I just burst into tears in front of everyone! (laughs) I managed to say something along the lines of, ‘Thank you for watching over me all this time,’ but I don’t think I was able to give a proper speech… “My former coach, Nanami-sensei, supported me all along the way. I am truly grateful to her. Everything I learned from her will remain important to me forever. I want to keep working hard without ever forgetting those lessons. That day at the club, as I was crying, she said to me very cheerfully, ‘When you win the Olympic gold medal, come back to Sendai and show it to everyone.’” “And one more thing. What saddens me is thinking about my family back in Sendai. My mother is coming with me, but I truly wish I could have stayed with all of them—my father, my sister, my whole family. I wish we could all go to Canada together!” That's why, because I'm going to go through so much and make sacrifices, I have to live up to expectations. I have to work even harder and produce results. I think that's the best way to repay them. And from now on, no matter what happens in Canada, I want to make sure I never forget my original intentions. My fundamental motivation is simply my love for skating. And above that is a feeling of gratitude. I have to make sure those two pillars never waver! I'm especially grateful to... Mami Yamada, who was my first instructor. And Shoichiro Tsuzuki, whom Mami-sensei carefully asked to take over from her, and who was strict with me. When the Sendai skating rink (Izumi Skating Rink) closed, Tsuzuki-sensei worked tirelessly to secure a practice space for me. Next, when the rink closed, I learned from the instructor at Katsuyama (Katsuyama Skating Rink). And then, Nanami-sensei. There is a path that everyone has paved for me to get this far. I will make sure that path is solid and secure in Canada. I will continue to move forward without ever straying from it. I believe that walking the path that everyone has paved for me will also be a way of expressing my gratitude. I want to firmly pursue the dream that we all believed in, and reach the ultimate goal, with all the help and support I have received up until now. Pic context: In May 2012, Yuzuru had just arrived at the TCC for training. The main rink was under construction, so Orser would take him to other rinks for training. https://weibo.com/6177279020/O9JBqbjnc https://weibo.com/6177279020/LsJ2g2i26 Yuzuru Hanyu arrived in Toronto on May 7th, 2012 to start his training at TCC.

The depiction of a calm woodland walk looks appealing. A balm for the soul.

Personal Questions Corner (not sure what the questions are, below are Yuzuru's answers) Q1 “Sing Sing Sing” (the SP version) Q2 “M:1·2” Q3 Basically, I prefer singles (laughs). It seems like it would be difficult to be considerate of a partner… Q4 My home rink, Ice Rink Sendai (formerly Konami Sports Club Izumi). Q5 Music-related things. J-pop, iTunes gift cards, earphones, etc. Q6 Evgeni Plushenko, Johnny Weir. Q7 Yagudin’s "Winter" & "Gladiator" Plushenko’s "Nijinsky" & "Once Upon a Time in America" Johnny Weir’s "To Autumn" Q8 Baseball. Q9 Teppei, Ichiro, and Ryo Ishikawa. Q10 I’m not sure, but I think I’d still be skating. Q11 BUMP OF CHICKEN, Porno Graffitti, Summer Wars, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Q12 Figure skates. Q13 Tonkatsu (pork cutlet), steak, and sushi (especially salmon). Q14 Playing catch, hitting at a batting cage

PERSONAL QUESTIONS “Three things for each question!” "Personal Questions" is a popular segment in Cutting Edge. This year, we asked the skaters to provide three things that immediately come to mind for each question! Q1. Treasured possessions Q2. Something you want right now Q3. Heroes or idols Q4. Someone of the opposite sex you currently like (in any sense of the word!) Q5. Songs you often sing at karaoke / your favorite songs Q6. Favorite musicians Q7. Things you often buy at convenience stores Q8. Favorite alcoholic (or non-alcoholic) drinks Q9. Dishes you’re good at cooking Q10. Dishes that remind you of your mother’s cooking Q11. Favorite competitions Yuzuru Hanyu: Q1. Treasured possessions Skates Ice rink Family Q2. Something you want right now A medal (laughs) Earphones iTunes card Q3. Heroes or idols Plushenko Shuzo Matsuoka Johnny Q4. Someone of the opposite sex you currently like (in any sense of the word!) - No answer Q5. Songs you often sing at karaoke / your favorite songs “Yume no Mukou e” (夢の向こうへ) — Hi-Fi CAMP “super nova” — BUMP OF CHICKEN “Zero” (ゼロ) — BUMP OF CHICKEN Q6. Favorite musicians BUMP OF CHICKEN Hi-Fi CAMP Porno Graffitti Q7. Things you often buy at convenience stores Carbonated drinks Bento (boxed meals) Oden (Japanese hot-pot dish) Q8. Favorite alcoholic (or non-alcoholic) drinks Pepsi Nex Ginger ale Milk Q9. Dishes you’re good at cooking - Oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl) — “I might be able to make that (laughs)" Q10. The taste of home Hot-pot dishes (nabe) Onishime (simmered root vegetables) Gyoza Q11. Favorite competitions NHK Trophy Four Continents Championships Junior Grand Prix Final (the one held in Tokyo!)

If there is a Hanew Experience for the big one, there has to be an Ubutan Experience for the little one. 🤩

I'm not sure actually. Should have gone to check it out while I was at Ice Rink Sendai last year 😂 It's still being listed on the Fun-te mall website though: https://www.fun-te.com/

Is their shop still open?

Machine-translation. Inaccuracies exist* 2014.02.08 Source: Kahoku Shimpo ~The Sharpening Skill That Supports an Ace~ Figure skater Hanyu Yuzuru and Yoshida, a craftsman from Sendai - Meticulous adjustments to skate blades, down to the millimeter On February 6 (February 7, Japan time), during the figure skating team event, which made its debut at the Sochi Olympics, Yuzuru Hanyu (19; representing ANA, a graduate of Tohoku High School in Miyagi, and currently at Waseda University), delivered a flawless short program, giving Japan a strong start. Supporting this ace from the ground up is Toshinobu Yoshida, 41, who runs a skating equipment shop in Izumi Ward, Sendai, Hanyu’s hometown, and specializes in sharpening skate blades. Having watched Hanyu develop since his junior high school days, Yoshida has helped propel him onto the world stage through skills he acquired through self-study. Yoshida opened his shop about six years ago. He had previously worked for an electrical and telecommunications company, but decided to help his wife (41), a figure skating coach, by sharpening the skates of her students. Hanyu was one of her students. Figure skating boots have a curved groove along the bottom of the blade (edge), which comes into contact with the ice. Skaters glide by alternating between the blade’s outer and inner edges. According to Yoshida, there are only a handful of specialists in Japan who maintain blades according to each skater’s habits and preferences. As a result, coaches often do the sharpening themselves. Yoshida studied specialized books in English and honed his skills by sharpening rental skates at the rink, practicing on every single pair available. His expertise is now so highly regarded that he receives requests from all over the country. Skates are the only piece of equipment a figure skater uses. Hanyu is exceptionally meticulous about his, often making numerous specific requests. As Yoshida explains, “That just shows how deeply committed he is to skating.” Yoshida dedicates one of his sharpening machines exclusively to Hanyu and accommodates his requests down to the millimeter. However, concerned about the risk of injury, he has sometimes made adjustments on his own initiative. Shortly before Hanyu became the world junior champion in 2010, there was a period when Hanyu repeatedly asked Yoshida to “make the groove deeper so I can jump more easily.” Concerned that a deeper groove would put too much strain on Hanyu’s knees and feet, Yoshida secretly made it a little shallower each time he sharpened the blades. When Hanyu eventually discovered what he had done, he thanked Yoshida, saying, “You managed it well.” Even after moving his training base to Canada in the spring of 2012, Hanyu continued to have Yoshida sharpen his skates, either bringing them with him when he returned to Japan or sending them by parcel. “When I had a craftsman in Canada sharpen them, I found I couldn’t jump at all. That really made me realize just how well Yoshida had been able to adjust them to my exact preferences,” he said. Hanyu entered the team event determined to compete “with the pride of representing Japan.” Yoshida offered words of encouragement: “If Yuzu just performs the way he knows he can, the results will follow.”

Machine-translation. Inaccuracies exist* 2014.02.24 Source: Kyoto Shimbun (https://ameblo.jp/clover-waraukadonifuku/entry-11784746700.html) A Song of Revival: Filled with Gratitude to His Mentor - Yuzuru Hanyu Yuzuru Hanyu, a Sendai native who won Japan’s first gold medal in men's figure skating, delivered an emotionally moving performance in the exhibition, skating to Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece Swan Lake. The piece held special meaning for him, as it was the music he skated to when he first returned to the ice after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The person who choreographed this program during the 2010–2011 season, when Hanyu made his senior debut, was Nanami Abe. He cited his encounter with Abe, his former coach whom he regarded as a benefactor to whom he owed a debt of gratitude, as a turning point in his skating career. However, he added this somewhat hesitantly, saying, “I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to say this.” After training under Abe for more than five years, beginning in his novice days, he had risen to the ranks of elite skaters. Yet, two years earlier, he had abruptly parted ways with her. In April 2012, it was announced that Canadian coach Brian Orser, who had guided South Korea’s Yuna Kim to gold at the previous Winter Olympics in Vancouver, would become Hanyu’s new coach. The change came just one month after Hanyu won bronze at the World Championships on his first appearance at the event, with Abe as his coach. Abe was shocked by the decision, while Orser himself later recalled, “He had a good relationship with his previous coach, so I was surprised by the offer.” Hanyu wanted to “improve his level” and “change” by moving to Canada, where both the language and the living environment were different. In Sendai, he had struggled to secure enough training time on the ice, and his rivals were not nearby. Leaving his disaster-stricken hometown and moving on from the mentor who had nurtured him was an incredibly painful decision. His personal motto is “Never forget your original intentions.” These were the words Abe had said to him when he first succeeded in landing a triple Axel (a three-and-a-half-revolution jump). She had also laid the foundation for his signature weapon, the quadruple jump. Hanyu said, “I am truly grateful to her.” Toshinobu Yoshida, Abe’s husband, said, “Yuzu [Hanyu] is one of her most cherished pupils. She watched his gold-medal-winning performance on television and was moved to tears of joy.”

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist Source: https://sendai.keizai.biz/headline/262/ Figure Skating Specialty Shop Opens in Izumi, Sendai - opened by a former professional skater and her husband. On July 3, the specialty store for figure skating goods “NICE” (Ichinazaka Ishidome, Izumi-ku, Sendai City; TEL: 022-352-6714) opened in Izumi-ku, Sendai City. The owner of the store is Nanami Abe, a figure skater who works as an instructor and coach. She performed in "Disney on Ice" for seven years, beginning in 1995, and was active around the world. She currently also choreographs for Shizuka Arakawa. The idea for opening the store came from a simple question posed by Abe’s husband, Toshinobu Yoshida: “Where do skaters in Sendai buy their equipment?” There were no specialty stores for skating equipment in Sendai, let alone elsewhere in the Tohoku region. The only options were to buy equipment while traveling to competitions or to obtain it through mail order. Abe therefore thought, “I want to create a store where people can try things on and purchase them while handling the products.” She opened the store at its current location, near Ice Rink Sendai (Takatama-cho, Izumi-ku). The store occupies an area of four tsubo (approximately 13.2 square meters). The products available include skating boots, blades, over-the-boot tights, and original costumes. The store carries boots from established manufacturers such as Jackson and Harlick. Prices start at ¥13,500 for beginner boots (including blades), ¥37,300 for intermediate boots, and ¥70,000 for advanced boots. Custom-made boots are also available. For blades, the store stocks brands such as Paramount, John Wilson, and MK, which are highly regarded by instructors. Costumes can be custom-made, with customers able to choose the colors, materials, decorations, and other details. Prices start at ¥5,800. A workshop is also attached to the store, reflecting Abe’s desire to support skating equipment as much as possible, since “there are no shops in Japan that specialize in repairs and maintenance.” Her husband, Yoshida, handles blade sharpening, skate maintenance, repairs, and other services. The store attracts elementary and junior high school students aspiring to become professional skaters, as well as housewives who skate as a hobby. Abe says, “Japan has a deep pool of figure skating talent, but there are still very few male skaters. I hope to use the store as a platform to spread awareness of figure skating to many people and, by working together with coaches, support the entire skating culture.” Opening hours are 12:00 to 20:00 (10:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays and Sundays). Closed on Wednesdays.