Geo1

Yuzu was smiling here, but he was not happy. The score of 95.37 may have been his personal best, but it was only 0.05 higher than his previous record breaking score of 95.32 at 2012 NHK Trophy. He was thinking "What do I have to do to get a much higher score for this short program?" The answer would come at 2013 GPF in Fukuoka when he set a new world record with a score of 99.84.

I know that Phil Hersh is a two-faced a**hole, but I have always liked Ted Barton. He has always had nothing but praise for Yuzu as being everything that figure skating should be and is. He was the main commentator for 2018 ACI. Here is the short program. Here is the free skate. Ted never starts talking until after the performances over. He called Yuzu the "best male figure skater ever" and that it was "an honour to be in the same building with him." Here is Ted Barton commentating during Yuzu's short program practice at 2019 SCI. "When you see something like this... You're seeing something not yet done, at this level."

Ghislain was interviewed via Zoom with the use of an interpreter provided by Figure Skating Life magazine. I hope that the interpreter translated the questions and Ghislain’s responses accurately.

As I said, almost everyone has to have the watchband adjusted because watches are made so that they will fit the largest wrists. Therefore, it is normal to have the watchband adjusted by having links removed. Any jeweler or watch store will be able to adjust it for you. It does not need to be a Citizen store. All watchbands are basically the same. The cost in Vancouver, Canada, to adjust the watchband is anywhere between $10 and $25 Canadian funds. It only takes a few minutes. It will not affect the value of your watch. Just remember to ask for the links that are taken out so that they are available to you in case you want to give it or sell it to someone with a bigger wrist later on. Jewelers and watch shops will automatically put them into little plastic bags to return to you, but sometimes they forget so remind them.

I have been collecting and gifting Citizen Eco-Drive watches since August 2019 when Yuzu became the face of Citizen China. My wife who has a very slim wrist prefers oversized men’s watches and she has a number of them. She likes to wear her watches a bit loose, but every one of them can be adjusted to fit her wrist snugly if she wanted to by removing the links from the metal watchband. I do not know what kind of watchband the Origin watch has, but if it is a metal watchband, you should be able to have it adjusted to your wrist size by taking it to a jeweler or watch repair store and having links removed. Just remember to keep the links that are removed so that they are available in case someone with a bigger wrist wants to wear it in the future. Most watches have only one or two small adjustments in the actual clasp. Almost everyone needs to have the watchband adjusted by removing links from the band itself. I don’t know whether this has been of any help.

This is the article referred to. https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.322U4LD

This makes me sick. Hashimoto hates Yuzu and has been trying to undercut and diminish him since at least 2012.

I have always had some reservation about Javi. A lot of his comments seemed inconsistent depending upon the media and circumstances. As others have mentioned, he would say on one occasion that aside from training together, he and Yuzu were not friends, and on another he would say that they were best of friends, when it was to his advantage to say so. Still, this is very disappointing and reprehensible after everything they have been through together and the support and friendship genuinely shown to him by Yuzu. They say that there is honour among thieves, but obviously none among elite skaters, with the exception of Yuzu, who only has good things to say about others.

New York Times February 18, 2022 The Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu is stealing hearts without winning https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/17/sports/olympics-medals-winter#the-japanese-figure-skater-yuzuru-hanyu-is-stealing-hearts-in-china-without-winning Scroll down to “Here’s what you need to know:” and click on “The Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu is stealing hearts without winning.” This post has been tagged by yuzuangel as [NEWS].

"China Absolutely Loves Japanese Figure Skater Yuzuru Hanyu" "In addition to Yuzuru Hanyu's undeniable talent, his handsome appearance and modest personality have also enthralled Chinese audiences" https://radiichina.com/yuzuru-hanyu-winter-olympics/

The South China Morning Post, Lifestyle/Fashion & Beauty section had the following article: "Beijing 2022: the 8 best-dressed athletes at the Winter Olympics, from Japan's 'Ice Prince' Yuzuru Hanyu to snowboarding legend Shaun White of the US" https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3167550/beijing-2022-8-best-dressed-athletes-winter-olympics

Yuzu really is loved in China, isn’t he? Nathan Chen? Not so much. Most of you probably know that Nathan has been criticized for being a “traitor” in China, but I had to laugh at (and agree with) the comparisons of his performances at the Olympics to those of Yuzu. https://www.news18.com/news/sports/figure-skater-nathan-chen-faces-backlash-in-china-for-representing-us-at-winter-olympics-4785743.html "According to the South China Morning Post, Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu enjoys massive support in China and was praised for his performance on social media. Meanwhile, the users came down heavily on Nathan and took digs at his performance at the winter games. "Despite winning his first Olympic gold in the individual figure skating, Nathan's performance was called 'acrobatics of a circus monkey' by one user. Whereas, another user compared his skills to that of Yuzuru and wrote that Yuzuru had 'both beauty and power, that is ballet on ice.' He targeted Nathan and said that his performance was 'Like that of an ape.'"

I am hoping that the reason is twofold and neither has anything to do with farewell. First, he is reminding everyone that there is only one GOAT and that he is incomparable. Second, he has been saying that he feels like crying when he thinks about how much longer he will be able to lay his eyes on scenes like this, referring to competition venues. I think that he is enjoying himself to the max despite his pain because he does not know whether he will see Olympic ice again. I think that he needs time to sort things out in the peace and quiet of his home. I don’t think that he’s ready to give up competitive skating because, as he told Scott Russell, “I was born for my skate.” He did not rule out another run at the Olympics and that tells you something. He just needs to take some time to properly rest his right ankle. I do not think that it will ever completely heal, but he needs to rest it so that it is not being continually activated. I agree with @Mary_kyo that at 27 years of age, when other skaters are faltering, Yuzu is getting better, stronger and improving technically and artistically.

It was at 2012 Finlandia Trophy. We have all seen it before, but it’s worth seeing again.

Yuzu said smiling/laughing, “That was enjoyable… It’s a little painful… But let me enjoy this a little more…”

Yuzu’s fans from all over the world, especially Japan and China, would welcome the opportunity to see him skate no matter where it takes place. For example, at 2019 Skate Canada International in Kelowna, British Columbia, the venue, Prospera Place, was packed to full capacity and I would wager that most of the spectators were international fans or fans from places outside British Columbia. All of the hotels and guest accommodations of the city were full. It was reportedly the busiest weekend experienced by Kelowna International Airport. Hanyuconomy brought in millions of dollars to the city. No other skater can do this. I would go so far so say that no other athlete can single-handedly do this. Yuzu’s fan appeal is absolutely phenomenal.

About Shoma and Yuma. I think their behavior simply revealed their true personalities and lack of character. Shameful after all the kindness and encouragement shown to them, particularly Shoma, by Yuzu.

One of my home support workers is an attractive 40 something-year-old Chinese lady and she is not and never has been a figure skating fan. I have known her for a number of years and I have told her about Yuzuru Hanyu before, but she did not show any particular interest then. Since the Beijing Olympics, however, I was surprised to see that she has been totally enthusiastic and bubbly about Yuzu. “He’s so beautiful, slim, elegant and talented! He is so popular in China!” Even after he finished fourth, she said, “That doesn’t matter, he is still the best and most loved. He is getting even more support and love now from his Chinese fans!” Like a lot of us, she is not a figure skating fan, but now a huge Yuzuru Hanyu fan.

There is absolutely nothing that Yuzu could have done to be treated differently by the JSF. He was considered an outlier from the very beginning because he is from and trained in rural Sendai and not in one of the powerhouse figure skating centers. When he won his first national championship in 2012 by beating Daisuke Takahashi who was at the height of his popularity, Yuzu was saddened by the negative reaction of a lot of the audience. Daisuke Takahashi went to university in Osaka in 2004 and an ice rink was built for him and other elite skaters. Shoma Uno was born in and trains in Nagoya. Yuma Kagiyama’s father is a former Olympian and they train in Yokohama. The JSF was just waiting for someone from the mainstream of Japanese figure skating power to come along to replace Yuzu. The JSF only used or uses Yuzu when it suits its purposes. I have already posted about the former president of the JSF, Seiko Hashimoto, and how much she hated Yuzu for supplanting Daisuke Takahashi. As much as she dislikes Yuzu, she never fails to take advantage of an opportunity to use him whenever she feels that it is to her benefit. For example, when Yuzu was presented with The People’s Honour Award, she planted herself in a chair immediately to the right of Yuzu as if to say that she had something to do with him receiving the honour. Her presence was redundant and then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not even acknowledge her.

Absolutely beautiful! But the judges weren’t even bothering to look. They were already busy doing their number crunching.

I have previously posted a video of the song, “The Impossible Dream”, but perhaps it would be better to post the lyrics of the song which eloquently describes Yuzu’s pure pursuit of his complete self in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity. To dream the impossible dream To fight the unbeatable foe To bear with unbearable sorrow And to run where the brave dare not go To right the unrightable wrong And to love pure and chaste from afar To try when your arms are too weary To reach the unreachable star This is my quest To follow that star Oh, no matter how hopeless No matter how far To fight for the right Without question or pause To be willing to march, march into hell For that heavenly cause And I know If I'll only be true To this glorious quest That my heart Will lie peaceful and calm When I'm laid to my rest And the world will be better for this Oh, that one man, scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach the unreachable, the unreachable The unreachable star Yeah, and I'll always dream The impossible dream Yes, and I'll reach The unreachable star

Has this been posted? Japanese "Ice Prince" misses podium but wins hearts http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/20220212/babb3689b91f43dbba24fb841278dbdb/c.html "China's Twitter-like social platform Weibo was buzzing with comments on Hanyu, as topics with the hashtag #yuzuruhanyu generated 5.6 billion views by Friday afternoon and enamored fans expressed their love and encouragement." This post has been tagged by yuzuangel as [NEWS].

That is the first thing I noticed as well. What’s the point of wearing a mask when everything is escaping out past his chin!

I believe that it stems from the fact that the powers that be in the Japanese Skating Federation have always been centered in Nagoya and Osaka and Yuzu is seen as an outlier because he is from Sendai in the rural North. Unfortunately for the JSF, the only two Japanese Olympic gold medalists are from Sendai – Yuzu and Shizuka. It has not helped that Keiko Hashimoto, current member of the Japanese government's House of Councillors, recently the President of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and former President of the Japan Skating Federation, was enamored with Daisuke Takahashi and hated/hates Yuzu for supplanting him in 2012. In August, 2014, Hashimoto, a married woman with children, became embroiled in accusations of sexual harassment of Daisuke. Several photographs showed Hashimoto and Takahashi dancing at a party following the closing of the Sochi Winter Olympics. It was alleged that Hashimoto had kissed Takahashi several times despite the latter's obvious attempts to resist. Hashimoto denied the allegations and, as expected, Takahashi's management team agreed that he had not been harassed.

This is where satellites have been chatting regarding Yuzu until the SP starts.