micaelis

I like that one but I like the one from Phantom even better. Particularly at the 2014 GPF he entered into it with a sustained note from the orchestra and right after he'd taken a tumble while attempting a triple lutz. What it did for those watching it was let everyone know that the fall had not derailed him. The timing was perfect and he finished the skate triumphantly with a near free skate record and a win of the GPF (remember, this was the season of the collision) by more than 30 points. Yuzu salvaged the season with that skate and the Ina Bauer could not have been better placed to make the point. I like that one but I like the one from Phantom even better. Particularly at the 2014 GPF he entered into it with a sustained note from the orchestra and right after he'd taken a tumble while attempting a triple lutz. What it did for those watching it was let everyone know that the fall had not derailed him. The timing was perfect and he finished the skate triumphantly with a near free skate record and a win of the GPF (remember, this was the season of the collision) by more than 30 points. Yuzu salvaged the season with that skate and the Ina Bauer could not have been better placed to make the point.

It's a good thing he's a figure skater and not a speed skater. They'd be having to give some of the old medals back.

Am I reading too much into it? It seems to me that Yuzu now and in the past has been shepherding Shoma when it comes to public ceremonies or media conferences. While I know no Japanese and so can't go on what is being said, watching Shoma's body language makes me feel that he is quite shy and only on the ice does he open up and that's during his performances. I remember an early incident when in a photo-op Yuzu reached behind Shoma and pinched Shoma's cheek to make him smile. And then there's the now infamous scene of the World Champion on hands and knees and so out of sight, crawling behind the World Silver Medalist in order not to distract the reporters who should be concentrating on Shoma. A number of other incidents over the years have me thinking that Yuzu has taken pains to help Shoma deal with highly 'public' occasions. Yuzu, of course, is now an old hand with dealing with the media, but even in his early days he handled things skillfully, particularly when Japanese was the operative language. I think, in fact, he's quite a bit more outgoing and certainly willing to express emotion (jumping up and down when winning, crying when REALLY winning). I think Yuzu feels a bit protective towards Shoma, acting like an older brother. Of course, I could be imagining all this.

I don't know if anybody has already put this documentary on the planet yet, but this is a documentary everybody should see. It's 45 minutes long and subtitled in English. It's dated for January this year so it ends on a note of hope after Yuzu's gotten back on the ice following the 'fall seen 'round the world'. Enjoy!

This might be off-topic for this thread but it needs to be said - Nathan is not the only master of the quads around. Nathan's got a major threat up and coming, that thirteen year old Brian's training who, according to Brian, does all the quads currently being done. If the kid is doing quads now I can see him doing quints somewhere down the road (after the authorities set a base value for them).

Like everyone else here I've been speculating privately about what's next for Yuzu. The remark here about wanting to get a fifth GPF win (which nobody has done) is perceptive. Another remark I read earlier brings up the fact that 4CC remains as the only competition of the four major competition he doesn't have gold in. Plus I have a feeling he'd like to put another Japanese championship under his belt. In thinking about it I am wondering if he might use next season to tie up a lot of loose ends. Ideally he should come out of next season as GPF champion, Japanese champion 4CC champion and World Champion. Add that to current Olympic champion and he could end that season holding every major gold available. It wouldn't hurt if he actually went through the season undefeated, with gold in both of the GP series events and a gold in whatever Challenger competition he skates in. If he retires from a season like that there would be almost no one who could deny him, at least for this point in history, as the Greatest of All Time.

Being American I have only congratulations for Nathan. He managed to redeem himself. But also, considering Nathan's FS score, I think Yuzu dodged a bullet here. Had Nathan not had that utterly disastrous SP he would be the one with the gold. So I must also congratulate Nathan for that lamentable SP. He cooperated with the skating gods and sacrificed himself for the good of Yuzu's gold.

I disagree - it would have been 28827364646 headlines.

This usually works for me when I have my allotted number of views at some site - turn off your Java script. Sometimes moving to a different browser also works. That's one of the reasons I have five different browsers at hand.

I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a parade in Tokyo.

GOAT - We knew it all along.

Yes, there are many quads but one of the quadsters is out of it. Nathan Chen had what can only be described as a 'meltdown'. He's in 17th place and I wonder how the American media are trying to explain what has happened to their vaunted champion. Nathan is clearly going nowhere. That leaves just Boyang as the remaining quadster. He is a legitimate threat, as are Shoma and Javi But I don't think Yuzu is worried. I think he's at a state of mind where he truly trusts his training and trusts his program. He's in total synch with them. I think right now he's in the state of mind that he was in back at the 2015 GPF. He's not competing. He's performing and the the perfection of the performance is all that matters. Whether he wins or not is inconsequential. Whether he sets a record or not is equally inconsequential. Whether he can skate better than clean and have a performance he will remember to his dying day, that's what matters.

Not a world record but very close. We can relax now. Yuzu is back!

I'd like to know the TV ratings in Japan for the upcoming SP. I don't think it will be a case of everybody's watching but I do think it will be a significant percentage. If they have sports bars in Japan you can be sure the TVs there will be on the men's competition. I'm still undecided over whether I will actually watch the live event tonight (Nebraska time). I've had too many times in the past where my watching an event has resulted in a negative result for the party I was cheering for. So I'll watch those who precede and follow Yuzu but do something else for the three minutes he's in the spotlight. It was the same situation I faced two years ago when the Chicago Cubs (I'm a fifth generation Chicagoan both of whose parents grew up on the North Side, meaning by default I was a Cubs fan), I didn't want to jeopardize their chances. In some ways I have to do what Yuzu is doing - I'll have to trust his training and trust his program. If I feel fully confident that he's doing the same, then I think I'll watch.

If they are carefully scripted wouldn't surprise me. I think Brian has been orchestrating everything from leaving Toronto to arriving at Seoul and the PC all with the media he knew would be there. I think he was aware, probably more so than Yuzu, that PC was going to be a media circus for the ages, at least when athletes are concerned. Protecting Yuzu from any negative effects of dealing with the media was his first concern. As far as practicing goes, I'm convinced that Yuzu had all the necessary practicing done before leaving Toronto. The sessions in PC have largely been concerned with getting him used to the setting and satisfying the media and fans that would be there. What I'm wondering about is how the other skaters out there on the ice with Yuzu are thinking. I'm assuming that those with him on the ice will be the ones who will be skating in his particular group once it's showtime. At least they don't have to worry if they make any mistakes while practicing since almost all eyes will be on Yuzu even when he's not skating. I'm thinking right now Brian's major concern is that Yuzu, seeing all the media and fans, becomes neither overconfident nor overstressed. For Brian the message he wants Yuzu to carry with him onto the ice when it's his turn to show the world who and what he is - Trust your training! Trust your program!

King of Figure Skating and Prince of Figure Skating are not opinions. They're facts (I mean this seriously). Do any of the skaters, not just men, but ladies, pairs, and dancers, indeed any other athlete at these games have the press coverage that Yuzu has? Just look at all those reporters and photographers to cover his practice and press conference, that is testimony to the fact that in my memory the only other individual in Olympic sports to generate interest like this was Michael Phelps. Yuzu is not just a skater. He's a phenomenon. He's one of those rare athletes who achieves rock star status, one of those who redefines the sport, an athlete like Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzke. Need proof? Just try counting the Poohs on the ice this coming weekend after Yuzu's skates.

With so much of this clip of Hanyu twirling around in the air, if I were a skater slated to compete against him later this week I might think about withdrawing. It's quite apparent that the legendary Yuzuru Hanyu has got his pilot's license back and is taking to the skies in a big way. Yuzu is back in business.

Amen!!!

They probably don't but they will hear from others through the grapevine what was said to all the media gathered there. Also, it would not be illogical to consider that while the judges might not normally watch press conferences, a formal press conference being held by a legendary skater returning after several months of forced inaction might be one they'll take the time to watch, either live or pulling it up off the net. Remember, these judges are part of the figure-skating scene and are concerned about its well-being. Yuzu is one of the finest advertisements for figure skating the sport has seen. His humility and equanimity really help bring respect to the sport and also help raise its public profile. I think also many of these judges, even though they will do their utmost to judge him evenhandedly in competition, have a personal interest in him. Judges are human, after all, and like any human they are drawn to admire certain other humans. Figure skating has rarely had an individual so qualified to be an object of admiration than Yuzuru Hanyu.

So, am I seeing things or is Pooh making it into the place as a white-cloaked Ninja-Pooh?

Brian is indeed following a well-worn practice of keeping information minimal and the little that he allows to get out is intended to keep the opposition confused and questioning. Yuzu is almost without a doubt the athlete with the highest general public profile in these games, partly because there is the question as to whether he 's the GOAT (a SOLID win here would almost guarantee a consensus that he is and athletics are always fascinated by a competition from which a true GOAT emerges) and partly because the depth of the men's FS field here is so great. Also, the question of the quads or should I say the controversy of the quads? It's a situation where the battle lines are being drawn between those who see figure skating in athletic terms and those who see it in aesthetic. If one were to set up a spectrum with Nathan and Boyang as the jumpers on one end and Patrick as the glider on the other hand, Yuzu is right in the middle, is the truly complete skater. So in a sense the men's competition is a referendum on which attitude should prevail. I don't think the question will be settled in these next few days but whoever wins the gold will certainly tilt the consensus one way or the other (or right down the middle should (when) Yuzu win. There is one other factor involved with Brian's evasiveness - I think he's truly enjoying keeping the media dancing around him. Just look at his smile when he's answering reporters' questions. He's playing games with them and having one helluva good time doing so.

I read somewhere that there is a practice rink on a level below the competition rink. The arena in Helsinki had a similar arrangement.

Concerning Yuzu's very brief practice session? I seriously think he was simply testing the ice there, since there's been a bit of controversy over its condition. He wanted to see how it might affect his skating, thus the 3A, which is probably for him one of his safest jumps. It helped him to gauge what kind of adjustments he needs to make when it comes time to start racking up the points. Serious practice I think will not take place until he's gotten the jet lag behind him. If he's too tired he might injure himself so he needs to be well-rested before any serious practicing gets underway.

Actually, I think JOC accidentally confused Shoma's measurements for Yuzu's (apologies to Shoma, who would not be nearly as cute were he any taller).

So Yuzu has arrived. The scenario - He came, he skated, he conquered (thank you Julius Caesar)