General Yuzuru Chat

[CupidsBow]

Yuzuru has a lot of fans that are young and active on Twitter, because it's a niche interest so online communities are the only place you can really discuss the sport, plus we've got motivation because FS is a sport that is often overlooked. The difficulty of the sport is under-estimated. Our stars are under-valued. We have that push to make our voices heard.

 

Also, I don't think it's unfair to compare Yuzuru's fandom with Kpop, particularly in this case. Kpop fandoms have to be really internet savvy and frequently utilise highly organised mass streaming events or voting campaigns. That's why a Kpop group can get a million more votes than Justin Beiber for an MTV choice award or something. A lot of western music fans just don't have the same degree of online presence OR just don't have that use of the internet drilled into them, since KPOP fans do this basically daily for 3-4 weeks during a promotional period to try to get their faves a win on the music shows. A fair number of Yuzuru's fans, newer fans at least, have that kind of fandom background. I'm sure a decent chunk of his Japanese and Chinese fans are used to this kind of behaviour tbh. And even if not, that is kinda what we are doing - kinda organising for fans to go and just be loud about wanting Yuzuru to win even if it doesn't work out to be a real voting situation.

[rockstaryuzu]

6 hours ago, caterpillar said:

I also think it has to do with figure skating being a much smaller sport. Bigger, more accessible sports are easy to be causually interested in, but figure skating is obscure enough that to actually get into the sport in the first place you have to be quite dedicated. It is also easy to find fellow football or tennis fans in your everyday life, but with a niche sport like figure skating you are quite likely to be alone in your interest, and subsequently many people find fellow fans online instead, which gives the sport an active online "presence" despite its limited popularity. 

I think you hit the nail on the head with this paragraph. Yuzuru is the first athlete, and Figure Skating is the first sport, I've followed online, but I've been a part of other online fandoms ( I was a Bronzer during it's heyday, if anyone here is familiar with Buffy The Vampire Slayer fandom, and I follow anime and manga sites that are rife with otaku), and well, Yuzu fandom is like that. It's a special thing people have to seek out on their own if they're interested. I mean, anyone can follow Real Madrid or the Toronto Maple Leafs (although why would you?,  in the case of the Leafs) just by popping down to the local pub or flicking on the TV, but if you want to see Yuzuru you have to work for it. 

 

Thus people have a sense of pride and, dare I say, responsibility, towards being a fan that leads to them being more active and vocal in their online support of him. 

 

That being said, I hope McMorris is also getting his share of support. Not to diminish Yuzu's achievement, but McMorris crashed into a tree at full speed and nearly ended up dead. To go from that to the Olympic podium only ten months later, when the fact he's even walking is some kind of miracle, is just, like, whoa!, dude. I'm awestruck. 

 

 

 

[rockstaryuzu]

Also, as regards Yuzu's popularity, my writing group's editor summed it up this way when I showed her his videos:

 

"Oh, he's adorable!"

 

[caterpillar]

5 hours ago, micaelis said:

Fundamentally I agree with you but I think you haven't taken your comparison of figure-skating with other activities.  You err, I think, in comparing figure skating to certain types of popular musicians.  There is some legitimacy in your statement but if I were making the case, I'd say that figure skating more closely resembles ballet, particularly in the sense that ballet, like figure skating, has a vocabulary of standard moves.  What many people don't know is that there are ballet competitions and the approach of the judges in those is very much like the approach figure skating judges do.  In ballet competitions it is very much a mix of athletics and aesthetics and make no mistake about it, a trained ballet dancer, male or female, is a trained athlete.  Ballet competitions, though, have even less of a following than figure skating has.  But the principles in both are the same.  The one difference is that ballet in performance is much more widespread than the figure-skating version - ice shows.  Moreover by and large ballet dancers at the top of the pecking order generally occupy a social position appreciably higher than an elite figure skater, part of this being that particularly with the well-established ballet companies there are direct links between the elite dancers and the public, particularly those wealthy donors who keep many companies financially afloat.

 

Oh, I very much agree with you that figure skating is a lot more similar to ballet! A friend of mine in middle school did ballet, so I know how incredibly difficult and athletically demanding it is, as well as beautiful. I have never actually heard of a ballet competition, but it makes sense that they would be judged similarly to figure skating to encapulate all aspects of the sport. An even more obvious similarity to me is that several figure skating movement are clearly borrowed/inspired from ballet, even in name (arabesque and attitude spin comes to mind). In swedish, the vocabulary is even more similar (for example, it uses “pirouette” instead of “spin”). And there are a lot more similarities that don’t share the same name, even in the basic steps and positions, just as most modern dance often gets some of its basic movements from ballet. I think it’s clear that figure skating owes a lot of its fundamentals to ballet (though I don’t know enough about figure skating history to be sure), in a way it doesn’t to any other art form. 

 

But what I was trying to contrast was sports fandom and “arts fandom”, and what I have seen of the ballet fan-culture doesn’t appear very similar to that of figure skating (though this might admittedly have something to do with the fact that I haven’t noticed a ballet fandom online). My experience is limited by the fact that most musicians I really love died at least a hundred years ago, but it seems to me that some aspects of figure skating fandom, such as the focus on appearance in many different ways, and maybe also the way people tend to develop personal emotional connections to their favorite figure skaters (and I am definitely guilty of this as well), resemble fans of musicians and groups more than other sport fandoms. Other aspects, reasonably, puts us closer to sport fans.

 

And this is what I was getting at, really, that the “art” aspect of figure skating might be part of what makes the fandom different. This art aspect is much more similar to ballet and dance that anything else, but I haven’t seen much similarities between ballet and figure skating when it comes to fan base (probably for the reasons you mentioned), so it wasn’t ideal for exemplifying this particular aspect. 

 

 

(This is getting quite off-topic, but I thought you had a really good, interesting point so I wanted to clarify what I meant. I am not at all sure that this is a correct hypothesis, but it is interesting to think about )

[4Nessie]

Regarding the fandom, there are two things that help, imo:

The sport aspect full of adrenaline and surprises. You never know who is going to win because the ice is slippery...

The other thing is art and music. It is beautiful to watch and the music covers basicaly all styles you could like. And I can't imagine people making golf videos with Titanium or Coldplay songs. 

 

And which other sport has several pages long discussions about "chest or belly hair"... 

[BWOZWaltz]

17 hours ago, kelly said:

 

Stop being so bloody cute! My heart cannot take it...

[Henni147]

@Interspectator from GS has posted a trantranslation of the NHK documentary.

Thank you very much for this huge effort.

 

Part I:

Spoiler

Another Story NHK Documentary Summary

Intro: 
Yuzuru’s LP performance and hug with Javi 
“How did he achieve the defense (of the Gold) after severe injury and being away from the ice for 4 months? The key to the truth is here in this moment before the Medal Ceremony.” 
Yuzu, Javi, Shoma hug and Yuzu saying ‘You are so bad!’ “The tears do not stop” 
“The never before revealed moving story can finally be shown” 
1:30 Opening Credits
1:50 How difficult it must be to bring the body and mind to its peak for the once in 4 years Olympics. 
Kulik, Yagudin, Plushenko, Lysacek who stood at the top of the podium countless times only won the Olympics once. Yuzuru Hanyu is the one who was able to achieve the defense of his Olympic title. 
2:45 Introduction of Yuzu’s history, starting skating at 4 and wanting to win the Olympics.
At 19, at the Sochi Olympics he was able win, but didn’t stop there. He had the high, high aim of defending his title. But just before the Peyonchang Olympics he was injured. Some doubted he would be able to compete. But when he stood on the Olympic stage again, in an instant he turned all doubt into excitement. 

4:29 Feburary 17th, 2018 was a crossroads with destiny. 
In his first time to skate his LP in competition since his injury four months ago, his quads, his steps, so sharply executed, an astounding performance that made you think he’d never been away, caused oohs and ahhs from not just the Japanese fans, but also the top skaters around the world.
5:17 Plushenko’s comment
With this, Yuzuru became the ultimate competitor, the best of the best. 
5:36 Fernandez’ comment
He took the gold, but there are no regrets. At the greatest stage, fought with the greatest performance, I’m totally content. 

5:55 First Point of View: Dick Button
6:30- The Living Legend, Dick Button, 89 years old, lives in the New York suburbs. What’s this casually lying on his desk? Could it be? 
“I gave my 1948 medal to my mother, who made a necklace of it. My next Olympic medal I gave to my father, who made it into a paperweight. I’m glad I’ve got two.” 
What a nice, cheerful Grandpa…or so we thought! 
“Plushenko?? Amazing technique, but I wish he’d listen to me earlier. His spins were excessive, too many turns. His head stuck out I was sure it would one day spin off onto the ice.” 
“Kulik? Worst costume ever. Yellow with black dots, you’re not a giraffe! Well, because of that, it can’t be denied that it you couldn’t take your eyes of him.” Laughter. 
8:28-Dick button was known as an acerbic commentator and he made his opinions known for many years. What would he think of Hanyu who after 66 years matched his record? We nervously asked his opinion and…
8:46 “The result is an extra, my judging criteria is whether or not the performance has a sense of theatre. Theatre that is original and draws people in.” 
“Hanyu Yuzuru’s performance was wonderful in that way. It enthralled everyone.” 


9:26 Dick Button talks about his performance and other great skaters of the past
“This footage is from my competition in Colorado in 1952. I think I’m skating quite well.” 
Sharp jumps, centered spins. The worlds first triple jump was landed by Button. 
10:13 “There’s not enough opportunity for skaters these days to change skating. They are bound by points system, it’s confining and none of the athletes want to try new elements.” 
Not Hanyu, starting with the 4Lo, he’s implemented never-before done elements. 
But, Button thinks that their main commonality is unexpected. 
“What Yuzuru said after the Sochi Olympics left a deep impression on me. He said that he couldn’t skate well. ”
11:00 Shows clips of Yuzuru’s Sochi LP in which he fell twice. 
In an interview right after the results were announced he said: 
“I’m really happy with the results, but I’m also feeling regret. (Kuyashii, frustration) Well, though I say it having won the Olympics, I feel a little regret.”
Dick Button: 
“I too, in 1948, my performance was good. I was able to win with a wonderful performance. But the next Olympics 1952, though as an athlete I was at my peak, I fell on a jump, it was the greatest mistake of my life. Even now, I regret it.”
12:00 Shows time line of Dick Buttons dominance in the sport. From 1948-1952. Won every international competition he entered. 
12:27 You won your second Gold Medal in 1952, is winning not enough? 
“No. you ask why? Because I fell. The rules now give you points even when you fail. When that happened, I think figure skating died. 
Above (or before?) being a sport of points, Figure skating is a sport that engages the audience. An orchestra, if you miss a note, it’s ruined, like ballet when a dancer falls, it’s the same. You mustn’t disappoint the audience, come on! That’s why I was moved by Yuzuru’s words. This young man, he understands!” 
Hanyu's FCC Press Conference 2014
“I will devote myself with my whole heart towards the Pyeongchang Olympics in four Years” 
Hanyu, going forth, to once more achieve Gold with a satisfactory performance…

13:30 In the four years, young athletes emerged, one after the other. Nathan Chen, Jin Boyang and Uno Shoma. All of them had many quadruple jumps as weapon. 

14:8 “Quads, quads, so what? This guy that guy, goes after the points like wringing a rag for water. I don’t want to see such ugly things. What I want to see is, for example Janet Lynn. She jumped so lightly; long distance and quiet in landing. That’s a real jump. 
14:35 Janet Lynn competition footage. 
15:17 “Do you know who taught her? My exwife! There’s a lot of things between us, but she was a good coach. Janet’s performance is seamless. Everything is controlled, the jumps match the music and are simple. Her skating is quintessential theatre.” 
“Another that we mustn’t forget is Ito Midori. She was, in a different way from Janet, superb theatre. She commanded attention. No one can jump as high as that.” 
“And Asada Mao, wasn’t she gorgeous; a movie star on ice, no other athlete could do that performance like she did. But even compared to these famous athletes, Hanyu is extraordinary an exceptional person. 
He performs like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Performances that, if you miss them you’ll never see again. That’s what has worth. No matter how difficult the element, the skater must make it their own. Doing the same kinds of jumps, there’s no inspiration in mere points.” 

17:04 A short history of skating and how it started from figures drawn on the ice with skates. 

Back then performances were one third of a skaters score. Dick Button still pioneered new elements. Triple jumps, and the flying camel spin used to be called Button Camel. 
17:50 “I did the camel spin to move people’s hearts, to add dynamism to otherwise elegant, effortless skating, to capture attention. 
Yuzuru can (emotionally) move people beyond points. He was injured before the Olympics, and I just wanted to see him come back. A true skater.” 

18:18 Dick Button watches Hanyu’s Pyeongchang Prorgram
News clip of Yuzu’s injury and withdrawal from NHK trophy, arrival at PyeongChang 5 days before competition. 
Practice footage of Yuzu. Nobody knew how much Yuzuru had recovered
18:58 Olympics SP footage. 
19:50 Olympics LP footage. 
20:17 “The most important point to look at in his jumps is the speed. There’s no change in the speed of the jump when it’s landed compared to when it’s entered. That’s rare in a skater. He doesn’t show off when he’s landed to say ‘look, I’ve landed it!’ When other skaters land a difficult jump there’s a sense of ending. He seamlessly, simply continues the performance. 
21:06 When Yuzuru overturned his 4T in the second half. 
“Uh oh, but he did well not to fall. He’s made progress. 
After the 3Lz
“He just recovered from injury right? He’s hanging on really well. Honestly, even if he fell once, points-wise, he could still win. But he knows the importance of engaging the audience. 
22:00 Performance ends, Dick button laughs,
“He’s satisfied at last. I understand the feeling. That was really wonderful.”
22:30 Q: How did he change since the last Olympics? 
“The performance was much more riveting; more simple but more clearly communicating. The points don’t matter. On this great stage(Olympics), he showed the best ‘theatre’. This is beyond Gold, a Diamond grade performance. 



END OF FIRST PART

 

Part II:

Spoiler

Another Story NHK Documentary Summary Pt2

Second Point of Veiw: Evgeni Plushenko
66 years after Dick Button defended his title, Hanyu Yuzuru also won consecutively. But the person who came closest to also achieving this was this person. 
Evgeni Plushenko the Torino Olympics Gold Medalist. 
He was a favorite to win in Vancouver, but was beaten by a small margin. He, above all others, knows how hard it is to win consecutively (at the Olympics). Plushenko has been someone who Yuzuru has respected and aspired to for many years. How does he view Hanyu Yuzuru who challenged the consecutive wins that he could not achieve? 
Another Story from the Figure Skating Emperor. 
24:04 Footage of Moscow and Evgeni Plushenko at the Plushenko cup, watching young skaters under 10 years old, and his own son compete. 
“Lots of mistakes, we’ll need to do special training on the camel spin” 
Strict words for his son, Alexander Plushenko who is 5 years old. There is a reason for this. 
“This competition is for scouting young talent, and inviting them to get special education at my school. So no matter who it is, we are strict from this stage. At this point the goal is to defeat Hanyu Yuzuru. To raise an athlete that will surpass him.” 

25:34 Debuting in Seniors in 1997, for 20 years till his retirement in 2017, the emperor, Plushenko, trained on the ice. Hanyu strongly admired him, and when he was a child, even copied his hairstyle. 
“I first met him when he was about 10. At a show in Japan. This kid really admires you. I was astonished at first sight. His spins were good. But he was so thin. If he was built up, he could get good results, I thought. But I didn’t have an inkling that he’d go on to win two Olympic Golds.”
26:31 Plushenko’s timeline, the 4 Olympics he attended. 2 Individual silvers, 1 gold, 1 team gold. 

12 years difference between Plushenko and Hanyu. Their first opportunity to skate against each other was at the Sochi Olympics. 
Three and a half years before that, Hanyu, who debuted as a Senior at 15…

Footage of Hanyu’s NHK2010 performance and the Quad Toe he landed. 
Footage of 2012 LP at NHK where he won

27:40 “He’s climbing, I thought. A great rival for Sochi has been made. No matter how long you know someone, on the rink, they are the enemy. If it’s him (Hanyu) it will be a worthy victory.” (The word is taoshigai. Not sure about this translation) 

28:05 There is a reason behind Plushenko’s excitement at Hanyu’s arrival, it goes back to the previous Olympics and a great disappointment. 
28:16 Footage of Plushenko at the Vancouver Olympics
Previously, Plushenko, who had won the Olympics at Torino attempted the defense of his title, which would have been the first in 58 years. He was confident that he had won, but by a mere point he did not reach the consecutive win. 
28:30 “At Vancouver I was injured all over. It was a miracle I was able to compete at all. It’s frustrating that I lost, and I am unhappy with the scoring. But If I had not competed there, it would have been a worse competition. At that time, there weren’t many competitors, and they’d retire quickly, when they could have skated more. More than my disappointment in losing, I was disappointed that rivals to compete with were getting fewer and fewer. 
29:25 Plushenko won Olympic Silver twice. The athletes that took gold, Yagudin and Lysacek did not attempt to defend their title, but left the competitive stage. 
29:40 “It’s not like I don’t understand those who retire. When you get to the level where you compete for medals, it’s extremely tough to maintain. Getting fed up with the suffering, those who medal at the Olympics and Worlds choose to retire. When they skate in shows, they introduce you as so-and-so, the medalist. Because of that, the level of competition at the Olympics gets lowered. You’re quitting too, and you? That was frustrating.” 
30:12 Because of this, when the strong rival Yuzuru Hanyu appeared, Plushenko was encouraged. 
"How to beat him (Hanyu) on the ice, to shock him, to knock him down, that’s all I thought about” 
30:41 From this glaring fighting spirit, Hanyu responded with all his might. 
(From Hanyu’s first autobiography, Blue Flames) 
I don’t know if I can surpass him. But no matter how high a level I go to, having other strong competitors fires me up. I want to be that person to Plushenko, ‘a person who fires you up’ even if only a little, I want to get closer to being that (person). 

31:15 Sochi Olympics, 2014, their wishes were not granted. 
“The bolt that was supporting my lower back came loose at practice before the competition. Never before have I felt such pain. Performing was impossible.” 
31:50 Footage of Plushenko withdrawing
31:56 Footage of Hanyu receiving the gold medal at Sochi 
32:11 “When Yuzuru won the gold in Sochi and said he wouldn’t retire, and would go to the next (Olympics) I was jumping with joy. Even if I left, he would continue to compete and the greatest competition, the Olympics would maintain its high level. Yuzuru knows the best performances can only be done in competition and there is no greater joy than becoming the Olympic Champion.” 
32:39 Hanyu received the baton from Plushenko and started for the Pyeonchang Olympics. In the 4 years that came between, younger athletes appeared, but whenever he was asked about it Plushenko always answered ‘the contender for gold is Hanyu’. 
32:57 “ A lot of times, competitors mess up, and the Olympics gives a special kind of nerves or adrenaline. Having won gold once, puts you ahead. The important thing is not the elements, but experience and confidence. And the only one who had both was Yuzuru. Even now, having won consecutively, he hasn’t stopped evolving. The top athletes are the greediest, there’s no way they’ll lose. I know from personal experience how hard it is to win consecutively, but if anyone was going to do it in the whole world, it would be Yuzuru. That’s why I know at that Olympics, if Yuzuru could make it there, there was no way he wouldn’t win.” (literal translation ‘if he can just stand in that place’)
34:00 If he can just make it there…we now know that Plushenko’s prophecy came true, but up till that moment, we didn’t know if he could stand. 



END OF SECOND PART

 

Part III:

Spoiler

 

Another Story NHK Documentary Summary Pt3

News article of injury at NHK trophy
A serious right ankle injury Hanyu had to contend with. 
A great support to him during that time was fellow gold medal rival, this man: 
Javier Fernandez
34:47
Just before the Olympics, due to injury, Hanyu withdrew from the public. 
There were rumors circulating that he would not be able to compete, and his non-response caused further criticism and slander from some circles. 
But he returned.

The third point of view, friends though rivals 
Javier Fernandez

The two are friends who for a long time have shared the same coach and a friendly rivalry. How does he see Hanyu’s road to recovery, as a main rival for the gold in Pyeonchang? 
A warm friendship that unfolded on the ice, Another Story. 

36:06 Footage of Pooh Rain after Yuzuru’s LP finished. 
On that day, though Hanyu’s performance was complete, it wasn’t certain whether he would get the gold or not. Because, next to skate was this man. 
36:26 Footage of Fernandez taking the ice after Yuzu. 
With dynamic quadruple jumps and steps that earned a higher score than Hanyu’s , though he lost to Hanyu, Javier Fernandez brought the first skating medal to his country Spain. 

37:16 “He took the gold medal, but I was content. Because to compete your best and place third is much better than for everyone to mess up and winning by chance. All this time we’ve trained together, chasing each other. I was really happy that he was able to come back and compete at the highest level because before the Olympics he passed through such a difficult time.”

37:55 Footage of Toronto
Hanyu and Fernandez’ deep camaraderie began in Toronto in 2012 when Hanyu joined the Cricket Club where Brian Orser was head coach. Fernandez had joined the year before. He was the senior student. 
“When I heard he was coming (to the club) I was like ‘huh’? At that time we had only met briefly in competition.” 
Orser had a good reputation as a coach after leading Yuna Kim to gold in Vancouver. 
38:42 Footage of Hanyu training with Orser at the Cricket Club
But that wasn’t the only reason Hanyu chose this place. 
(From Hanyu’s second autobiography Blue Flames II) 
Javier Fernandez’ Quadruple Jump consistency was a big motive. I joined the Cricket Club with an eye for this person, really. When I couldn’t jump and couldn’t visualize it, there is someone nearby who can create that image. With Javier there, I feel like I don’t want to lose. 
“I understand well what Yuzuru is saying. I was the same. When I wanted to do an element, it’s best when you can watch someone nearby who can do it. But it’s not just looking and copying. If he can do it with that speed, I should be able to do it with even more speed. I should be able to do it better. Yuzuru and I would chase each other and improved like that.” 

40:00 The leading figure after the Vancouver Olympics was 3 time consecutive World Champion, Patrick Chan. But Hanyu and Fernandez were close behind in ranking. While working in friendly rivalry at the Cricket Club, they faced the upcoming Sochi Olympics. 

40:25 Sochi Olympics Footage Of Patrick Chan’s LP and Fernandez’ LP, showing the errors made in the LP. 
Hanyu himself, though he took the gold medal, was regretful of his mistakes, and said that the quality was not ideal. 
41:06 “A gold medal isn’t something that comes easy. Yuzuru is strong, it was that competition that made me think that way, deeply. People tend to forget, but that was his first Olympics. (Sochi) 
(Patrick) Chan and I attended 4 years before. The first Olympic rises before you and everything looks so big. Amidst that, Yuzuru performed magnificently. Everyone made mistakes, but though he was a first timer, his performance was the best. The results show it. From now on, he will continue to win, he can’t bear to lose. -This is what I thought.” 

42:03 True to Fernandez’ words, after Sochi, Hanyu continued to be at the top. And desperately chasing his back, was Fernandez. 
42:24 At our training place, we have a place where the names of all the World and Olympic medalists are hung. I always wanted to put my name there. So when I won the World Championships in 2015 for the first time, I went straight there to see it.” 
42:45 Shanghai World Championships 2015
Fernandez beat Olympic Champion Yuzuru Hanyu and won. Seeing this result, without hesitation, Hanyu had tears in his eyes. It wasn’t just tears of frustration from losing, Fernandez says. 
43:10 “Of course he was sad, he wanted to win. At the same time he was happy for my victory. He said to me, ‘I’m really glad you won. Today, I’m not at the top, but I can see this scenery with you.’ I understood well what he meant. --I think from that time, I truly became friends with Yuzuru” 
43:46 In mutual appreciation, these two went on to astound the world. 

Timeline from 2015
November NHK Trophy Record score by Hanyu
2016 European Championship Fernandez also exceeded 300 points
2016 World Championships Fernandez conquers
2017 World Championships Hanyu conquers
In points and in titles, the two are top level. 
The upcoming PyeongChang Olympics was set as their decisive battle.
BUT…
44:47 News clips again of Hanyu’s injury 
The news reached Fernandez, but more than the injury, he was concerned about something else. 
 

 [Originally Posted by yude]

"In Spain, it is very rare for figure skating to be reported. On the other hand, figure skating is very popular in Japan, too popular. As regards Yuzuru who stands on the top, they were eager to catch him napping and jealousy or lies were everywhere at the time he was injured, just as I thought."

"Yuzuru is a person who tries insatiably to gain something meaningful from everywhere for his performances. So when he feels down, he feels down thoroughly. I kind of understand they wanted to know the secret of the top athlete and start rumors. But if so, they should have covered him straightforward. Yuzuru himself and his coaches respond to media's requests properly."

46:23 Did you meet with him during that time (rehabilitation)? 
“I did not try to meet him face to face. He would sometimes come to the rink and try to practice, but his injury would hurt right away and he'd stop. We do not talk to each other about our injuries. If Yuzuru asked I would help him with anything, but starting with his mom, he has many people who care for him. 
When you are competing at a high level like we are, what is required is to continue to ‘show each other our backs’ (this is a foreign phrase, I think? The nearest English equivalents seems to be ‘catch me if you can’)
“Look at my back. See, I’m keeping my level (high). Actually I thought, because he was down, he can make an unbelievable comeback. Yuzuru can make any negatives into a positive in an instant. He’s a human being with that much power.”
47:25 2014, Grand Prix China, Hanyu had a collision with another skater just before the competition. 
Even severely injured, he went to competition with a bandage wrapped around his head. In the 4 years to PyeongChang, he experienced an operation, and many injuries, but always returned to the battlefield. With this new injury, the media gave attention to young talents such as Shoma Uno and Nathan Chen as a new medal contenders.

Q: Before the 2018 Olympics, who was your rival? 
“It is Yuzuru. My rival is only Yuzuru. If I skate my program absolutely perfectly, I can beat Shoma and Nathan. But Yuzuru, even if I perform my program perfectly, he’s always produced higher scores. Always a little higher, a little higher; I could only ever see his back.”

48:38 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics Men’s Individual Short Program
Footage of Hanyu and Fernandez entering the arena. (looking very cool )
Their final battle will begin.

48:50 Footage of Hanyu’s SP
49:31 Footage of Fernandez’ Sp

After the Short Program, Hanyu 1st, Fernandez 2nd. In friendly rivalry, these two who had competed for world titles had their names lined up next to each other. 
50:06 “I thought it would be like that. Everyone was surprised by Yuzuru’s comeback, but I thought he would do it, and that I would be closer than anyone else, chasing his back. ‘Good, isn’t this a great battle?’”
50:30 Fernandez watches the Free Program.

Footage of Hanyu’s FP 
“This is my first time to see this. First time. I don’t even watch my own. Performances aren’t to be watched, they are to be shown.”
Second Half of FP
“as expected!” (the word is sasuga, but the meaning is not translatable easily)
Spin and choreo sequence begins
“He’s enjoying it, you know when you see it. Just like I said, as low as he falls, he comes back (up)”
Program Ends
Hanyu scored a seasons best score of above 300. 

53:11 Fernandez begins his FP 
Q: You skated right after Yuzuru, were you influenced by that?
“No, there wasn’t. There was no way he wouldn’t do a good performance on that stage. So there was no influence. It was time for me to rise to the occasion. That was all.” 
53:48 There was a jump that Fernandez couldn’t complete according to plan, but he finished his performance without any other mistakes. 
54:07 Shoma’s LP ending footage 
He was third after Shoma. He was on the podium with Hanyu Yuzuru. 
Just before the podium the three medalists who were rinkside…
Javier Fernandez hugged the other two. 

54:35 HUUUUUUGGGGG
And Fernandez said something that couldn’t be heard. 
54:55 “You are SO BAD!” -from Hanyu, he couldn’t stop crying. What was said was not told till now. 
55:18 Fernandez rewatches the medal ceremony and smiles. 
Q: What did you say here? 
55:25 "First of all, I congratulated Hanyu and Shoma on their performance and their medals. And to Yuzuru I said, ‘I’m proud to have competed against you. This is the last time I will compete with you. I’m going to retire.’ I hadn’t told anyone else yet. I had planned to compete at Euros, but Yuzuru is a Japanese athlete and cannot go to Euros. So this would really be the last competition. I thought it’s now or never, and told him. He told me I’m the worst. Because of the timing. But it was after the best competition. To the person I wanted to tell the most, in the best place, it was really good.”
59:37 Fernandez officially announced his retirement 9 months later. The news that surprised the world was shared first with the one who contended with him for the Olympic Title. Best rival, best friend. (aaaagh, crying!) 

57:00 Closing words. 
Hanyu Yuzuru, who even other Olympic contenders call the strongest skater, ‘the only one who can beat Hanyu is Hanyu.’ Who even now will no loosen his grip on the top. 
Even after winning the Olympics consecutively he continues to put pressure on himself. How far will he progress from here? 
57:45 What to expect from Hanyu now? Answers from Plushenko, Button and Fernandez 
Plushenko: When Yuzuru enters a competition, he’s there to win. If Japan will let him concentrate on the Olympics, at least 4 consecutive wins is possible. 5 is not out of the question. 
Button: Hey, who’s saying that?? He’s already exceptional. Let him do whatever he likes. 
Fernandez: First I want him to heal his current injury properly. If his injury heals, then onward and onward as much as he likes. When the time comes to retire, I want him to look back for the first time. Where he’s climbed is a path that will be spoken of forever and somewhere there is my name, I hope he won’t forget. 

59:05 They’ve spoken. So Hanyu, how far will you go? 

END

 

 

[Tee]

 

 

[Henni147]

15 hours ago, Veveco said:

It's... almost painful to see actually. The Yuzu Laureus tweet has 1000+ likes and retweets and the other athletes less the 10. I mean, the other candidates deserve some attention too.

Same thought. When Laureus announced the nominees some weeks ago, the global attention was pretty low at the beginning. So I decided to support Yuzu with a tweet.

But when I see the current "invasion", I really feel sorry for the other contenders, who went through incredible pain and hard times as well... I'm okay with the support for Yuzu, but it's disrespectful to send "Yuzu!!"-messages to other nominees imo.

 

I agree with all your thoughts that figure skating as a smaller sport lives through discussions on the internet, not that much in everyday life. That leads to such clickbait phenomenons as we can witness here with Laureus.

However, even within the skating universe Yuzu and his fanbase strike out in many ways. The Pooh rain ritual, the recurring ticket bloodbaths before competitions, the mass of Yuzu related posts on SM everyday, the photo exhibitions, advertisement and merchandising, the Olympic parades with 100,000 of visitors...

 

I think, Dick Button got mighty close, why Yuzu is so special and popular:

Quote

 

“What Yuzuru said after the Sochi Olympics left a deep impression on me. He said that he couldn’t skate well. ”

[...]

"You won your second Gold Medal in 1952, is winning not enough?"
“No. you ask why? Because I fell. The rules now give you points even when you fail. When that happened, I think figure skating died. 
Above (or before?) being a sport of points, Figure skating is a sport that engages the audience. An orchestra, if you miss a note, it’s ruined, like ballet when a dancer falls, it’s the same. You mustn’t disappoint the audience, come on! That’s why I was moved by Yuzuru’s words. This young man, he understands!”

 

 

It's true that an error-filled program leaves a bittersweet taste, no matter how difficult the technical content and overall quality of your skating is. Mistakes are not champion-like.

Figure skating is currently in a tricky situation: It would be disappointing to lower the difficulty, but the current level is sky-high for 99% of the active skaters and clean free skates are very rare miracles. Not to mention programs with a total package and perfect balance of athletism and artistry. At the moment Yuzu comes closest to this ideal, especially in his short programs (last jump error in a SP: 20.10.2017).

 

An ideal skater unites five types of artists in one person:

1. athlete

2. dancer/musician

3. model

4. painter/illustrator

5. author/storyteller

Yuzu hits most of these aspects. He's technically very strong, has a sublime musicality and 'movement culture', looks great on the ice with striking costumes, creates memorable images and tells stories with his skating.

 

Most skaters have their technical arsenal and try to build a program around it. With Yuzu it's other way round. The global concept, motive and message have top priority and the technical elements are implemented into the choreography as artistic highlights and touches. They are not isolated, there's no break in his programs. It's one big story. That's why he can reach so many people's heart.

[IULIANA]

Thank you Hennie147 for posting and Interspctator for translation of the NHK docummentary. Great job, thanks a million!

[yuzupon]

On 1/30/2019 at 2:01 PM, ZuCritter said:

TBH, I rather dread coming to the Planet when I know I'm going to have to wade through a lot of back-and-forth about something someone said or did that is perceived as an affront to Yuzu. I'm just not that interested in it, and it sometimes makes it hard to find the posts I do enjoy. Perhaps we should have a "Drama and Debate" thread or a "Can you believe this s***?" thread to let people air their grievances (within the rules of the Planet, of course), and let the rest of us not engage with that aspect of the conversation. I'm kidding, but only halfway. 

 

 

@Planet Hanyu Staff can we? I am putting this under the suggestion as well if you don't mind, @ZuCritter

[Moria Polonius]

48 minutes ago, yuzupon said:

 

@Planet Hanyu Staff can we? I am putting this under the suggestion as well if you don't mind, @ZuCritter

"Fandom drama"?

 

I think the general chat is ok for this but if it bothers many people a separate thread makes sense. We could just knock ourselves out there, even rehashing old stuff if we felt like it.

[xeyra]

18 minutes ago, Sabrina said:

I found a summery of the latest docu about yuzu online

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Another Story NHK Documentary Summary

Intro:
Yuzuru’s LP performance and hug with Javi
How did he achieve the defense (of the Gold) after severe injury and being away from the ice for 4 months? The key to the truth is here in this moment before the Medal Ceremony.
Yuzu, Javi, Shoma hug and Yuzu saying ‘You are so bad!’ The tears do not stop
The never before revealed moving story can finally be shown
1:30 Opening Credits
1:50 How difficult it must be to bring the body and mind to its peak for the once in 4 years Olympics.
Kulik, Yagudin, Plushenko, Lysacek who stood at the top of the podium countless times only won the Olympics once. Yuzuru Hanyu is the one who was able to achieve the defense of his Olympic title.
2:45 Introduction of Yuzu’s history, starting skating at 4 and wanting to win the Olympics.
At 19, at the Sochi Olympics he was able win, but didn’t stop there. He had the high, high aim of defending his title. But just before the Peyonchang Olympics he was injured. Some doubted he would be able to compete. But when he stood on the Olympic stage again, in an instant he turned all doubt into excitement.

4:29 Feburary 17th, 2018 was a crossroads with destiny.
In his first time to skate his LP in competition since his injury four months ago, his quads, his steps, so sharply executed, an astounding performance that made you think he’d never been away, caused oohs and ahhs from not just the Japanese fans, but also the top skaters around the world.
5:17 Plushenko’s comment
With this, Yuzuru became the ultimate competitor, the best of the best.
5:36 Fernandez’ comment
He took the gold, but there are no regrets. At the greatest stage, fought with the greatest performance, I’m totally content.

5:55 First Point of View: Dick Button
6:30- The Living Legend, Dick Button, 89 years old, lives in the New York suburbs. What’s this casually lying on his desk? Could it be?
“I gave my 1948 medal to my mother, who made a necklace of it. My next Olympic medal I gave to my father, who made it into a paperweight. I’m glad I’ve got two.”
What a nice, cheerful Grandpa…or so we thought!
“Plushenko?? Amazing technique, but I wish he’d listen to me earlier. His spins were excessive, too many turns. His head stuck out I was sure it would one day spin off onto the ice.”
“Kulik? Worst costume ever. Yellow with black dots, you’re not a giraffe! Well, because of that, it can’t be denied that you couldn’t take your eyes off him.” Laughter.
8:28-Dick button was known as an acerbic commentator and he made his opinions known for many years. What would he think of Hanyu who after 66 years matched his record? We nervously asked his opinion and…
8:46 “The result is an extra, my judging criteria is whether or not the performance has a sense of theatre. Theatre that is original and draws people in.”
“Hanyu Yuzuru’s performance was wonderful in that way. It enthralled everyone.”


9:26 Dick Button talks about his performance and other great skaters of the past
“This footage is from my competition in Colorado in 1952. I think I’m skating quite well.”
Sharp jumps, centered spins. The worlds first triple jump was landed by Button.
10:13 “There’s not enough opportunity for skaters these days to change skating. They are bound by the points system, it’s confining and none of the athletes want to try new elements.”
Not Hanyu, starting with the 4Lo, he’s implemented never-before done elements.
But, to Button, their main commonality is something unexpected.
“What Yuzuru said after the Sochi Olympics left a deep impression on me. He said that he couldn’t skate well. ”
11:00 Shows clips of Yuzuru’s Sochi LP in which he fell twice.
In an interview right after the results were announced he said:
“I’m really happy with the results, but I’m also feeling regret. (Kuyashii, frustration) Well, though I say it having won the Olympics, I feel a little regret.”
Dick Button:
“I too, in 1948, my performance was good. I was able to win with a wonderful performance. But the next Olympics 1952, though as an athlete I was at my peak, I fell on a jump, it was the greatest mistake of my life. Even now, I regret it.”
12:00 Shows time line of Dick Buttons dominance in the sport. From 1948-1952. Won every international competition he entered.
12:27 You won your second Gold Medal in 1952, is winning not enough?
“No. you ask why? Because I fell. The rules now give you points even when you fail. When that happened, I think figure skating died.
Above (or before?) being a sport of points, Figure skating is a sport that engages the audience. An orchestra, if you miss a note, it’s ruined, like ballet when a dancer falls, it’s the same. You mustn’t disappoint the audience, come on! That’s why I was moved by Yuzuru’s words. This young man, he understands!”
Hanyu's FCC Press Conference 2014
“I will devote myself with my whole heart towards the Pyeongchang Olympics in four Years”
Hanyu, going forth, to once more achieve Gold with a satisfactory performance…

13:30 In the four years, young athletes emerged, one after the other. Nathan Chen, Jin Boyang and Uno Shoma. All of them had many quadruple jumps as weapon.

14:8 “Quads, quads, so what? This guy that guy, goes after the points like wringing a rag for water. I don’t want to see such ugly things. What I want to see is, for example Janet Lynn. She jumped so lightly; long distance and quiet in landing. That’s a real jump.
14:35 Janet Lynn competition footage.
15:17 “Do you know who taught her? My exwife! There’s a lot of things between us, but she was a good coach. Janet’s performance is seamless. Everything is controlled, the jumps match the music and are simple. Her skating is quintessential theatre.”
“Another that we mustn’t forget is Ito Midori. She was, in a different way from Janet, superb theatre. She commanded attention. No one can jump as high as that.”
“And Asada Mao, wasn’t she gorgeous; a movie star on ice, no other athlete could do that performance like she did. But even compared to these famous athletes, Hanyu is extraordinary an exceptional person.
He performs like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Performances that, if you miss them you’ll never see again. That’s what has worth. No matter how difficult the element, the skater must make it their own. Doing the same kinds of jumps, there’s no inspiration in mere points.”

17:04 A short history of skating and how it started from figures drawn on the ice with skates.

Back then performances were one third of a skaters score. Dick Button still pioneered new elements. Triple jumps, and the flying camel spin used to be called Button Camel.
17:50 “I did the camel spin to move people’s hearts, to add dynamism to otherwise elegant, effortless skating, to capture attention.
Yuzuru can (emotionally) move people beyond points. He was injured before the Olympics, and I just wanted to see him come back. A true skater.”

18:18 Dick Button watches Hanyu’s Pyeongchang Prorgram
News clip of Yuzu’s injury and withdrawal from NHK trophy, arrival at PyeongChang 5 days before competition.
Practice footage of Yuzu. Nobody knew how much Yuzuru had recovered
18:58 Olympics SP footage.
19:50 Olympics LP footage.
20:17 “The most important point to look at in his jumps is the speed. There’s no change in the speed of the jump when it’s landed compared to when it’s entered. That’s rare in a skater. He doesn’t show off when he’s landed to say ‘look, I’ve landed it!’ When other skaters land a difficult jump there’s a sense of ending. He seamlessly, simply continues the performance.
21:06 When Yuzuru overturned his 4T in the second half.
“Uh oh, but he did well not to fall. He’s made progress.
After the 3Lz
“He just recovered from injury right? He’s hanging on really well. Honestly, even if he fell once, points-wise, he could still win. But he knows the importance of engaging the audience.
22:00 Performance ends, Dick button laughs,
“He’s satisfied at last. I understand the feeling. That was really wonderful.”
22:30 Q: How did he change since the last Olympics?
“The performance was much more riveting; more simple but more clearly communicating. The points don’t matter. On this great stage(Olympics), he showed the best ‘theatre’. This is beyond Gold, a Diamond grade performance.



END OF FIRST PART

  Reveal hidden contents

Another Story NHK Documentary Summary Pt2

Second Point of Veiw: Evgeni Plushenko
66 years after Dick Button defended his title, Hanyu Yuzuru also won consecutively. But the person who came closest to also achieving this was this person.
Evgeni Plushenko the Torino Olympics Gold Medalist.
He was a favorite to win in Vancouver, but was beaten by a small margin. He, above all others, knows how hard it is to win consecutively (at the Olympics). Plushenko has been someone who Yuzuru has respected and aspired to for many years. How does he view Hanyu Yuzuru who challenged the consecutive wins that he could not achieve?
Another Story from the Figure Skating Emperor.
24:04 Footage of Moscow and Evgeni Plushenko at the Plushenko cup, watching young skaters under 10 years old, and his own son compete.
“Lots of mistakes, we’ll need to do special training on the camel spin”
Strict words for his son, Alexander Plushenko who is 5 years old. There is a reason for this.
“This competition is for scouting young talent, and inviting them to get special education at my school. So no matter who it is, we are strict from this stage. At this point the goal is to defeat Hanyu Yuzuru. To raise an athlete that will surpass him.”

25:34 Debuting in Seniors in 1997, for 20 years till his retirement in 2017, the emperor, Plushenko, trained on the ice. Hanyu strongly admired him, and when he was a child, even copied his hairstyle.
“I first met him when he was about 10, at a show in Japan. 'This kid really admires you.' I was astonished at first sight. His spins were good. But he was so thin. If he was built up, he could get good results, I thought. But I didn’t have an inkling that he’d go on to win two Olympic Golds.”
26:31 Plushenko’s timeline, the 4 Olympics he attended. 2 Individual silvers, 1 gold, 1 team gold.

12 years difference between Plushenko and Hanyu. Their first opportunity to skate against each other was at the Sochi Olympics.
Three and a half years before that, Hanyu, who debuted as a Senior at 15…

Footage of Hanyu’s NHK2010 performance and the Quad Toe he landed.
Footage of 2012 LP at NHK where he won

27:40 “He’s climbing, I thought. A great rival for Sochi has been made. No matter how long you know someone, on the rink, they are the enemy. If it’s him (Hanyu) it will be a worthy victory.” (The word is taoshigai. Not sure about this translation)

28:05 There is a reason behind Plushenko’s excitement at Hanyu’s arrival, it goes back to the previous Olympics and a great disappointment.
28:16 Footage of Plushenko at the Vancouver Olympics
Previously, Plushenko, who had won the Olympics at Torino attempted the defense of his title, which would have been the first in 58 years. He was confident that he had won, but by a mere point he did not reach the consecutive win.
28:30 “At Vancouver I was injured all over. It was a miracle I was able to compete at all. It’s frustrating that I lost, and I am unhappy with the scoring. But If I had not competed there, it would have been a worse competition. At that time, there weren’t many competitors, and they’d retire quickly, when they could have skated more. More than my disappointment in losing, I was disappointed that rivals to compete with were getting fewer and fewer.
29:25 Plushenko won Olympic Silver twice. The athletes that took gold, Yagudin and Lysacek did not attempt to defend their title, but left the competitive stage.
29:40 “It’s not like I don’t understand those who retire. When you get to the level where you compete for medals, it’s extremely tough to maintain. Getting fed up with the suffering, those who medal at the Olympics and Worlds choose to retire. When they skate in shows, they introduce you as so-and-so, the medalist. Because of that, the level of competition at the Olympics gets lowered. You’re quitting too, and you? That was frustrating.”
30:12 Because of this, when the strong rival Yuzuru Hanyu appeared, Plushenko was encouraged.
"How to beat him (Hanyu) on the ice, to shock him, to knock him down, that’s all I thought about”
30:41 From this glaring fighting spirit, Hanyu responded with all his might.
(From Hanyu’s first autobiography, Blue Flames)
I don’t know if I can surpass him. But no matter how high a level I go to, having other strong competitors fires me up. I want to be that person to Plushenko, ‘a person who fires you up’ even if only a little, I want to get closer to being that (person).

31:15 Sochi Olympics, 2014, their wishes were not granted.
“The bolt that was supporting my lower back came loose at practice before the competition. Never before have I felt such pain. Performing was impossible.”
31:50 Footage of Plushenko withdrawing
31:56 Footage of Hanyu receiving the gold medal at Sochi
32:11 “When Yuzuru won the gold in Sochi and said he wouldn’t retire, and would go to the next (Olympics) I was jumping with joy. Even if I left, he would continue to compete and the greatest competition, the Olympics would maintain its high level. Yuzuru knows the best performances can only be done in competition and there is no greater joy than becoming the Olympic Champion.”
32:39 Hanyu received the baton from Plushenko and started for the Pyeonchang Olympics. In the 4 years that came between, younger athletes appeared, but whenever he was asked about it Plushenko always answered ‘the contender for gold is Hanyu’.
32:57 “ A lot of times, competitors mess up, and the Olympics gives a special kind of nerves or adrenaline. Having won gold once, puts you ahead. The important thing is not the elements, but experience and confidence. And the only one who had both was Yuzuru. Even now, having won consecutively, he hasn’t stopped evolving. The top athletes are the greediest, there’s no way they’ll lose. I know from personal experience how hard it is to win consecutively, but if anyone was going to do it in the whole world, it would be Yuzuru. That’s why I know at that Olympics, if Yuzuru could make it there, there was no way he wouldn’t win.” (literal translation ‘if he can just stand in that place’)
34:00 If he can just make it there…we now know that Plushenko’s prophecy came true, but up till that moment, we didn’t know if he could stand.



END OF SECOND PART

  Reveal hidden contents

Another Story NHK Documentary Summary Pt3

News article of injury at NHK trophy
A serious right ankle injury Hanyu had to contend with.
A great support to him during that time was fellow gold medal rival, this man:
Javier Fernandez
34:47
Just before the Olympics, due to injury, Hanyu withdrew from the public.
There were rumors circulating that he would not be able to compete, and his non-response caused further criticism and slander from some circles.
But he returned.

The third point of view, friends though rivals
Javier Fernandez

The two are friends who for a long time have shared the same coach and a friendly rivalry. How does he see Hanyu’s road to recovery, as a main rival for the gold in Pyeonchang?
A warm friendship that unfolded on the ice, Another Story.

36:06 Footage of Pooh Rain after Yuzuru’s LP finished.
On that day, though Hanyu’s performance was complete, it wasn’t certain whether he would get the gold or not. Because, next to skate was this man.
36:26 Footage of Fernandez taking the ice after Yuzu.
With dynamic quadruple jumps and steps that earned a higher score than Hanyu’s , though he lost to Hanyu, Javier Fernandez brought the first skating medal to his country Spain.

37:16 “He took the gold medal, but I was content. Because to compete your best and place third is much better than for everyone to mess up and winning by chance. All this time we’ve trained together, chasing each other. I was really happy that he was able to come back and compete at the highest level because before the Olympics he passed through such a difficult time.”

37:55 Footage of Toronto
Hanyu and Fernandez’ deep camaraderie began in Toronto in 2012 when Hanyu joined the Cricket Club where Brian Orser was head coach. Fernandez had joined the year before. He was the senior student.
“When I heard he was coming (to the club) I was like ‘huh’? At that time we had only met briefly in competition.”
Orser had a good reputation as a coach after leading Yuna Kim to gold in Vancouver.
38:42 Footage of Hanyu training with Orser at the Cricket Club
But that wasn’t the only reason Hanyu chose this place.
(From Hanyu’s second autobiography Blue Flames II)
Javier Fernandez’ Quadruple Jump consistency was a big motive. I joined the Cricket Club with an eye for this person, really. When I couldn’t jump and couldn’t visualize it, there is someone nearby who can create that image. With Javier there, I feel like I don’t want to lose.
“I understand well what Yuzuru is saying. I was the same. When I wanted to do an element, it’s best when you can watch someone nearby who can do it. But it’s not just looking and copying. If he can do it with that speed, I should be able to do it with even more speed. I should be able to do it better. Yuzuru and I would chase each other and improved like that.”

40:00 The leading figure after the Vancouver Olympics was 3 time consecutive World Champion, Patrick Chan. But Hanyu and Fernandez were close behind in ranking. While working in friendly rivalry at the Cricket Club, they faced the upcoming Sochi Olympics.

40:25 Sochi Olympics Footage Of Patrick Chan’s LP and Fernandez’ LP, showing the errors made in the LP.
Hanyu himself, though he took the gold medal, was regretful of his mistakes, and said that the quality was not ideal.
41:06 “A gold medal isn’t something that comes easy. Yuzuru is strong, it was that competition that made me think that way, deeply. People tend to forget, but that was his first Olympics. (Sochi)
(Patrick) Chan and I attended 4 years before. The first Olympic rises before you and everything looks so big. Amidst that, Yuzuru performed magnificently. Everyone made mistakes, but though he was a first timer, his performance was the best. The results show it. From now on, he will continue to win, he can’t bear to lose. -This is what I thought.”

42:03 True to Fernandez’ words, after Sochi, Hanyu continued to be at the top. And desperately chasing his back, was Fernandez.
42:24 At our training place, we have a place where the names of all the World and Olympic medalists are hung. I always wanted to put my name there. So when I won the World Championships in 2015 for the first time, I went straight there to see it.”
42:45 Shanghai World Championships 2015
Fernandez beat Olympic Champion Yuzuru Hanyu and won. Seeing this result, without hesitation, Hanyu had tears in his eyes. It wasn’t just tears of frustration from losing, Fernandez says.
43:10 “Of course he was sad, he wanted to win. At the same time he was happy for my victory. He said to me, ‘I’m really glad you won. Today, I’m not at the top, but I can see this scenery with you.’ I understood well what he meant. --I think from that time, I truly became friends with Yuzuru”
43:46 In mutual appreciation, these two went on to astound the world.

Timeline from 2015
November NHK Trophy Record score by Hanyu
2016 European Championship Fernandez also exceeded 300 points
2016 World Championships Fernandez conquers
2017 World Championships Hanyu conquers
In points and in titles, the two are top level.
The upcoming Pyeongchang Olympics was set as their decisive battle.
BUT…
44:47 News clips again of Hanyu’s injury
The news reached Fernandez, but more than the injury, he was concerned about something else.
 

Originally Posted by yude

"In Spain, it is very rare for figure skating to be reported. On the other hand, figure skating is very popular in Japan, too popular. As regards Yuzuru who stands on the top, they were eager to catch him napping and jealousy or lies were everywhere at the time he was injured, just as I thought."

"Yuzuru is a person who tries insatiably to gain something meaningful from everywhere for his performances. So when he feels down, he feels down thoroughly. I kind of understand they wanted to know the secret of the top athlete and start rumors. But if so, they should have covered him straightforward. Yuzuru himself and his coaches respond to media's requests properly."

Thank you, Javier

https://twitter.com/330_43_snow/stat...49263378878464

(yude did such a good translation, I pasted it in here. I hope you don't mind?)

46:23 Did you meet with him during that time (rehabilitation)?
“I did not try to meet him face to face. He would sometimes come to the rink and try to practice, but his injury would hurt right away and he'd stop. We do not talk to each other about our injuries. If Yuzuru asked I would help him with anything, but starting with his mom, he has many people who care for him.
When you are competing at a high level like we are, what is required is to continue to ‘show each other our backs’ (this is a foreign phrase, I think? The nearest English equivalents seems to be ‘catch me if you can’)
“Look at my back. See, I’m keeping my level (high). Actually I thought, because he was down, he can make an unbelievable comeback. Yuzuru can make any negatives into a positive in an instant. He’s a human being with that much power.”
47:25 2014, Grand Prix China, Hanyu had a collision with another skater just before the competition.
Even severely injured, he went to competition with a bandage wrapped around his head. In the 4 years to Pyeongchang, he experienced an operation, and many injuries, but always returned to the battlefield. With this new injury, the media gave attention to young talents such as Shoma Uno and Nathan Chen as the new medal contenders.

Q: Before the 2018 Olympics, who was your rival?
“It is Yuzuru. My rival is only Yuzuru. If I skate my program absolutely perfectly, I can beat Shoma and Nathan. But Yuzuru, even if I perform my program perfectly, he’s always produced higher scores. Always a little higher, a little higher; I could only ever see his back.”

48:38 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics Men’s Individual Short Program
Footage of Hanyu and Fernandez entering the arena. (looking very cool )
Their final battle will begin.

48:50 Footage of Hanyu’s SP
49:31 Footage of Fernandez’ Sp

After the Short Program, Hanyu 1st, Fernandez 2nd. In friendly rivalry, these two who had competed for world titles had their names lined up next to each other.
50:06 “I thought it would be like that. Everyone was surprised by Yuzuru’s comeback, but I thought he would do it, and that I would be closer than anyone else, chasing his back. ‘Good, isn’t this a great battle?’”
50:30 Fernandez watches the Free Program.

Footage of Hanyu’s FP
“This is my first time to see this. First time. I don’t even watch my own. Performances aren’t to be watched, they are to be shown.”
Second Half of FP
“as expected!” (the word is sasuga, but the meaning is not translatable easily)
Spin and choreo sequence begins
“He’s enjoying it, you know when you see it. Just like I said, as low as he falls, he comes back (up)”
Program Ends
Hanyu scored a seasons best score of above 300.

53:11 Fernandez begins his FP
Q: You skated right after Yuzuru, were you influenced by that?
“No, I wasn’t. There was no way he wouldn’t do a good performance on that stage. So there was no influence. It was time for me to rise to the occasion. That was all.”
53:48 There was a jump that Fernandez couldn’t complete according to plan, but he finished his performance without any other mistakes.
54:07 Shoma’s LP ending footage
He was third after Shoma. He was on the podium with Hanyu Yuzuru.
Just before the podium the three medalists who were rinkside…
Javier Fernandez hugged the other two.

54:35 HUUUUUUGGGGG
And Fernandez said something that couldn’t be heard.
54:55 “You are SO BAD!” -from Hanyu, he couldn’t stop crying. What was said was not told till now.
55:18 Fernandez rewatches the medal ceremony and smiles.
Q: What did you say here?
55:25 "First of all, I congratulated Hanyu and Shoma on their performance and their medals. And to Yuzuru I said, ‘I’m proud to have competed against you. This is the last time I will compete with you. I’m going to retire.’ I hadn’t told anyone else yet. I had planned to compete at Euros, but Yuzuru is a Japanese athlete and cannot go to Euros. So this would really be the last competition. I thought it’s now or never, and told him. He told me I’m the worst. Because of the timing. But it was after the best competition. To the person I wanted to tell the most, in the best place, it was really good.”
59:37 Fernandez officially announced his retirement 9 months later. The news that surprised the world was shared first with the one who contended with him for the Olympic Title. Best rival, best friend. (aaaagh, crying!)

57:00 Closing words.
Hanyu Yuzuru, who even other Olympic contenders call the strongest skater, ‘the only one who can surpass Hanyu is Hanyu.’ Who even now will not loosen his grip on the top.
Even after winning the Olympics consecutively he continues to put pressure on himself. How far will he progress from here?
57:45 What to expect from Hanyu now? Answers from Plushenko, Button and Fernandez

Plushenko: When Yuzuru enters a competition, he’s there to win. If Japan will let him concentrate on the Olympics, at least 4 consecutive wins is possible. 5 is not out of the question.

Button: Hey, who’s saying that?? He’s already exceptional. Let him do whatever he likes.

Fernandez: First I want him to heal his current injury properly. If his injury heals, then onward and onward as much as he likes. When the time comes to retire, I want him to look back for the first time. Where he’s climbed is a path that will be spoken of forever and somewhere there is my name, I hope he won’t forget.

59:05 They’ve spoken. So Hanyu, how far will you go?

END

 

 

 

 

That is from @Specs at GS and  @Henni147 already posted about it in the previous page.

 

5 hours ago, Henni147 said:

@Interspectator from GS has posted a trantranslation of the NHK documentary.

Thank you very much for this huge effort.

 

Part I:

  Reveal hidden contents

Another Story NHK Documentary Summary

Intro: 
Yuzuru’s LP performance and hug with Javi 
“How did he achieve the defense (of the Gold) after severe injury and being away from the ice for 4 months? The key to the truth is here in this moment before the Medal Ceremony.” 
Yuzu, Javi, Shoma hug and Yuzu saying ‘You are so bad!’ “The tears do not stop” 
“The never before revealed moving story can finally be shown” 
1:30 Opening Credits
1:50 How difficult it must be to bring the body and mind to its peak for the once in 4 years Olympics. 
Kulik, Yagudin, Plushenko, Lysacek who stood at the top of the podium countless times only won the Olympics once. Yuzuru Hanyu is the one who was able to achieve the defense of his Olympic title. 
2:45 Introduction of Yuzu’s history, starting skating at 4 and wanting to win the Olympics.
At 19, at the Sochi Olympics he was able win, but didn’t stop there. He had the high, high aim of defending his title. But just before the Peyonchang Olympics he was injured. Some doubted he would be able to compete. But when he stood on the Olympic stage again, in an instant he turned all doubt into excitement. 

4:29 Feburary 17th, 2018 was a crossroads with destiny. 
In his first time to skate his LP in competition since his injury four months ago, his quads, his steps, so sharply executed, an astounding performance that made you think he’d never been away, caused oohs and ahhs from not just the Japanese fans, but also the top skaters around the world.
5:17 Plushenko’s comment
With this, Yuzuru became the ultimate competitor, the best of the best. 
5:36 Fernandez’ comment
He took the gold, but there are no regrets. At the greatest stage, fought with the greatest performance, I’m totally content. 

5:55 First Point of View: Dick Button
6:30- The Living Legend, Dick Button, 89 years old, lives in the New York suburbs. What’s this casually lying on his desk? Could it be? 
“I gave my 1948 medal to my mother, who made a necklace of it. My next Olympic medal I gave to my father, who made it into a paperweight. I’m glad I’ve got two.” 
What a nice, cheerful Grandpa…or so we thought! 
“Plushenko?? Amazing technique, but I wish he’d listen to me earlier. His spins were excessive, too many turns. His head stuck out I was sure it would one day spin off onto the ice.” 
“Kulik? Worst costume ever. Yellow with black dots, you’re not a giraffe! Well, because of that, it can’t be denied that it you couldn’t take your eyes of him.” Laughter. 
8:28-Dick button was known as an acerbic commentator and he made his opinions known for many years. What would he think of Hanyu who after 66 years matched his record? We nervously asked his opinion and…
8:46 “The result is an extra, my judging criteria is whether or not the performance has a sense of theatre. Theatre that is original and draws people in.” 
“Hanyu Yuzuru’s performance was wonderful in that way. It enthralled everyone.” 


9:26 Dick Button talks about his performance and other great skaters of the past
“This footage is from my competition in Colorado in 1952. I think I’m skating quite well.” 
Sharp jumps, centered spins. The worlds first triple jump was landed by Button. 
10:13 “There’s not enough opportunity for skaters these days to change skating. They are bound by points system, it’s confining and none of the athletes want to try new elements.” 
Not Hanyu, starting with the 4Lo, he’s implemented never-before done elements. 
But, Button thinks that their main commonality is unexpected. 
“What Yuzuru said after the Sochi Olympics left a deep impression on me. He said that he couldn’t skate well. ”
11:00 Shows clips of Yuzuru’s Sochi LP in which he fell twice. 
In an interview right after the results were announced he said: 
“I’m really happy with the results, but I’m also feeling regret. (Kuyashii, frustration) Well, though I say it having won the Olympics, I feel a little regret.”
Dick Button: 
“I too, in 1948, my performance was good. I was able to win with a wonderful performance. But the next Olympics 1952, though as an athlete I was at my peak, I fell on a jump, it was the greatest mistake of my life. Even now, I regret it.”
12:00 Shows time line of Dick Buttons dominance in the sport. From 1948-1952. Won every international competition he entered. 
12:27 You won your second Gold Medal in 1952, is winning not enough? 
“No. you ask why? Because I fell. The rules now give you points even when you fail. When that happened, I think figure skating died. 
Above (or before?) being a sport of points, Figure skating is a sport that engages the audience. An orchestra, if you miss a note, it’s ruined, like ballet when a dancer falls, it’s the same. You mustn’t disappoint the audience, come on! That’s why I was moved by Yuzuru’s words. This young man, he understands!” 
Hanyu's FCC Press Conference 2014
“I will devote myself with my whole heart towards the Pyeongchang Olympics in four Years” 
Hanyu, going forth, to once more achieve Gold with a satisfactory performance…

13:30 In the four years, young athletes emerged, one after the other. Nathan Chen, Jin Boyang and Uno Shoma. All of them had many quadruple jumps as weapon. 

14:8 “Quads, quads, so what? This guy that guy, goes after the points like wringing a rag for water. I don’t want to see such ugly things. What I want to see is, for example Janet Lynn. She jumped so lightly; long distance and quiet in landing. That’s a real jump. 
14:35 Janet Lynn competition footage. 
15:17 “Do you know who taught her? My exwife! There’s a lot of things between us, but she was a good coach. Janet’s performance is seamless. Everything is controlled, the jumps match the music and are simple. Her skating is quintessential theatre.” 
“Another that we mustn’t forget is Ito Midori. She was, in a different way from Janet, superb theatre. She commanded attention. No one can jump as high as that.” 
“And Asada Mao, wasn’t she gorgeous; a movie star on ice, no other athlete could do that performance like she did. But even compared to these famous athletes, Hanyu is extraordinary an exceptional person. 
He performs like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Performances that, if you miss them you’ll never see again. That’s what has worth. No matter how difficult the element, the skater must make it their own. Doing the same kinds of jumps, there’s no inspiration in mere points.” 

17:04 A short history of skating and how it started from figures drawn on the ice with skates. 

Back then performances were one third of a skaters score. Dick Button still pioneered new elements. Triple jumps, and the flying camel spin used to be called Button Camel. 
17:50 “I did the camel spin to move people’s hearts, to add dynamism to otherwise elegant, effortless skating, to capture attention. 
Yuzuru can (emotionally) move people beyond points. He was injured before the Olympics, and I just wanted to see him come back. A true skater.” 

18:18 Dick Button watches Hanyu’s Pyeongchang Prorgram
News clip of Yuzu’s injury and withdrawal from NHK trophy, arrival at PyeongChang 5 days before competition. 
Practice footage of Yuzu. Nobody knew how much Yuzuru had recovered
18:58 Olympics SP footage. 
19:50 Olympics LP footage. 
20:17 “The most important point to look at in his jumps is the speed. There’s no change in the speed of the jump when it’s landed compared to when it’s entered. That’s rare in a skater. He doesn’t show off when he’s landed to say ‘look, I’ve landed it!’ When other skaters land a difficult jump there’s a sense of ending. He seamlessly, simply continues the performance. 
21:06 When Yuzuru overturned his 4T in the second half. 
“Uh oh, but he did well not to fall. He’s made progress. 
After the 3Lz
“He just recovered from injury right? He’s hanging on really well. Honestly, even if he fell once, points-wise, he could still win. But he knows the importance of engaging the audience. 
22:00 Performance ends, Dick button laughs,
“He’s satisfied at last. I understand the feeling. That was really wonderful.”
22:30 Q: How did he change since the last Olympics? 
“The performance was much more riveting; more simple but more clearly communicating. The points don’t matter. On this great stage(Olympics), he showed the best ‘theatre’. This is beyond Gold, a Diamond grade performance. 



END OF FIRST PART

 

Part II:

  Reveal hidden contents

Another Story NHK Documentary Summary Pt2

Second Point of Veiw: Evgeni Plushenko
66 years after Dick Button defended his title, Hanyu Yuzuru also won consecutively. But the person who came closest to also achieving this was this person. 
Evgeni Plushenko the Torino Olympics Gold Medalist. 
He was a favorite to win in Vancouver, but was beaten by a small margin. He, above all others, knows how hard it is to win consecutively (at the Olympics). Plushenko has been someone who Yuzuru has respected and aspired to for many years. How does he view Hanyu Yuzuru who challenged the consecutive wins that he could not achieve? 
Another Story from the Figure Skating Emperor. 
24:04 Footage of Moscow and Evgeni Plushenko at the Plushenko cup, watching young skaters under 10 years old, and his own son compete. 
“Lots of mistakes, we’ll need to do special training on the camel spin” 
Strict words for his son, Alexander Plushenko who is 5 years old. There is a reason for this. 
“This competition is for scouting young talent, and inviting them to get special education at my school. So no matter who it is, we are strict from this stage. At this point the goal is to defeat Hanyu Yuzuru. To raise an athlete that will surpass him.” 

25:34 Debuting in Seniors in 1997, for 20 years till his retirement in 2017, the emperor, Plushenko, trained on the ice. Hanyu strongly admired him, and when he was a child, even copied his hairstyle. 
“I first met him when he was about 10. At a show in Japan. This kid really admires you. I was astonished at first sight. His spins were good. But he was so thin. If he was built up, he could get good results, I thought. But I didn’t have an inkling that he’d go on to win two Olympic Golds.”
26:31 Plushenko’s timeline, the 4 Olympics he attended. 2 Individual silvers, 1 gold, 1 team gold. 

12 years difference between Plushenko and Hanyu. Their first opportunity to skate against each other was at the Sochi Olympics. 
Three and a half years before that, Hanyu, who debuted as a Senior at 15…

Footage of Hanyu’s NHK2010 performance and the Quad Toe he landed. 
Footage of 2012 LP at NHK where he won

27:40 “He’s climbing, I thought. A great rival for Sochi has been made. No matter how long you know someone, on the rink, they are the enemy. If it’s him (Hanyu) it will be a worthy victory.” (The word is taoshigai. Not sure about this translation) 

28:05 There is a reason behind Plushenko’s excitement at Hanyu’s arrival, it goes back to the previous Olympics and a great disappointment. 
28:16 Footage of Plushenko at the Vancouver Olympics
Previously, Plushenko, who had won the Olympics at Torino attempted the defense of his title, which would have been the first in 58 years. He was confident that he had won, but by a mere point he did not reach the consecutive win. 
28:30 “At Vancouver I was injured all over. It was a miracle I was able to compete at all. It’s frustrating that I lost, and I am unhappy with the scoring. But If I had not competed there, it would have been a worse competition. At that time, there weren’t many competitors, and they’d retire quickly, when they could have skated more. More than my disappointment in losing, I was disappointed that rivals to compete with were getting fewer and fewer. 
29:25 Plushenko won Olympic Silver twice. The athletes that took gold, Yagudin and Lysacek did not attempt to defend their title, but left the competitive stage. 
29:40 “It’s not like I don’t understand those who retire. When you get to the level where you compete for medals, it’s extremely tough to maintain. Getting fed up with the suffering, those who medal at the Olympics and Worlds choose to retire. When they skate in shows, they introduce you as so-and-so, the medalist. Because of that, the level of competition at the Olympics gets lowered. You’re quitting too, and you? That was frustrating.” 
30:12 Because of this, when the strong rival Yuzuru Hanyu appeared, Plushenko was encouraged. 
"How to beat him (Hanyu) on the ice, to shock him, to knock him down, that’s all I thought about” 
30:41 From this glaring fighting spirit, Hanyu responded with all his might. 
(From Hanyu’s first autobiography, Blue Flames) 
I don’t know if I can surpass him. But no matter how high a level I go to, having other strong competitors fires me up. I want to be that person to Plushenko, ‘a person who fires you up’ even if only a little, I want to get closer to being that (person). 

31:15 Sochi Olympics, 2014, their wishes were not granted. 
“The bolt that was supporting my lower back came loose at practice before the competition. Never before have I felt such pain. Performing was impossible.” 
31:50 Footage of Plushenko withdrawing
31:56 Footage of Hanyu receiving the gold medal at Sochi 
32:11 “When Yuzuru won the gold in Sochi and said he wouldn’t retire, and would go to the next (Olympics) I was jumping with joy. Even if I left, he would continue to compete and the greatest competition, the Olympics would maintain its high level. Yuzuru knows the best performances can only be done in competition and there is no greater joy than becoming the Olympic Champion.” 
32:39 Hanyu received the baton from Plushenko and started for the Pyeonchang Olympics. In the 4 years that came between, younger athletes appeared, but whenever he was asked about it Plushenko always answered ‘the contender for gold is Hanyu’. 
32:57 “ A lot of times, competitors mess up, and the Olympics gives a special kind of nerves or adrenaline. Having won gold once, puts you ahead. The important thing is not the elements, but experience and confidence. And the only one who had both was Yuzuru. Even now, having won consecutively, he hasn’t stopped evolving. The top athletes are the greediest, there’s no way they’ll lose. I know from personal experience how hard it is to win consecutively, but if anyone was going to do it in the whole world, it would be Yuzuru. That’s why I know at that Olympics, if Yuzuru could make it there, there was no way he wouldn’t win.” (literal translation ‘if he can just stand in that place’)
34:00 If he can just make it there…we now know that Plushenko’s prophecy came true, but up till that moment, we didn’t know if he could stand. 



END OF SECOND PART

 

Part III:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Another Story NHK Documentary Summary Pt3

News article of injury at NHK trophy
A serious right ankle injury Hanyu had to contend with. 
A great support to him during that time was fellow gold medal rival, this man: 
Javier Fernandez
34:47
Just before the Olympics, due to injury, Hanyu withdrew from the public. 
There were rumors circulating that he would not be able to compete, and his non-response caused further criticism and slander from some circles. 
But he returned.

The third point of view, friends though rivals 
Javier Fernandez

The two are friends who for a long time have shared the same coach and a friendly rivalry. How does he see Hanyu’s road to recovery, as a main rival for the gold in Pyeonchang? 
A warm friendship that unfolded on the ice, Another Story. 

36:06 Footage of Pooh Rain after Yuzuru’s LP finished. 
On that day, though Hanyu’s performance was complete, it wasn’t certain whether he would get the gold or not. Because, next to skate was this man. 
36:26 Footage of Fernandez taking the ice after Yuzu. 
With dynamic quadruple jumps and steps that earned a higher score than Hanyu’s , though he lost to Hanyu, Javier Fernandez brought the first skating medal to his country Spain. 

37:16 “He took the gold medal, but I was content. Because to compete your best and place third is much better than for everyone to mess up and winning by chance. All this time we’ve trained together, chasing each other. I was really happy that he was able to come back and compete at the highest level because before the Olympics he passed through such a difficult time.”

37:55 Footage of Toronto
Hanyu and Fernandez’ deep camaraderie began in Toronto in 2012 when Hanyu joined the Cricket Club where Brian Orser was head coach. Fernandez had joined the year before. He was the senior student. 
“When I heard he was coming (to the club) I was like ‘huh’? At that time we had only met briefly in competition.” 
Orser had a good reputation as a coach after leading Yuna Kim to gold in Vancouver. 
38:42 Footage of Hanyu training with Orser at the Cricket Club
But that wasn’t the only reason Hanyu chose this place. 
(From Hanyu’s second autobiography Blue Flames II) 
Javier Fernandez’ Quadruple Jump consistency was a big motive. I joined the Cricket Club with an eye for this person, really. When I couldn’t jump and couldn’t visualize it, there is someone nearby who can create that image. With Javier there, I feel like I don’t want to lose. 
“I understand well what Yuzuru is saying. I was the same. When I wanted to do an element, it’s best when you can watch someone nearby who can do it. But it’s not just looking and copying. If he can do it with that speed, I should be able to do it with even more speed. I should be able to do it better. Yuzuru and I would chase each other and improved like that.” 

40:00 The leading figure after the Vancouver Olympics was 3 time consecutive World Champion, Patrick Chan. But Hanyu and Fernandez were close behind in ranking. While working in friendly rivalry at the Cricket Club, they faced the upcoming Sochi Olympics. 

40:25 Sochi Olympics Footage Of Patrick Chan’s LP and Fernandez’ LP, showing the errors made in the LP. 
Hanyu himself, though he took the gold medal, was regretful of his mistakes, and said that the quality was not ideal. 
41:06 “A gold medal isn’t something that comes easy. Yuzuru is strong, it was that competition that made me think that way, deeply. People tend to forget, but that was his first Olympics. (Sochi) 
(Patrick) Chan and I attended 4 years before. The first Olympic rises before you and everything looks so big. Amidst that, Yuzuru performed magnificently. Everyone made mistakes, but though he was a first timer, his performance was the best. The results show it. From now on, he will continue to win, he can’t bear to lose. -This is what I thought.” 

42:03 True to Fernandez’ words, after Sochi, Hanyu continued to be at the top. And desperately chasing his back, was Fernandez. 
42:24 At our training place, we have a place where the names of all the World and Olympic medalists are hung. I always wanted to put my name there. So when I won the World Championships in 2015 for the first time, I went straight there to see it.” 
42:45 Shanghai World Championships 2015
Fernandez beat Olympic Champion Yuzuru Hanyu and won. Seeing this result, without hesitation, Hanyu had tears in his eyes. It wasn’t just tears of frustration from losing, Fernandez says. 
43:10 “Of course he was sad, he wanted to win. At the same time he was happy for my victory. He said to me, ‘I’m really glad you won. Today, I’m not at the top, but I can see this scenery with you.’ I understood well what he meant. --I think from that time, I truly became friends with Yuzuru” 
43:46 In mutual appreciation, these two went on to astound the world. 

Timeline from 2015
November NHK Trophy Record score by Hanyu
2016 European Championship Fernandez also exceeded 300 points
2016 World Championships Fernandez conquers
2017 World Championships Hanyu conquers
In points and in titles, the two are top level. 
The upcoming PyeongChang Olympics was set as their decisive battle.
BUT…
44:47 News clips again of Hanyu’s injury 
The news reached Fernandez, but more than the injury, he was concerned about something else. 
 

 [Originally Posted by yude]

"In Spain, it is very rare for figure skating to be reported. On the other hand, figure skating is very popular in Japan, too popular. As regards Yuzuru who stands on the top, they were eager to catch him napping and jealousy or lies were everywhere at the time he was injured, just as I thought."

"Yuzuru is a person who tries insatiably to gain something meaningful from everywhere for his performances. So when he feels down, he feels down thoroughly. I kind of understand they wanted to know the secret of the top athlete and start rumors. But if so, they should have covered him straightforward. Yuzuru himself and his coaches respond to media's requests properly."

46:23 Did you meet with him during that time (rehabilitation)? 
“I did not try to meet him face to face. He would sometimes come to the rink and try to practice, but his injury would hurt right away and he'd stop. We do not talk to each other about our injuries. If Yuzuru asked I would help him with anything, but starting with his mom, he has many people who care for him. 
When you are competing at a high level like we are, what is required is to continue to ‘show each other our backs’ (this is a foreign phrase, I think? The nearest English equivalents seems to be ‘catch me if you can’)
“Look at my back. See, I’m keeping my level (high). Actually I thought, because he was down, he can make an unbelievable comeback. Yuzuru can make any negatives into a positive in an instant. He’s a human being with that much power.”
47:25 2014, Grand Prix China, Hanyu had a collision with another skater just before the competition. 
Even severely injured, he went to competition with a bandage wrapped around his head. In the 4 years to PyeongChang, he experienced an operation, and many injuries, but always returned to the battlefield. With this new injury, the media gave attention to young talents such as Shoma Uno and Nathan Chen as a new medal contenders.

Q: Before the 2018 Olympics, who was your rival? 
“It is Yuzuru. My rival is only Yuzuru. If I skate my program absolutely perfectly, I can beat Shoma and Nathan. But Yuzuru, even if I perform my program perfectly, he’s always produced higher scores. Always a little higher, a little higher; I could only ever see his back.”

48:38 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics Men’s Individual Short Program
Footage of Hanyu and Fernandez entering the arena. (looking very cool )
Their final battle will begin.

48:50 Footage of Hanyu’s SP
49:31 Footage of Fernandez’ Sp

After the Short Program, Hanyu 1st, Fernandez 2nd. In friendly rivalry, these two who had competed for world titles had their names lined up next to each other. 
50:06 “I thought it would be like that. Everyone was surprised by Yuzuru’s comeback, but I thought he would do it, and that I would be closer than anyone else, chasing his back. ‘Good, isn’t this a great battle?’”
50:30 Fernandez watches the Free Program.

Footage of Hanyu’s FP 
“This is my first time to see this. First time. I don’t even watch my own. Performances aren’t to be watched, they are to be shown.”
Second Half of FP
“as expected!” (the word is sasuga, but the meaning is not translatable easily)
Spin and choreo sequence begins
“He’s enjoying it, you know when you see it. Just like I said, as low as he falls, he comes back (up)”
Program Ends
Hanyu scored a seasons best score of above 300. 

53:11 Fernandez begins his FP 
Q: You skated right after Yuzuru, were you influenced by that?
“No, there wasn’t. There was no way he wouldn’t do a good performance on that stage. So there was no influence. It was time for me to rise to the occasion. That was all.” 
53:48 There was a jump that Fernandez couldn’t complete according to plan, but he finished his performance without any other mistakes. 
54:07 Shoma’s LP ending footage 
He was third after Shoma. He was on the podium with Hanyu Yuzuru. 
Just before the podium the three medalists who were rinkside…
Javier Fernandez hugged the other two. 

54:35 HUUUUUUGGGGG
And Fernandez said something that couldn’t be heard. 
54:55 “You are SO BAD!” -from Hanyu, he couldn’t stop crying. What was said was not told till now. 
55:18 Fernandez rewatches the medal ceremony and smiles. 
Q: What did you say here? 
55:25 "First of all, I congratulated Hanyu and Shoma on their performance and their medals. And to Yuzuru I said, ‘I’m proud to have competed against you. This is the last time I will compete with you. I’m going to retire.’ I hadn’t told anyone else yet. I had planned to compete at Euros, but Yuzuru is a Japanese athlete and cannot go to Euros. So this would really be the last competition. I thought it’s now or never, and told him. He told me I’m the worst. Because of the timing. But it was after the best competition. To the person I wanted to tell the most, in the best place, it was really good.”
59:37 Fernandez officially announced his retirement 9 months later. The news that surprised the world was shared first with the one who contended with him for the Olympic Title. Best rival, best friend. (aaaagh, crying!) 

57:00 Closing words. 
Hanyu Yuzuru, who even other Olympic contenders call the strongest skater, ‘the only one who can beat Hanyu is Hanyu.’ Who even now will no loosen his grip on the top. 
Even after winning the Olympics consecutively he continues to put pressure on himself. How far will he progress from here? 
57:45 What to expect from Hanyu now? Answers from Plushenko, Button and Fernandez 
Plushenko: When Yuzuru enters a competition, he’s there to win. If Japan will let him concentrate on the Olympics, at least 4 consecutive wins is possible. 5 is not out of the question. 
Button: Hey, who’s saying that?? He’s already exceptional. Let him do whatever he likes. 
Fernandez: First I want him to heal his current injury properly. If his injury heals, then onward and onward as much as he likes. When the time comes to retire, I want him to look back for the first time. Where he’s climbed is a path that will be spoken of forever and somewhere there is my name, I hope he won’t forget. 

59:05 They’ve spoken. So Hanyu, how far will you go? 

END

 

 

 

[ZuCritter]

59 minutes ago, yuzupon said:

 

@Planet Hanyu Staff can we? I am putting this under the suggestion as well if you don't mind, @ZuCritter

I'm fine with that. Thanks.

[Whee1000]

@SabrinaThank you for the posting. Javi's perspective is interesting. It sure seems like it was a fortuitous pairing, him and Yuzu.