General Yuzuru Chat

[kiches]

@Geo1 I've read some speculation on this as well. I'm not sure Yuzu would accept (especially as he is a Winter Olympian), and while I'd love to see him carry that torch I feel it may be more meaningful if they had a young athlete from the Tohoku, even someone who is an unknown student. Although I think it might be beautiful to see him running alongside a young athlete to light that torch, I'm not sure if having two people run the last leg is something that's done.

[rockstaryuzu]

2 hours ago, Geo1 said:

Not having taken part in the Olympic torchbearer discussion, I didn't know that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants the 2020 Olympic Games to showcase Japan's recovery from the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear crisis.

 

https://www.oann.com/japan-speculates-over-identity-of-final-olympic-torchbearer/ 

 

In a Reuters news article entitled "Japan Speculates Over Identity Of Final Olympic Torchbearer" dated August 22, 2019, it says:

 

"This time, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants the Games to showcase Japan's recovery from the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear crisis, fueling speculation that the choice could be a young person or emerging athlete from the devastated northeast.

 

"Olympic organizers say that they will not reveal the final torchbearer's identity until the torch arrives in the stadium on live television, watched by billions of spectators."

 

It then lists potential athletes, including Yuzu:

 

"Yuzuru Hanyu, a heartthrob for the Japanese, who became the first man in more than 50 years to win back-to-back figure skating gold medals, also figures in the discussion. He hails from Sendai, a northern city hit by the 2011 tsunami."

 

If they really are trying to showcase Japan's recovery from the 2011 disaster, Yuzu would be the ideal representative of that because of his accomplishments and dedication to the recovery of the area. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, he is immensely popular with the people and has also received the People's Honor Award in recognition of everything he has done.

 

Knowing Yuzu, he would be inclined to not accept the position of final torchbearer even if it was offered to him because he is not a summer Olympian; however, if they said that his being the final torchbearer would assist in the recovery of his hometown of Sendai and Tohoku, he would likely accept it. This was the reason he decided to accept the acting offer when he played the Lord of Sendai in "Tono, Risoku de Gozaru" ("The Magnificent Nine"). He and his father decided that it was appropriate for him to accept the offer because it was a story about the people of Sendai helping themselves to recover from their financial difficulties.

 

Yuzu is also someone who is very high profile and very much in the eyes of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Imperial family.

 

Having said all that, I have a feeling that it will be someone else that will surprise everyone by running into the stadium bearing the torch to light the Olympic flame.

Well, Shinzo Abe is also a Yuzu fan to some extent. He's on the record as saying that he was so tense watching Yuzu's final Pyeongchang skate that he crushed a tangerine in his hand without noticing. So if Abe is the one who gets to pick, it probably will be Yuzu. 

[fyere0]

1 hour ago, mercedes said:

Imagine the level of security they would need to keep Yuzuru safe while he runs inside the stadium...it'd be crazy.

I'd be proud of him but i agree with what you said he'd probably decline,didn't he decline being the flag bearer during PC closing ceremony?

On the other hand if it could help the recovery i can't really see him saying no....we'll see next year.

 

2 hours ago, Geo1 said:

Not having taken part in the Olympic torchbearer discussion, I didn't know that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants the 2020 Olympic Games to showcase Japan's recovery from the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear crisis.

 

https://www.oann.com/japan-speculates-over-identity-of-final-olympic-torchbearer/ 

 

In a Reuters news article entitled "Japan Speculates Over Identity Of Final Olympic Torchbearer" dated August 22, 2019, it says:

 

"This time, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants the Games to showcase Japan's recovery from the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear crisis, fueling speculation that the choice could be a young person or emerging athlete from the devastated northeast.

 

"Olympic organizers say that they will not reveal the final torchbearer's identity until the torch arrives in the stadium on live television, watched by billions of spectators."

 

It then lists potential athletes, including Yuzu:

 

"Yuzuru Hanyu, a heartthrob for the Japanese, who became the first man in more than 50 years to win back-to-back figure skating gold medals, also figures in the discussion. He hails from Sendai, a northern city hit by the 2011 tsunami."

 

If they really are trying to showcase Japan's recovery from the 2011 disaster, Yuzu would be the ideal representative of that because of his accomplishments and dedication to the recovery of the area. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, he is immensely popular with the people and has also received the People's Honor Award in recognition of everything he has done.

 

Knowing Yuzu, he would be inclined to not accept the position of final torchbearer even if it was offered to him because he is not a summer Olympian; however, if they said that his being the final torchbearer would assist in the recovery of his hometown of Sendai and Tohoku, he would likely accept it. This was the reason he decided to accept the acting offer when he played the Lord of Sendai in "Tono, Risoku de Gozaru" ("The Magnificent Nine"). He and his father decided that it was appropriate for him to accept the offer because it was a story about the people of Sendai helping themselves to recover from their financial difficulties.

 

Yuzu is also someone who is very high profile and very much in the eyes of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Imperial family.

 

Having said all that, I have a feeling that it will be someone else that will surprise everyone by running into the stadium bearing the torch to light the Olympic flame.

 

I think it would be really nice if a bunch of athletes from both summer and winter sports held individual torches (like they did at the Vancouver Olympics), then passed them off to a group of children from Tohoku who would light the flame together. Then it wouldn't be all on one torch 'star', there would be less argument (especially around a winter athlete opening a summer Olympics, if Yuzu did it alone, though honestly I think he's such an icon that he's kind of transcended that), and the focus would stay on the disaster area and hope for its future.

[rockstaryuzu]

1 minute ago, kiches said:

@Geo1 I've read some speculation on this as well. I'm not sure Yuzu would accept (especially as he is a Winter Olympian), and while I'd love to see him carry that torch I feel it may be more meaningful if they had a young athlete from the Tohoku, even someone who is an unknown student. Although I think it might be beautiful to see him running alongside a young athlete to light that torch, I'm not sure if having two people run the last leg is something that's done.

Two people in the last leg has been done before; the first time was in 1976, at both the summer and the winter Games, a boy-girl pair of young athletes did it. Since then they've had multiple people light it, multiple times, and sometimes multiple cauldrons ( like at 2010 in Vancouver) . It's pretty well up to the organizers to decide what they want. 

 

IMO, it would be very fitting if they chose a team of young athletes ( like say a Tohoku-area youth baseball team) to do it, rather than Yuzu. But it would be lovely to see him do it, too. 

[TallyT]

13 hours ago, Geo1 said:

 

 

 

He could be wearing a burlap sack and an hourglass on his wrist... THE FACE IS EVERYTHING.

 

Are you kidding? He could probably sell burlap and an hourglass.... and make folk love it.

 

 

7 hours ago, fyere0 said:

 

 

I think it would be really nice if a bunch of athletes from both summer and winter sports held individual torches (like they did at the Vancouver Olympics), then passed them off to a group of children from Tohoku who would light the flame together. Then it wouldn't be all on one torch 'star', there would be less argument (especially around a winter athlete opening a summer Olympics, if Yuzu did it alone, though honestly I think he's such an icon that he's kind of transcended that), and the focus would stay on the disaster area and hope for its future.

 

I think (certainly, of the Tokyo Olympic Committee are anywhere near as good at keeping secrets as the press where our ninja is concerned) we won't have an inkling until the relay goes through the Sendai area.  Because if he doesn't run it there.... all bets are off.

[Kat]

13 hours ago, fyere0 said:

 

"A man like jade"...what a gorgeous compliment from a Chinese company. There are Chinese expressions - "gold is valuable but jade is priceless," "a virtuous person is like jade." For centuries jade has represented all the positive traits a person can have - sincerity, wisdom, righteousness, nobility, strength, beauty...

 

TL;DR comparing Yuzu to jade is really nice. 

 The entire thing was a nice long compliment to him. Comparing him to a jade though is pinnacle 😊. But I loved the ending where they called him a male fairy and mentioned coming to the mortal realm was hard. The whole thing is an excersise in waxing poetics and I'm here for it.

 

Sorry to chime in, this forum moves so fast and I am beyond behind 😅, but I absolutely loved what I read and your commentary.

[ralucutzagy]

 

 

[KatjaThera]

Regarding the torch, it would make sense if he did it, IMO. He was dubbed the star of Sendai's hope (although Sendai is just one small part of Tohoku) and he's done so much for the affected areas, in many ways dedicating his life and career to it. And also suffered quite a bit for it, too. On top of that, the Olympic Medal having been inspired - at least partly - by him is another thing. I don't think many Summer athletes would have an issue with it - I believe there have been plenty of Summer athletes who have admitted to being inspired by his winning against the odds in Pyeongchang - but some of their fans might. I do think Yuzu is likely to refuse, unless they wrap it up in a way where refusing would go against everything he's done so far. I think Yuzu AND a group of young, up and coming athletes from Tohoku, or maybe even some other athletes who are from there and were also affected - surely there must be some - would probably work best and just do it all together. Just the way the disaster brought people together to help recover from it, several athletes coming together to light the Olympic flame would also be nicely symbolic. But yes, we probably won't know until then lol

[Umebachi]

8 minutes ago, ralucutzagy said:

 

 

 

I will be in Tokyo next week, and will probably pass through Shibuya Hanzomon station. Hoping to catch sight of the poster!

[Pammi]

[TallyT]

 

 

Just because........

[ralucutzagy]

This is from today's news but I wonder when was he in Sapporo? 

His 4S is a thing of beauty, really ... 

 

 

[Yuzurella]

25 minutes ago, ralucutzagy said:

This is from today's news but I wonder when was he in Sapporo? 

His 4S is a thing of beauty, really ... 

 

 

 

This is sooo beautiful and touching! Yuzu is an angel on Earth, no doubt about it.

When Yuzu put his medal around Mami-sensei's neck, she started crying and he had tears in his eyes. I was also moved to tears by this. 

I'm so grateful for knowing Yuzu. He reminds me over and over again that there's so much goodness in this world.

[Sabrina]

3 minutes ago, Yuzurella said:

 

This is sooo beautiful and touching! Yuzu is an angel on Earth, no doubt about it.

When Yuzu put his medal around Mami-sensei's neck, she started crying and he had tears in his eyes. I was also moved to tears by this. 

I'm so grateful for knowing Yuzu. He reminds me over and over again that there's so much goodness in this world.

You are so right with everything you Said !

He is an angel on Earth , he has such a kind Soul that touches so many people around the world, he is unbelievable! 

I couldn’t understand a thing but I also started crying when he put his medal around Mami-sensei‘s neck ! 

 

[KatjaThera]

1 hour ago, ralucutzagy said:

This is from today's news but I wonder when was he in Sapporo? 

His 4S is a thing of beauty, really ... 

 

 

My guess is after FaOI. We know he was in Japan for a while after FaOI, he probably did the 24H TV filming then, too. It's so good to see again proof of what a good shape he was in even before returning to Toronto. The 4Ts at FaOI were so effortless and most 3As were gorgeous, too. And even 4Lz and the supposed 4F looked more like 'almost there!' than 'that needs a lot of work, still...' For clean landing at least (no idea about edges in the flip).