[2014.02] Sochi Olympics

[yuzurujenn]

Interviews relating to 2014 Winter Olympics held at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi, Russia. 

 

Feb 6th - Team Event

Feb 13th - Men's SP

Feb 14th - Men's FS

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine-translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2014.02.14

 

Source: 

 

Regarding the performance
"I couldn't move my body at all from the 6-minute practice... I think I was nervous."

 

Spoiler

Q&A with Hanyu

After winning the gold medal.
-I'm really surprised. I'm not satisfied with my performance. I fell on the quadruple salchow and also missed the flip, which I thought had a high chance of success. In the end, I think I was a little nervous or tense.

Did your body not move as you wanted?
-I couldn't move at all and I was anxious from the 6-minute practice. But I tried my best to give it my all. I think the reason I won this time was because I was able to do so well in the SP.

 

(From overseas media)

You experienced a major earthquake three years ago. What do you want to convey to your hometown?
-That's a very difficult question. I'm not really sure if I should talk about the tsunami and earthquake. I've become a gold medalist now, but just my effort alone won't contribute to the recovery. But one thing is for sure, after the earthquake, I couldn't skate anymore. I really thought about quitting. I was doing my best just to make a living. But I was able to stand here thanks to the support of so many people. There's only one Olympic gold medalist, but when I stood at the top of the podium, I was carrying the hopes and dreams of thousands, tens of thousands of people. I hope I was able to give back a little.

Are you thinking of doing something to contribute to your hometown?
-Now that I've won (the gold medal) once, when I become a professional skater in the future, I'd like to raise funds and hold charity events not only for Tohoku but for Japan as a whole.

 

(At the press conference the day after)

Do you still have strong feelings for Sendai?
-After all, I was born there and discovered skating there. It felt like a natural progression. If I had been anywhere else, I might have been an unknown baseball player. I think it's because of Sendai that I'm here now.

 

[yuzurujenn]

Machine-translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2014.02.15

 

Source: https://www.joc.or.jp/news/005098.html

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20240816073731/https://www.joc.or.jp/news/005098.html

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QLI_vflvqg

 

 

[Medalist Press Conference] Hanyu "I hope I can become a person who is truly Japanese" Prime Minister Abe also congratulates him

 

Yuzuru Hanyu, who won the first gold medal of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in men's figure skating, held a press conference at the Japan House on the 15th. He shared his feelings a day after his victory. At the beginning of the conference, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe congratulated Hanyu via an international phone call. After the press conference, Hanyu was awarded the "Team Leader Award" from Team Japan leader Seiko Hashimoto.

 

Spoiler

■ Congratulatory Call from Prime Minister Abe

 

Prime Minister Abe: Congratulations! I believe many Japanese people watched your performance yesterday and were deeply moved.

 

Hanyu: Thank you very much. I did make a few mistakes, but thanks to the support of so many people, I was able to achieve the best result.

 

Prime Minister Abe: I was also excited and nervous while watching, but I thought it was amazing how you stayed calm and never gave up until the very end. You managed to stay so composed.

 

Hanyu: After the score was announced, I wasn’t calm at all. I thought to myself, "I’ve missed the gold medal."

 

Prime Minister Abe: I’m sure people in Sendai and the disaster-affected areas are also very happy.

 

Hanyu: Yes. I performed with all my might, hoping to bring some strength to those people, so I’m really happy.

 

Prime Minister Abe: I believe the reason you were able to keep pushing until the very end is because of the strength you've built by overcoming so many challenges. I think it’s because you carry the hopes of so many people, and you're really strong in competition.

 

Hanyu: My house was declared totally destroyed after the earthquake, and it was a really tough time. I couldn’t even use the rink for a while. After Shizuka Arakawa won the gold medal at the Torino Olympics, the rink was rebuilt, but then it became unusable again. However, with support from the government, Sendai City, and Miyagi Prefecture, I was able to achieve the best result here.

 

Prime Minister Abe: According to news reports, I heard that you have asthma. Is it alright now?

 

Hanyu: After the competition yesterday, I had a bit of an asthma attack, but honestly, the joy I feel is much stronger.

 

Prime Minister Abe: Your wonderful performance and the way you bowed to the ice were truly a display of the Japanese spirit. Please continue to do your best.

 

Hanyu: Thank you very much.

 

■ The Joy of Winning the Same Gold Medal as his fellow countryman Arakawa

 

— How do you feel a day after winning the medal?

Hanyu: First of all, I'm really happy to be the first Japanese man to win a gold medal in figure skating. At the same time, I’m proud to have received so much support from people all over Japan, and to have earned the highest recognition—this gold medal—on such a grand stage. Moving forward, I want to keep working hard to become a person who reflects the values of a true Olympic gold medalist and a proud Japanese citizen.

— How did it feel to receive congratulations from the Prime Minister?

Hanyu: I was very nervous. I think the Prime Minister was also very supportive, and he was also concerned about my asthma, so I was really grateful. This doesn't mean the competition is over, and I need to keep working hard from here on.

— Team Leader Hashimoto, what do you think about Hanyu’s achievement and the overall performance of Team Japan?

Hashimoto: We are truly grateful that the Japanese team was able to finally win this long-awaited gold medal. I believe Hanyu-san truly felt the weight of the real challenge of the Olympics through his performance. From this point onward, we will give our best in the second half of the Games, and as a team, we will work together to do our best. We are very grateful to Hanyu-san.

— Last night, you said you felt both frustration and joy. Now that it’s a day later, how do you feel about the balance between frustration and happiness?

Hanyu: I'm really happy to win this gold medal. I'm the first Japanese man to win a gold medal in singles, and Arakawa, who is also from Miyagi Prefecture, is the first Japanese woman to win a gold medal. I had always dreamed of winning a gold medal after Arakawa, so I'm really happy that my dream has come true. It doesn't really feel real, but I'm happy that my dream has come true. However, during my free program last night, I think I felt the real fear of the Olympics, the 'Olympic demon'. Since I still want to continue competing, I know I have to keep working hard with  skating, which I love.

— What reactions have you received from people around you between last night and this morning?

Hanyu: I haven’t had time to check much because of everything going on. I don’t know the current situation in Japan, but I'm really glad that I was able to bring home the gold medal as a Japanese.

— Do you think that your ability to perform so well on the Olympic stage came from the tough competitions you faced domestically in Japan?

Hanyu: Yes, I think so. It’s because I was able to win the All Japan Championships that I was able to deliver a strong performance. Also, throughout this season, not only in Japan, but also in every Grand Prix event, I competed against Patrick Chan (Canada). With each competition, I thought about how I could surpass him and how to bring out my full potential, and I think that helped me on the Olympic stage. However, the free program was still difficult.

— During practice, you seemed quite relaxed. At what point did the fear set in?

Hanyu: I don’t think there was any particular trigger. But looking back, I deeply regret how I performed in that program. Even though I was able to win the gold medal, I feel like I couldn’t fully demonstrate my abilities on such a big stage... I was nervous. It really made me realize how tough this stage is.

— The Olympics is known for its unique tension. Did you ever consider playing it safe and lowering the difficulty, such as with a quad salchow attempt?

Hanyu: I didn’t have any special thoughts about it. Since I’ve been doing it all season, I didn’t want to change anything. In other sports like speed skating or short track, perhaps you have to adjust depending on your opponent, and maybe there are special things to do at the Olympics. But figure skating is always a battle against yourself. The most important thing is how much I can do my absolute best and bring out all my energy. So it wasn’t about changing anything for the Olympics, but about giving my all in this competition just like any other.

— This season, you won the Grand Prix Final title, and now you’ve won the Olympic gold medal. What do you think was the key to achieving titles that many of your seniors struggled to win?

Hanyu: The level of Japanese men’s singles is currently very high, and when you’re in such a situation, you have to push yourself harder to secure an Olympic spot. People work really hard and put in a lot of effort when they’re in that kind of competitive environment. I think that’s why I’ve been able to grow. Also, I competed against Patrick Chan in the Grand Prix Series, and I didn’t just focus on winning. I focused on what I could learn and how to improve when I lost. I think that mindset really helped me this season and led to my success here.

— Evgeni Plushenko (Russia) had to withdraw from the competition. Do you have any thoughts about that?

Hanyu: Plushenko has been an idol of mine for a long time, and I still greatly admire him. For me, the Olympics wasn’t so much about the Olympics themselves, but about watching incredible competitions between Plushenko and Alexei Yagudin (Russia). I admired Plushenko and started aiming for the Olympics when I was about 8 years old. I was saddened to hear that he withdrew, but having the opportunity to skate alongside him in the Olympic team event felt like a dream. It was an honor. It’s unfortunate that we may not see his skating again, but I’m so thankful for all the emotion and inspiration he has given me over the years, and I just want to express my gratitude.

 

■ Thoughts on the Disaster-Stricken Areas and Sendai

 

— Many people from the disaster-affected areas have expressed that your gold medal has been a source of encouragement. How do you feel about that?

Hanyu: I hope that my winning the gold medal can bring some energy to the people in the disaster-affected areas and to the people of Japan as a whole. As someone from Sendai, I am especially happy if this can serve as a stepping stone for further progress in the reconstruction efforts. Donations and other things like that from volunteers have pretty much stopped coming.

— You’ve been nurtured in both Sendai and Toronto, but it seems you have strong feelings for Sendai. Why do you feel such a connection to Sendai?

Hanyu: I think it’s because it’s where I was born. I was born and raised there, where I first encountered skating, and followed my older sister into the sport... It’s a natural flow of events. If it hadn’t been for that, I probably wouldn’t be here today. I might even be a famous baseball player now (laughs). I think it’s because of Sendai, the place I was born, that I’m here today. That’s why I feel a strong connection to Sendai.

— You mentioned wanting to become a person who reflects Japanese values. What does that ideal of a Japanese person look like to you?

Hanyu: I want to make sure not to forget Japanese cultural values. Things like respect, and the complexities of the Japanese language, such as honorifics, polite language, and humble language, reflect a mindset of respect—such as lowering oneself when speaking to someone senior. I think these are important aspects of Japanese culture. The most important thing for me is that I can hold my head high as a Japanese citizen. When I appear on television, I want to be able to stand proud as a Japanese person. 

— You will likely become someone that children look up to. What kind of athlete do you want to be?

Hanyu: I don't think there's much to look up to in me (laughs). I was made painfully aware in Toronto that my skating skills were still immature. While my short program went well, I realized my mental weakness in the free program. I want to become a stronger athlete who can perform flawlessly in any situation. I admire Plushenko for being such a strong athlete, and I’d like to be like him—someone who is strong no matter the circumstances.

— To aim for a consecutive victory in four years, is there anything you need to focus on?

Hanyu: Nothing in particular. I don’t think about it in terms of "I have to do this." I love skating, and I love jumping, so if there’s something I want to try, it’s because I enjoy it. It’s not that I’m doing things specifically for the next Olympics. I just want to elevate my skating to even greater heights.

— The women’s singles competition is about to begin. As a medalist, do you have any advice for Mao Asada?

Hanyu: I don’t think there's anything I can advise her. I think Asada-san and I know how scary the Olympics can be, so I think it's really important to enjoy it as much as possible. Before my free program, I told myself, "Let’s enjoy this," but in reality, I couldn’t enjoy it. Looking back, though, I think I did enjoy performing my best at the Sochi Olympics, which was the only one I could experience at 19. So, I hope she can enjoy herself to the fullest.