[2024.12.29] Nikkan Gendai - Hanyu Yuzuru’s Challenge at 30

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

2024.12.29

 

Source: Nikkan Gendai Special Issue "New Year Special Issue 2025"

Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DRFRJ6DC

 

 

Special Interview: Hanyu Yuzuru’s Challenge at 30

 

Two and a half years since turning professional.

"I’m always doing it with the mindset of trying to break my Olympic records."

 

Spoiler

On December 7, 2024, he celebrated his 30th birthday. He has reigned at the top of the world as an athlete, including becoming the first man in 66 years to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in figure skating at the 2014 Sochi and 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. In July 2022, he announced his transition to professional skating. Even though he stepped away from the competitive arena, he remains a unique figure in the world of figure skating, holding an unprecedented solo ice show as a professional skater. We took a closer look at Hanyu's current state as he continues to evolve, remaining steadfast amid major changes in his environment.

 

[Researching Basketball Movements]

 

– It's been two and a half years since you went from being an athlete to an artist. What has changed the most for you as a skater?

"When I was a competitive athlete, I had muscles focused on explosive power but lacked endurance. Now, I've started building muscles that provide the stamina to skate for longer periods of time. At the same time, I need to maintain the high level of technical skill I had when I was competing, so it’s about balancing both. I’m training to build endurance muscles while also maintaining the explosive power from my competitive days. I've been studying and researching the type of training that would benefit both aspects, and I’ve been developing my body accordingly."

 

– Did you start this research during your competitive years?

"No, I didn’t go that far. In the past, I only skated once a day, and the performance time was at most 4 minutes and 40 seconds. After the Pyeongchang Olympics, the men's free skate was shortened to 4 minutes starting in the 2018-2019 season, but I had been used to performing for 4 minutes and 40 seconds. When I was a competitive athlete, being able to complete a program that lasted four and a half minutes was sufficient, but now I have to complete the program 14 to 15 times a day. I have to consider my mental strength, technique, physical stamina, and even lung capacity. It became a necessity, but simply practicing recklessly doesn’t work, so I decided to research it. In figure skating, the scientific study of training theories and how muscles are used hasn’t really been done because it’s a minor sport. I felt that I needed to take the initiative to research and develop training methods, and I’ve been working hard on it."

 

– What kind of research?

"Of the major sports, basketball is the one that I think has movements most similar to figure skating. In basketball, players use the ball as a tool and compete against others, but there are many similarities in terms of quick turns, the need for jumping power, and not only the forward movements but also side-to-side and backward movements, as well as the need for peripheral vision. In particular, I think the defensive roll movements have a lot in common with the turning movements in figure skating."

 

– How have you changed mentally since turning professional?

"Honestly, I don’t think there’s much change. For example, in this show, I've decided to include a program that is almost exactly the same as the one I used to do in competitions. Moreover, whereas in my competitive days I only had to perform it once, I now impose on myself the requirement to 'perform a program that can win,' both as an expression and as a competitive piece. So it doesn't really matter that I'm no longer competing against an "opponent" or that I don't get any points. Now, I focus on the challenge of how much I need to practice and train to execute this program perfectly, and the joy that comes with achieving it. And because we are all creating the show together, I constantly battle the pressure that falls entirely on me, so I approach it with the mindset of trying to break my Olympic records every time."

 

– During your time as a competitor, the more results you achieved, the bigger the presence of 'Yuzuru Hanyu' became. Have you ever felt uncomfortable with the public's image of "Yuzuru Hanyu"?

"That’s true. When I was young, I watched the Olympics and thought that if I could win this competition, everyone would be happy, and the person who won this competition would be the coolest. I pushed forward with that dream, but I never expected being under this kind of attention. There were definitely times when I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Honestly, when I was little, I never imagined that I would be constantly followed by cameras from the preparation stage, like during warm-ups, and that every move I made would be watched. There are times when I feel suffocated, but there are also people who look forward to it. Even during practice, it often felt like everyone’s eyes were always on me, which scared me at times. However, the attention is also a reflection of the expectations people have. I think I've become able to work hard thinking that I have to live up to those expectations."

 

– Your shows actively incorporate technologies like projection mapping to create a unique worldview. On the other hand, there are concerns that the field of art may be threatened by AI and other such technologies.

"Indeed, I am proud that we are doing cutting-edge things in our shows. We are working hard to express the fusion of art and sports, but there are emotions you can only experience through sports. For example, watching high school baseball players giving their all at Koshien, you can't help but feel moved and excited, but they aren't trying to make you feel that way on purpose. On the other hand, the world of art expressed in a show holds a sense of sacredness and emotion precisely because it is something that has been created. I believe they can coexist, and I will continue to do my best. "