[2010.11.16] Asahi Digital - Yuzuru Hanyu (Figure Skating) 15 years old: 'Quadruple jumps one after another'

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

Source: http://www.asahi.com/special/plus/TKY201011160263.html#_=_ 

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20231017235124/http://www.asahi.com/special/plus/TKY201011160263.html#_=_

 

 

Yuzuru Hanyu (Figure Skating) 15 years old: 'Quadruple jumps one after another'

 

A hope in the men's figure skating world who made his debut in senior competitions this year. We got to see the real face of the 15-year-old.

 

Spoiler

Takeuchi: "You're quite slender. Your face is small too. How tall are you?"

Hanyu: "I'm about 170 cm. I'm still growing a little. My shoe size is 25.5 cm, but my skating boots are a bit larger, 27 cm, because they’re made in Italy and are narrow."

Takeuchi: "Figure skating is also a sport where appearance matters. Do you have any particular preferences when it comes to your hairstyle?"

Hanyu: "Since I was little, my mom has been the one to cut my hair. I don't really give her any specific orders. She just cuts it however she likes."

 

●4th place in debut race

 

Takeuchi: "You made your senior debut at the NHK Trophy last month."

Hanyu: "I was really nervous. There were so many spectators, which was unimaginable in the junior competitions, and the other skaters were amazing."

Takeuchi: "And you successfully landed a quadruple jump."

Hanyu: "I had seen various skaters' quadruples during the official practice, and the image of it just came to me. I was a bit confident. When I landed, I thought 'Yes!' but at the same time I thought, 'This is just the beginning. I can't afford to mess up the other jumps.'"

Takeuchi: "It seems that whether you can land a quadruple jump is becoming a deciding factor in competitions."

Hanyu: "I think there’s an incredible appeal to quadruples. There's something about the dynamism and speed of the rotation that draws you in. We, the younger generation, need to keep jumping. We can't beat the veteran skaters in terms of career or expression."

Takeuchi: "You placed 4th in the competition."

Hanyu: "It’s frustrating to lose since it's a competition, but at the same time, I was able to gain a lot from it. I don't have any regrets."

Takeuchi: "Were you envious that the same 15-year-old Murakami placed on the podium?"

Hanyu: "I did think, 'I wanted a medal too.' Watching the award ceremony, I was going to compete the next day and thought, 'The podium looks great, I want to get on it too.' I was a little envious."

Takeuchi: "When was the first time you stepped onto the ice?"

Hanyu: "When I was 4. My older sister was going to a skating class, and I decided to skate a bit too."

Takeuchi: "How was it on the ice?"

Hanyu: "I don't remember, but I definitely thought it was hard."

Takeuchi: "It must have hurt when you fell."

Hanyu: "I didn’t feel much pain back then. Now, when I have to jump higher, there are times when I do feel pain. But back then, I loved falling. The ice was slippery, and it felt good to glide."

Takeuchi: "And that’s when you got hooked?"

Hanyu: "On a big rink, during competitions, I could skate alone, and all eyes were on me. I was a person who wanted to be noticed. Also, the sense of achievement when I accomplished something difficult was really great, so that’s how I got hooked."

Takeuchi: "Did you never show interest in baseball or soccer?"

Hanyu: "I liked baseball. When I was in 2nd grade, I didn’t want to skate anymore. The coach was scary, and there was a lot of practice, so I didn’t want to go. I also had the impression that figure skating was a women’s sport. My friends at school were doing soccer or baseball, and there was a time I wanted to play baseball."

Takeuchi: "But why did you continue with figure skating?"

Hanyu: "My mom and dad said, 'Why not play baseball?' But when they said that, I just couldn’t let go of skating. Even though I said 'I hate it' on the surface, deep down I must have liked it."

Takeuchi: "Do you still watch baseball?"

Hanyu: "I do."

Takeuchi: "For example, are you a fan of any specific team?"

Hanyu: "I’m a Hiroshima Carp fan."

Takeuchi: "But you’ve always lived in Sendai, right?"

Hanyu: "I also support the Rakuten Eagles, but I’m a Hiroshima fan. I've loved the color red since I was little, even before Rakuten was around. I was playing a baseball game and I saw the red Hiroshima Carp team, and that's when I started to like it."

Takeuchi: "They have great players like the pitcher Kenta Maeda."

Hanyu: "He has such a slender body and yet he throws with such flexibility, I hope I can use that in my own skating."

Takeuchi: "So, you also draw inspiration from baseball."

Hanyu: "I definitely think there are commonalities in sports, so I try to absorb different things by watching other sports."

Takeuchi: "Have you found anything in baseball that might help with figure skating?"

Hanyu: "Hmm. My father was the advisor for the baseball team. I think that baseball movements, such as how you use your hips and shift your center of gravity, which lead to rotational motion, could give us hints."

Takeuchi: "How’s your school life now?"

Hanyu: "Talking with friends at school helps relieve stress. When I can’t land a jump, I complain a lot. It’s because my friends don’t do figure skating that I can talk freely with them."

 

● Proud of my flexibility

 

Takeuchi: "Your skating is really graceful. What do you think your strengths are?"

Hanyu: "I think my flexibility is a bit better than most guys. I’ve had it since I was born. I used to brag about it when I was in elementary school."

Takeuchi: "It’s rare for male skaters to do Ina Bauer."

Hanyu: "Yes, it’s not very common. When Shizuka Arakawa won the gold medal at the Torino Olympics, she had an Ina Bauer in her program. So I thought, 'Why not try bending backwards?' It was just a little way to stand out. At first, it was hard to balance, but I’ve gotten used to it recently."

Takeuchi: "What do you see when you do the Ina Bauer?"

Hanyu: "I don’t really look around. I hold my breath. Since it’s before a jump, I’m thinking about where I need to focus for the jump."

Takeuchi: "What does Shizuka Arakawa mean to you?"

Hanyu: "I first met her when I started skating. We skated on the same rink. I’ve always thought she was amazing, and she’s a senior from my high school (Tohoku High School), so she’s a special presence to me."

Takeuchi: "How did you come to do the Biellmann spin?"

Hanyu: "When I first started skating, I became a fan of (Russia's) Evgeni Plushenko. He did it, so I thought, 'I’ll try it too.' Now it’s almost become my trademark, and I’m happy about that. It was hard to do at first. I didn’t have the strength or core stability then."

Takeuchi: "How do you hone your skills?"

Hanyu: "I listen to my coach’s advice repeatedly and practice the technique over and over. I don’t think any jump is ever the same. Since the human body is not like a machine, it’s impossible to do the same jump every time. But in competition, I have to try to make each jump as good as the best one I’ve done. Practice is about making my body remember the advice and being able to move according to it."

Takeuchi: "Do you draw inspiration from watching other skaters?"

Hanyu: "Yes, I do. I've seen a lot of progress in skating from (Canada's) Patrick Chan, as well as from Kozuka, Takahashi, and Oda. They're all really beautiful skaters, so I want to emulate them."

Takeuchi: "What about jumping?"

Hanyu: "For jumps, I try to learn from skaters whose form is closest to my ideal."

Takeuchi: "Tell me about your Triple Axel."

Hanyu: "At a training camp, I saw Asada Mao land a Triple Axel. I could really feel the timing. Watching it live, I could sense it in a way that was different from on TV. That feeling got into me unconsciously, and I think that helped me land the Triple Axel myself. I tried to visualize and make my body match her movements."

Takeuchi: "You’ll be competing in the Russian Cup starting on the 19th. What kind of performance do you want to give?"

Hanyu: "I want to land the jumps in the second half and the quadruple as well. I aim for a perfect performance and will work hard with the goal of reaching the podium."

Takeuchi: "And you want to make it to the Grand Prix Final too."

Hanyu: "I do want to, but I want to focus on one competition at a time, learning from each experience. I’ll try to make the most of what I gain from each one."

Takeuchi: "Do you have an image of the senior Grand Prix Final?"

Hanyu: "Not really. After the first Grand Prix event, even after watching the footage, I still couldn’t fully grasp it. I didn’t even feel like I was really competing as a senior."

Takeuchi: "What’s your dream for the future?"

Hanyu: "I hope to gain experience by competing in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and then aim to win a gold medal in the following Olympics."

Takeuchi: "You really speak well."

Hanyu: "I’m nervous."

Takeuchi: "Are you very conscious about how you speak?"

Hanyu: "My ideal style or image of an athlete is that of Ryo Ishikawa (of golf). I try to be careful in interviews."

Takeuchi: "What do you think is amazing about Ishikawa?"

Hanyu: "His ability to assess himself calmly. Also, being able to speak English is a big advantage. I’m still not very good, but I think I need to study more and be able to speak. That way, I can make more friends."

 

 

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After the Interview:

After the interview, I was captivated by the back view of Hanyu, walking with his mother who had come to pick him up. It was the back of someone who wasn’t conscious of being watched. His straight posture, his long and slender neck, and his tiny head were illuminated by soft sunlight. It looked as if he were under the spotlight on the rink. Hanyu had said himself of wanting 'to stand out'. But the fact that even his unconscious back view seems to charm those around him is surely because he is a natural-born 'performer.' (TV Asahi announcer)

 

 

■The interview will also be broadcast on "Hodo Station" on the 19th.

 

Hanyu Yuzuru was born in Sendai in 1994. He is a first-year student at Tohoku High School in Miyagi Prefecture. He won the World Junior Championships in March of this year and placed fourth at the NHK Trophy in October. He is 170 cm tall and weighs 53 kg.