[2022.02.03] Yuzuru Hanyu: "Don't scold me so much" - short anecdote from Noriko Shirota's new book

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

Source: https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/Jisin_2063440/

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20250123115840/https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/Jisin_2063440/

Book Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/たかがジャンプ-されどジャンプ-日本フィギュアスケートに金メダルをもたらした武器-城田-憲子/dp/4087880710

 

 

Yuzuru Hanyu: "Don't scold me so much" - His mentor was shocked by his "bold" request just before the Sochi Olympics

 

Yuzuru Hanyu (27) is about to compete in the Beijing Olympics, where he will be aiming for his third consecutive victory. This time, we interviewed Noriko Shirota (75), who has been supporting him from behind the scenes.

 

Spoiler

Shirota has been deeply involved with the Japan Skating Federation for many years, serving as the Director of the Figure Skating Strengthening Department from 1994 to 2006. She has also contributed as an international referee, supporting Japan’s figure skating scene behind the scenes.

 

In her recently published book "It’s Just a Jump, But It’s a Jump: The Weapon That Brought a Gold Medal to Japanese Figure Skating" (Shueisha), Shirota shares many anecdotes about notable athletes. One of these stories is about her experiences with Yuzuru Hanyu.

 

How He Came to Study Under Brian Orser

 

After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, when Yuzuru Hanyu lost his training base in Sendai, Shirota became more deeply involved in supporting him.

 

At that time, one of Hanyu’s mentors, Shoichiro Tsuzuki, and Hanyu’s mother asked Shirota to assist in strengthening Hanyu’s training.

 

"As we had more discussions, it became clear that we needed to change his environment. We talked about what was necessary to create a more stable training environment and how to improve his results. It was during these conversations that the name of Brian Orser, who Hanyu still trains with in Toronto, came up."

 

Several years before this, Shirota had been considering the idea of entrusting the coaching of Japanese skaters to Orser, a world-renowned coach who trained South Korea’s Kim Yuna. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Shirota had even spoken to Orser, saying, “I think I’ll be asking you to coach a promising Japanese skater soon, so please keep that in mind.”

 

"However, I did not directly tell Hanyu and his family, 'Go to Toronto.' I explained that there were coaches in places like Colorado and Detroit, and after discussing various options, they ultimately chose Toronto. Toronto is relatively safe, and while driving overseas might be difficult for his family, the good transportation system, including buses and subways, made it a convenient choice. Above all, I thought that having Brian as the coach was the best decision for achieving their first gold medal."

 

"At Brian's place, there were rivals like Javier Fernández. I think training in such an environment is one of the secrets to becoming stronger."

Hanyu's response to the suggestion to "take a year off"

 

After that, Hanyu went on to win the gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. However, just before that, during a Grand Prix Series event in 2013, he was defeated by Patrick Chan and finished in second place. In his book, Shirota describes how she scolded Hanyu, telling him she "could have done better."

 

At the time, 18-year-old Hanyu reportedly responded as follows:

 

"Please don't scold me so much. I'm the type of person who thrives when praised."

 

"He's really tough (laughs). To be able to talk back to someone who's scolding you, I think that shows he has a really strong mentality. In fact, I found him quite reliable."

 

After the Sochi Olympics, Shirota once suggested to Hanyu that he take a year off to rest.

 

"I was exhausted myself (laughs). But Hanyu told me, 'To aim for a second consecutive Olympic gold, I can't rest. If I rest, I won't be able to move.' When he said that, I had no choice but to say, 'I understand.'"

 

After the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Shirota told him, "You did well. Thank you for your hard work."

 

It was a remark made because Shirota thought Hanyu might be considering retirement.

 

"I thought it might be a good point to stop, a natural conclusion. Winning back-to-back Olympic golds is something not many people can achieve. But he set the goal of the quadruple axel (a four-and-a-half-rotation jump) and continued to compete. At 27, it can be said that he's past his peak in the world of figure skating, but I think it's really admirable that he is still working so hard."