[2022.02] Beijing Winter Olympics

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine-translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2022.02.21

 

Source: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/10b7910be003225f2bda37e00c331d19bfe65462

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20250129063136/https://news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/10b7910be003225f2bda37e00c331d19bfe65462

 

 

Why "media king" Yuzuru Hanyu continued to shine at the "unrewarded" Beijing Olympics

 

"I really think that I have been able to skate because everyone is watching me like this."

 

After finishing his performance, still out of breath, Yuzuru Hanyu began to speak.

 

"I think my performance takes on some kind of meaning because people watch it. I really want to thank everyone."

 

Spoiler

February 20th, Beijing Olympics Figure Skating Exhibition. After finishing his performance, Yuzuru Hanyu spoke in front of the TV cameras. The words that came out of his mouth were humble, expressing gratitude, as he always does: "Everyone" and "Thank you."

 

On this day, there was no doubt that the spotlight was on Hanyu. When all the participating athletes came onto the ice after their performances, the cameras focused almost entirely on him. After everything was finished, Hanyu was seen shouting towards the audience, "Thank you! 谢谢 (Xièxiè)!" and the scene was captured clearly on TV.

 

Just 10 days earlier, after the men's figure skating free program, Hanyu had failed to achieve a historic three-peat in the Olympics and missed the podium, finishing in fourth place in Beijing. Despite that, he continued to dominate the media's attention in the latter half of the games. Of course, many other Japanese athletes won medals and showcased their brilliant performances in various events, but Hanyu's presence was always lingering in the media.

 

As the exhibition day approached, journalists on Twitter reported every movement of Hanyu as he practiced, such as "Yuzuru Hanyu was seen at the rinkside during the practice." On the 18th, two days before the exhibition, major sports papers reported that he had performed nine pieces from his career during practices.

 

Then, on the night of the exhibition, TV programs gave MVP-level coverage to his remarkable performance.

 

An Unfortunate Incident and an Unprecedented Jump

 

To put it bluntly, Hanyu was one of the athletes who didn't win a medal. So why did he manage to continue to attract attention all the way to the closing of the Olympics?

 

One of the biggest reasons was Hanyu's "mediagenic" power. The term "mediagenic" refers to someone who is particularly appealing to the media, and as everyone knows, Hanyu has an exceptionally high level of this power. From the simple bow as he entered the rink to the many words he spoke in front of the TV cameras, his media presence was fully showcased in Beijing. Despite losing in the competition, Hanyu became an even bigger media hero.

 

When talking about Hanyu's performance at the Beijing Olympics, it's important to note that he made no mistakes in the process leading up to his fourth-place finish. In the short program (SP), he made an error on his first jump, which caused him to fall to 8th place. However, this was due to the unfortunate factor of hitting a hole on the ice.

 

That was the beginning of the story. Two days later, in the free program, Hanyu attempted a quadruple axel (four-and-a-half rotations), a jump no one had ever successfully landed before. He fell, but the International Skating Union (ISU) officially recognized it as the first quadruple axel attempted in an ISU-sanctioned competition.

 

An unfortunate mishap and a leap into the unknown. Hanyu's drama in Beijing was built on the perfect balance of these two opposing elements.

 

Although he missed out on a medal, his attempt at the quadruple axel, which was once thought to be impossible, ensured that his name would be forever etched in history. His supporters may have been disappointed with his SP result, but they were greatly inspired by his bold challenge to the "death-defying jump."

 

The momentum from his climb to fourth place and his attempt at the quadruple axel can, in a sense, be seen as a "perfect" story. The emotion that people experienced was different from what they would have felt if he had achieved a three-peat, but perhaps it was just as powerful as if he won three times.

 

From "Absolute Champion" to "The Best Challenger"

 

Even after the competition was over, the story of Hanyu as a media hero had only just begun. In an interview immediately after his free program performance, Hanyu, with slightly moist eyes visible above his white mask, spoke:

 

"I really gave it my all. Honestly, I think I did my best, to the point where I couldn’t have done any more. It might have been an unrewarded effort, but I really did my best."

 

The phrase "unrewarded effort" had a huge impact. On social media, there were comments like, "This phrase hit me hard," "This was possibly the most impactful phrase for me," and some even called it "a legendary quote in Olympic history."

 

Why did it resonate so deeply? First, many people were simply surprised by the words. "Wait, even Yuzuru Hanyu would say something like that?"

 

Indeed, the phrase "unrewarded effort" seemed to be the most distant from someone like Hanyu, who had been called the "absolute champion." After all, he’s an athlete who has won two Olympic gold medals. Could someone like him have experienced "unrewarded effort"?

 

Perhaps these words transformed the image of Hanyu from a super athlete to a "human being." The "absolute champion" who had been constantly referred to as such now redefined himself as a "loser whose efforts weren’t rewarded." But Hanyu did not simply lose; he was a challenger who boldly attempted the unprecedented quadruple axel.

 

From being on a different level as the "absolute champion," Hanyu transformed into the "best challenger," unafraid to show his human side, his weaknesses. The phrase "unrewarded effort" likely attracted many people because of this shift.

 

Words of Gratitude to the Ice Staff

 

Hanyu's second act as a media hero in Beijing came during the press conference held four days after the competition, on February 14. There had been rumors about a potential retirement announcement, and to dismiss this speculation, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) clarified that the press conference was being held because of the many media inquiries, and it wasn’t an announcement from Hanyu himself.

 

The press conference, which was broadcast live on many TV stations and streamed on various YouTube channels, began with Hanyu fully engaged from the start.

 

When the host said, "Any questions?", Hanyu himself raised his hand first. "Sorry, I thought that no questions would come (at this point)," he said, and first congratulated Nathan Chen (USA), the gold medalist.

 

"Winning an Olympic gold medal is truly an amazing achievement. I’ve worked hard with the goal of winning gold too, and I believe Nathan put in a lot of effort as well. He had the regret of failing in the short program at the Pyeongchang Olympics four years ago, and he overcame that to reach this moment, which I think is truly wonderful."

 

Then Hanyu expressed his gratitude to the ice staff.

 

"Of course, in the short program, there were unfortunate mistakes, and it was frustrating. But the rink was really easy to skate on, easy to jump, and it was a great venue and rink. I want to take this opportunity to thank them." This was to make sure that the ice staff wasn’t blamed for the hole in the ice that caused his mistake in the short program.

 

When asked about his future, Hanyu said, "If you ask me whether this Olympics was my last, I don’t know. Hehe." He then said, "The Olympics are a special stage. Even if you're injured, it’s a stage where figure skaters should stand up and keep challenging. I felt really happy, so of course, I have the desire to skate again." The next day, some newspapers reported that "Hanyu will continue competing."

 

Before answering the questions, Hanyu said, "Thank you," and when he finished, he said, "Thank you very much." After the press conference, during the photo session, he cleared away the water bottle placed in front of him. The 35-minute press conference was truly a showcase of the media hero that Hanyu had become.

 

"Thank you. See you again somewhere!"

 

Thus, on the final day of the Olympics, during the exhibition, Hanyu performed a graceful routine to the piano melody of his famous program "Haru yo Koi." When asked in the post-performance interview, "What kind of experience or tournament has the Beijing Olympics been for you?" Hanyu once again used the phrase "unrewarded."

 

"I’ve seen my lowest points many times as I continued in this sport. In that sense, I’ve realized that life isn’t about everything being rewarded. But even now, when it hasn’t been rewarded, I’m happy. There are many irrational things, but I want to keep doing my best so I can keep walking forward."

 

Then, once again, he said, "Thank you."

 

When the interview ended, the journalists applauded him. Hanyu, who had always been kind to the media, was met with kindness from the media in return.

 

"Thank you. See you again somewhere!" Hanyu said.

 

Where that "somewhere" will be—whether it's the World Championships in March, another competition, or a non-competitive event—is unknown. But one thing is certain: when Yuzuru Hanyu next appears before us, he will shine even brighter in the media.