[2025.01.25] Xinhua News - 30-minute conversation with 30-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2025.01.25

 

Source: http://www.news.cn/world/20250125/4efcbf22b5ec483ab436c4d625833c96/c.html

 https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1822188315593959174
Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20250125065107/http://www.news.cn/world/20250125/4efcbf22b5ec483ab436c4d625833c96/c.html

Info: https://x.com/XHJapanese/status/1866271612300923303

 

 

Reporter's Notes: 30-minute conversation with 30-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu

Xinhua News Agency reporter Qian Zheng and Yang Zhixiang

(Interviewed on Dec 18, 2024)

 

I met Yuzuru Hanyu at a filming base in the northwest of his hometown, Sendai. Away from the ever-changing lights and shadows of the ice, and without the dazzling costume, the two-time Winter Olympic gold medalist in men’s singles figure skating sitting across from me appeared as simple and approachable as a neighbour boy.

 

Spoiler

Hanyu recently celebrated his 30th birthday and launched his second solo tour, "Echoes of Life," on his birthday. This is the third installment of his solo ice performance series "Ice Stories," following "Gift" and "RE_PRAY," where Hanyu himself serves as both the performer and the executive producer.

 

Unlike his previous solo ice shows, which featured only two or three new routines each time, "Echoes of Life" consists of 12 major performances, most of which are new. Through these pieces, Hanyu is able to tell a grand story that seeks to answer the profound question, "What is life?" He has been contemplating life ethics since childhood and even studied related courses during university. He has woven his philosophical interests and thoughts on the "meaning of life" into this self-scripted, self-directed, and self-performed "Ice Story."

 

Hanyu explained, “When I express myself, figure skating is still the first and foremost medium. Because I’ve always used skating, it feels as natural to me as speaking. This way, it’s closer to expressing what I really want to say.”

 

Since announcing in July 2022 that he would no longer compete in figure skating competitions and instead pursue a career in professional figure skating, Hanyu has devoted more time and energy to expressing himself through his skating programs. He said, “When I was competing, I had to complete jumps to earn points. I was always thinking about elements like footwork and the number of rotations, while also considering how to match the music. Now that I have more freedom, I focus on whether the program expresses the essence of the music and what I most want to communicate."

 

His pursuit of expression has made figure skating much more than just a sport for Hanyu. "When I create a program, I don’t think about it solely from a figure skating perspective but as a form of expression. I incorporate many different elements and try to absorb content that I find cool and beautiful," he explained.

 

Without the constraints of competition, he has even experimented with improvisational performances. While all three of his "Ice Stories" were created in collaboration with a top Japanese choreographer, Hanyu believes that truly identical performances cannot be replicated. "When trying to express genuine emotions, improvisation is better," he said.

 

However, he admits that it’s very difficult to express himself freely. He aims to create new and original movements, but the movements he is most skilled at, those deeply ingrained in his body, unconsciously sneak into his routines. Moreover, he says that figure skating is different from track sports. Even with a simple hand movement, the feet will slide, so sometimes, even if he wants to perform such a move, it is not easy to do so.

 

Yet, pushing beyond what’s easy and reaching uncharted territory is what this prince of figure skating, who has broken 19 world records and achieved two Grand Slams and a Super Grand Slam, relentlessly pursues.

 

He told reporters that he now practices about five hours a day on average, sometimes up to six hours, with one day off per week. This is a higher training volume than before. In competitions, a program lasts no more than 4 minutes 30 seconds to 4 minutes 40 seconds, but now he must perform for over two hours continuously. This requires not only muscle strength but also lung capacity.

He trains for explosiveness using weights like barbells and dumbbells, works on building his endurance and focus, and practices breathing techniques, facial expression management, and core strength required for his two-and-a-half-hour performances.

 

His schedule is packed with almost no complete rest days. He constantly thinks about the content of his performances and engages in imagery training. On the afternoon we interviewed him, he had to face five media outlets for a total of five hours. Even on such a busy day, he was thinking about training afterward. He mentioned that he still enjoys playing video games, but with his increased training load, he doesn’t know what to do on rest days anymore.

 

Technically, his skills are on par with current competitors, his expressiveness has reached perfection, and his physical strength is also impressive. However, regarding the various speculations about whether he will compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, Hanyu stated that he has no plans to return to the competitive arena.

 

"Now, I can finally pursue the figure skating expression I want to see first, skating, jumping, spinning, and so on. When I skate now, the people around me are those who truly want to see me skate, who hope to see me skate. I’ve finally arrived in a world where I can express what I want to express, skate the way I like, and perform skating that I think looks beautiful and fantastic, and receive praise for it. As for going back to competitions, I’m not interested."

 

Without the direct standards of judges' scores and the value of medals, this professional figure skater says the expectations of the audience are the driving force behind his continuous efforts. The atmosphere at his ice shows and the enthusiasm of the audience serves as his criteria for evaluating his own work.

 

Hanyu said that it is precisely because the audience always comes to watch his performances that he can keep pushing himself. If he were alone, he wouldn't be able to convey his thoughts to anyone, and such so-called expression would have no value, becoming something hollow. But when there are people to receive his message, and they also expect his performance, that becomes his motivation. "So, I now place great importance on conveying my thoughts to the audience."

 

Rather than the size of the audience's cheers and applause, Hanyu cares more about the warm atmosphere of the event. "The audience who comes to watch my performances doesn’t focus on whether I succeed or fail, win or lose, they are simply there to enjoy my performance," Hanyu said. "In moments like this, I can truly feel the enthusiasm of the audience, and they are deeply immersed in my story and program. That’s my criterion for evaluation. Because I’m skating for everyone."

 

It is precisely because of this desire to skate for others that Hanyu often says, "No matter what, I will keep working hard, even if it shortens my life. Otherwise, I won’t be able to accept it." He will repeatedly bow and thank the audience near the end of each performance, even when he is exhausted and struggling to catch his breath. He will also remind the audience to be careful on their way home after the show.

 

In the past, Yuzuru Hanyu imagined that turning 30 would make him feel like an "old man." However, after the birthday performance for "Echoes of Life," he told reporters that if he were to think in terms of baseball or soccer, 30 would mark the period when experience, feeling, and skills begin to reach their peak.

 

As he said during the interview, “I do see 30 as a milestone year, but for me, it’s just a simple repetition of December 7th for 30 years. Goals and dreams change every day. For instance, when ‘Echoes’ starts, I focus on performing well in that, but once it ends, I move on to pursue something new.”

 

In a sport like figure skating, where athletes often retire from competition by 30, most would transition to other roles behind the scenes. But for Yuzuru Hanyu, turning 30 may simply mean he’s one year older. His name may still be associated with many “firsts” in the future.