[2018.02.17] Asahi Shimbun - Spin the Dream: Yuzuru Hanyu

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

Published 2017.12.24

Updated 2018.2.17

 

Source: https://www.asahi.com/olympics/2018/special/hanyu-dream/

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20171223113036/https://www.asahi.com/olympics/2018/special/hanyu-dream/

 

SPIN THE DREAM (Part 1) - Yuzuru Hanyu weaves his dreams

 

 

Spoiler

Supported by Many People, Back on That Stage Again

 

Yuzuru Hanyu always bows deeply. When he steps onto the ice and when he leaves, he touches the ice. After a poor performance, he sometimes mutters to the sky, "I'm sorry."

 

"I wonder when it started. It's gradually increased, hasn't it? That's because everything has a lot of things attached to it, and there are many things that support me."

 

Hanyu's routine is filled with thoughts for his coach, his family, and the pioneers of Japanese figure skating.

 

 

Like a Prince
1998 - 4 years old

 

"Wait a minute!"

"This is bad. Wait a minute!" Coach Mami Yamada remembers the impatience of four-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu when he first stepped onto the ice. He took a running start, jumped onto the ice, and fell hard, hitting his helmet on the ice, but then immediately got up and ran again. Yamada couldn't help but cry out.

 

When he came with his older sister who was learning figure skating, he would run around outside the rink. When Yamada said, "If you're going to be that noisy, why don't you try skating?" Hanyu puts on his skates. First-time skaters step onto the ice gently, falling from a seated position to get used to the ice. But Hanyu was different. "I had never seen a child who wasn't scared like this."

 

Self-Reflection Research Notes

He would get bored with practice in just 10 minutes and wander off. His expressions of shaking his head and limbs with all his might are also unique. "He's good at making a serious expression, and he looks like a prince from a shoujo (girls) manga, not a hero from a shounen (boys) manga." Yamada wanted to get him to stop doing things his own way and learn the basics, but he wouldn't listen, which troubled her.

 

He often didn't remember what he was told, so Yamada advised him, "Keep a diary. Write down what you couldn't do when you were told." That is what Hanyu called his 'research notebook', and he continued to write notes at key points. Hanyu explains, "It started when I was in the second grade of elementary school, I think. I was told to keep a record of my daily practice. I just wrote down whatever I was thinking."

 

After practice, before going to bed, or when an idea struck him, he'd write down how to jump and the movement of his hands. He'd bring his notes to the practice rink and try them out, eventually finding the technique that suited him.

 

A Rough Diamond Entrusted to Me

After teaching him until the end of second grade, Yamada moved back to her hometown in Hokkaido. Before leaving, she called renowned coach Shoichiro Tsuzuki. "Sensei, please come to Sendai. Please don't let him fail. He's an amazing kid."

 

 

People who define the history of Japanese figure skating
Yuzuru Hanyu
Born in 1994, from Miyagi Prefecture. Won Japan's first men's figure skating gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. World Champion in 2014 and 2017. Grand Prix Final champion from 2013 to 2016.

 

 

Become an Artist
2003- 9 years old 

 

Sing, Sing, Sing

Yuzuru Hanyu was a mischievous boy throughout his elementary school years. Tsuzuki recalls, "He'd fight with other boys, get defeated and cry, and then rebel back. He couldn't focus on the ice, and he'd get bored in five minutes."

On the other hand, he felt Hanyu's exceptional musical expression. "When he skated to music, his performance was so lively that he was like a different person. He really liked the song 'Sing, Sing, Sing.' He loved jazz so much, and whenever it played, he would immediately start jumping and dancing to it."

 

Putting His Feelings Into It

When Tsuzuki visited the former Soviet Union in 1969, he witnessed figure skating that involved dancing and jumping. He went to great lengths to invite a coach from the Soviet Union to Japan to teach those techniques.

 

Unlike other Japanese skaters, Hanyu is not shy about expressing himself. He has excellent balance and physical ability. "I knew at a glance that he was a skater of the new era," says Tsuzuki, and often told him, "Become an artist," "Spread your wings and fly out into the world." Tsuzuki acted as a go-between so Hanyu could train in Russia.

 

Hanyu reflects, "Now, I think I understand what Coach Tsuzuki meant. When I was young, I was taught not just to jump, but to add something extra. Even as a child, I realized how important it is to fully pour my emotions into my performance.."

 

Hanyu, who combines jumping with expressiveness, describes the depth of this sport: "Jumping and using your physical strength to the limit, but at the same time, I think it is also necessary to create an atmosphere in which you can show your true potential as an artist."

 

Beyond the Tears
2011 - 17 years old 

 

Losing his rink twice

Hanyu says he has changed since losing his rink twice. "I used to skip classes a lot when I was in the early grades of elementary school."

 

The first time was when his rink closed due to financial difficulties, when he was 10 years old. The second time was when he was 16, during the Great East Japan Earthquake. He had to live in an evacuation center, and waited in line for three hours to get a bag of snacks. When he left Sendai to go to Tsuzuki in Yokohama, Hanyu cried. "I wondered if it was okay to continue skating under these conditions." He confided in Tsuzuki.

 

The courage I received from Kobe

The experience of traveling around to various places for about 60 shows from April to July healed his heart.

 

"I realized that the fans were supporting me. It made me think that I have to face my practice seriously," he says. "I received many calls asking me to come over here (to practice)." "(At the Kobe show) I skated to 'Swan Lake' to express my feelings about the earthquake disaster, and the audience applauded a lot... Kobe had recovered from the great earthquake. I was encouraged by it. If I hadn't gone to Kobe, my skating path might have become vague."

 

First Successful Quadruple Salchow

 

Even so, he was terrified by the aftershocks he felt in Yokohama. While continuing to be interviewed as a symbol of the perseverance of disaster victims, he was also tormented by a sense of helplessness, thinking, 'I can't do anything.' In June, as if a dam had broken, Hanyu began to cry, and his mother said to him, 'You have to keep going.' A few days later, Hanyu told his mother, "You're right. I've already cried, so it's okay now."

 

Around this time, Hanyu successfully landed his first quadruple salchow jump, a major feat. His coach, Soji Tanaka, said, "He used to practice with a face that said, 'This is so tough,' but now he's changed. He's smiling and saying 'It's fun!' The kindness he received from so many people after the disaster has became a treasure for him."

 

I Want to Break Through
2012 - 18 years old

 

To Canada, Where Great Athletes Gather

 

At a kaiseki restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo, Hanyu, his current coach Brian Orser, current ANA Skating Club director Noriko Shirota, and Yutaka Higuchi, who has been involved in the development of Japanese skaters for over 40 years, made a vow together: "Let's aim to become world champion."

 

Soon after, in the summer of 2012, Hanyu moved his training base to Canada. It was Higuchi who recommended that he transfer to the prestigious Cricket Club in Toronto. Orser, who is the head of coaching at Cricket, is known for his difficult triple axels in his competitive days, so he can give Hanyu, who will likely become a pioneer of quadruple jumps, accurate advice. He is kind-hearted, so there is no need to worry about pushing Hanyu into a corner. Canada, with its many immigrants, will treat him without discrimination. With this in mind, Higuchi reached out to his old acquaintance Orser and renowned choreographer David Wilson, saying, "Please take good care of Hanyu."

 

Hanyu was amazed by the skating he saw at the club. A quadruple jump by Javier Fernandez (Spain), who would later compete for the world title. One-footed turn by the kids. Hanyu said, “I was frustrated. But I was happy. I found a lot of things that I want to be better at.”

 

Sochi's Heartbreaker

Jeffrey Buttle, who was close friends with Wilson and choreographed for Hanyu together with him, fully brought out "Yuzuru's charm as a boy trying to become a young man" in his short program (SP) "Parisienne Walkways." Hanyu, who performed the role of "a heartbreaker who plays with women," broke the world record four times. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, he won the gold medal with this short program and the free program choreographed by Wilson.

 

After Sochi, Hanyu continued to break records with his short program choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle. Polished by the Canadian, the Japanese talent shone even brighter.

 

The Olympics That Defined His Life

 

It was the 1998 Nagano Olympics that first introduced Hanyu to skating. Riding on the trend, he began competing with his sister.

 

The Olympics that defined his life. "It is because I’ve became a gold medalist that this is the start," he vowed.

 

Hanyu is currently undergoing rehabilitation from an injury to his right ankle that he sustained during practice, and is attempting to become the first man to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in figure skating in 66 years. This season, he has been saying things like, "I will carry each and every hardship, each and every joy in my heart," and "With everyone's warm support, I will do my best at the Olympics."

 

 

Yuzuru Hanyu
Born in 1994, from Sendai City. Affiliated with ANA.
2018 PyeongChang Olympics Gold Medalist
2017 World Champion
2016 Grand Prix Final Champion
2015 Grand Prix Final Champion
2014 Grand Prix Final Champion
2014 World Champion
2014 Sochi Olympics Gold Medalist
2013 Japan National Champion
2013 Grand Prix Final Champion
2012 Japan National Champion
2010 World Junior Champion
2008 Japan Junior Champion

 

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Interviewer: Goto Taisuke | Twitter @gototaisuke

Asahi Shimbun sports reporter, covering figure skating, Paralympic sports, soccer, etc.

Design and production: Keitaro Kato, Yoshiharu Sato (Asahi Shimbun Media Productions)
.Titles omitted. Photos provided by the person or related parties, Japan Skating Federation, Asahi Shimbun, etc.

 

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

Published 2018.2.14

Updated 2018.2.17

 

Source: https://www.asahi.com/olympics/2018/special/hanyu-star/?iref=spinthedream-footer

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20180215053521/https://www.asahi.com/olympics/2018/special/hanyu-star/?iref=spinthedream-footer

 

SPIN THE DREAM (Part 2) - Yuzuru Hanyu, the Lone Star

 

Spoiler

The loneliness of being a champion, the struggle with injuries. Everything for the Pursuit of Consecutive Olympic Golds

 

There is a photo of Yuzuru Hanyu holding his graduation certificate proudly in front of his chest, smiling happily. Two junior figure skaters stand beside him, and behind him stands his club advisor, Jun Sasaki. This was a graduation ceremony held for Hanyu at Tohoku High School.

 

"It was a graduation ceremony for just one person, but I was happy that my juniors were able to attend," Sasaki reminisces about Hanyu’s high school days. "In reality, he was only in high school for one year."

 

In March 2011, before Hanyu entered his second year of high school, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. He left Sendai and traveled across the country performing in ice shows. When he became a third-year student, he moved his training base to Toronto, Canada, in search of a better practice environment. He took the credits required for high school graduation, including submitting reports, but was unable to attend the graduation ceremony with his classmates.

 

I Am a Passionate Athlete

 

While growing up supported by the predecessors in the skating world, Hanyu had few opportunities to experience what it is like to be a teenage boy or a young man in his 20s outside of the rink. Even after winning a gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Hanyu did not ease up. That summer, with over three years still until the PyeongChang Olympics, he left these words:

 

"I'd like to see Masahiro Tanaka (of the Yankees) at least once, but I think this lifestyle is better than spending my energy on other things. I am in Canada to train. I think I'm the kind of passionate athlete you see in manga. A sports fanatic."

 

Though Hanyu is known for his love of baseball and music, he admitted, "I’ve never been to a concert or live performance. I’ve only seen a game once or twice, like the kick-off ceremony for Vegalta Sendai and the opening pitch for the Rakuten game."

 

His club colleague, Javier Fernandez (Spain), said, "We never hang out in each other's room or go out to eat together. We only see each other on the ice." Tanaka Keiji (graduate student of Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts), a classmate who competed with Hanyu from a young age and was also a member of the Pyeongchang Olympic team, said, "We probably won’t go out for dinner together until after we retire."

 

Hanyu has continued to live a disciplined life, breaking records that have pressured other athletes to step up.

 

Turning words into action, and action into words

 

In 2013, when Hanyu had not yet fully mastered the quadruple Salchow, he relentlessly bombarded his coach, Brian Orser, with questions. "What about the curve before the takeoff?" "Which direction should I jump?" "How should I use the foot that isn't on the ice?" "How do I use my arms?" He would write down the advice he received and his own insights in a notebook, testing them and making adjustments. "What I refer to as the greatest common denominator is the point I must absolutely find," he focused on. Turning words into action, and action into words.

 

After losing a match or making a mistake, he speaks at length to organize his thoughts and have them recorded in articles or news. He never keeps silent or looks down after a mistake. "I strategically use the media," he states.

 

Numerous injuries, but a comeback each time

 

Hanyu has many old injuries. Lower back and left knee. An avulsion fracture in his ankle. His right ankle, which he injured last November, had become loose due to the injury, making it prone to sprains.

 

In November 2014, he collided with another skater at the Cup of China, suffering injuries to five areas of his body, including his head and left thigh. The following month, after the All-Japan Championships, he was diagnosed with a condition called "urachal remnant", in which a tube necessary for fetal development remains after birth, and had to undergo surgery. In April 2016, after the World Championships, he could not train in the summer due to pain in the instep of his left foot. He missed the All-Japan Championships in December of the same year due to influenza.

 

Each time, he has made a comeback. What supports him is the training efficiency of the notes he took in those hard times.

 

He struggled with the lack of a rink. With asthma narrowing his airways and old injuries, he couldn’t practice for long periods. He practiced four days a week, five at most. His ice time was just under two hours. In contrast, Mao Asada practiced seven days a week, for four to five hours a day.

 

If his right ankle hurt, he would find the "absolute point" that would allow him to perform his best in that condition. The Pyeongchang Olympics was his comeback competition after his right ankle sprain, and it became a performance without rehearsal (*make-or-break situation).

 

I'm Glad I Skated

 

"I don't have many friends," he once said. He won the World Junior Championships in his third year of junior high school. Because of competitions and practices, he couldn't attend school much. He also mentioned, "I don't like it when people gather around me after I become famous."

 

After moving to Toronto, he would occasionally practice in Japan, but he did so discreetly. "I've just been chasing my dreams, but I have to live my life worrying about what the public thinks," he said. "Sometimes, it feels like I’m treated like an idol, and I think that doesn't feel right. But, I want to cherish the feelings of support from others."

 

With six months to go until the Pyeongchang Olympics, when asked "When do you feel like taking it easy?" he answered:

 

"There are days like that. But there is no place to escape. The rink is a place where I can forget about my struggles and the things I want to escape from. Without skating, there are times when I feel like my heart might break. In that sense, I’m glad I kept skating for the past three years."

 

He has poured everything into skating. All for the sake of winning consecutive Olympic gold medals.

 

Consecutive Olympic gold medals for the first time in 66 years

 

After recovering from a right ankle sprain, Hanyu won the gold medal with a total score of 317.85 points (SP 111.68 / Free 206.17). At the press conference, he said, "I'm very satisfied that my dream has come true."

 

"I'm full of gratitude."

 

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Interviewer: Goto Taisuke | Twitter @gototaisuke

Asahi Shimbun sports reporter, covering figure skating, Paralympic sports, soccer, etc.

Design and production: Keitaro Kato, Yoshiharu Sato (Asahi Shimbun Media Productions)
. Titles omitted. Photos provided by the person or related parties, Japan Skating Federation, Asahi Shimbun, etc.