[2014.02.16] Kahoku Shimpo article about Yuzuru Hanyu + Elementary school essay

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine-translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2014.02.16

 

Source: 

https://x.com/miruku0723/status/1028508489469947904 (screenshot of the newspaper)

https://x.com/tomikoyuzu/status/1028452373256011777 (article text in thread)

https://web.archive.org/web/20150613162705/https://www.kahoku.co.jp/special/worksheet/pdf/20140519.pdf (top part of the article)

 

 

“A hard worker from the start” — Hometown mentors and others reflect with emotion

 

On the 15th, when Yuzuru Hanyu (19) reached the top in men’s figure skating at the Sochi Winter Olympics, people connected to his hometown of Sendai watched his heroic figure on television with deep emotion. Through episodes shared by those who have long supported Hanyu, watching over him as he shyly smiled in the center of the podium, the article looks back on the upbringing of the genius skater.

 

Marie Arai (32), a staff member at Ice Rink Sendai in Izumi Ward, Sendai, where Hanyu trained, and a former pairs representative at the Nagano Olympics, recalls: “At training camps, he would persistently challenge jumps he couldn’t land.” She remembers him as a hard worker.

 

Kazuya Igarashi (68), principal of Tohoku High School, praises Hanyu’s exceptional concentration. “He was constantly busy with practice and competitions, and before tests he would copy friends’ notes and cram overnight, but he still consistently ranked at the top academically,” he says.

 

Toshinobu Yoshida (41), who sharpens Hanyu’s skate blades at the skate shop “NICE” in Izumi Ward, reflects, “He got through the Great East Japan Earthquake and continued practicing without becoming discouraged, and that effort has paid off.” Yoshida says he has seen Hanyu grow into a resilient young man.

 

“When he admired Plushenko, the Turin Olympic gold medalist, and even got a mushroom haircut like his, I was surprised at just how much he loved skating,” reminisces Yasuhiro Kakubari (45), Hanyu’s homeroom teacher in fifth and sixth grade at Nanakita Elementary School. “He often talked about the Olympics and winning gold medals, and sometimes he would jump and spin in his indoor shoes.”

 

Saito Haruka (19), a company employee, and Gunji Daiki (19), a university student, both from Izumi Ward, who were classmates at Nanakita Elementary School and Nanakita Junior High School, smiled and said, “His embarrassed expression on the podium is exactly the same Yuzuru he used to be.”

 

One day in junior high school, Hanyu came to school with a tired expression, saying, “I practiced until 4 a.m.,” but when his friends gathered around him, his face suddenly brightened, and he became the center of the group. When he stood in front of an audience, he revealed the side of himself as a skater who shows his best smile.

 

When he was in elementary school, Hanyu stood up for a child who was being bullied and ended up getting caught up in it himself, but he carried through his stance of protecting them to the very end. “He is mentally strong, and his sense of justice is stronger than most,” Gunji recalls.”

 

Spoiler

 

 

[yuzurujenn]

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150613162705/https://www.kahoku.co.jp/special/worksheet/pdf/20140519.pdf

 

(Excerpt from the February 16, 2014, Kahoku Shimpo Morning Edition)

 

From the Nanakita Elementary School graduation album, Hanyu wrote about his skating memories:

 

 

"Moment"

 

The thing that has left the deepest impression on me over these six years is skating. I've learned so much, both from the fun and the frustrating moments.

 

Five years after I started skating, I was selected for the All-Japan Championships for the first time in my fourth grade. It was my first time competing there, and I felt more excited than nervous. Thinking, "I'm going to win," I practiced harder than usual.

 

On the day of the competition, my turn was first. Everyone at the club said to me, "Being first is tough. But do your best." I replied, "I'm good at being first, so it’s okay," and it helped ease both their nerves and my own.

 

With the signal, "Number one, Yuzuru Hanyu," my performance began. I was completely absorbed in my performance, giving it my all without thinking about anything. Before I knew it, at the moment I finished my final pose, I received a huge round of applause from the audience. I still remember that moment. I was so happy. And for the first time, I thought, "I want to thank the audience."

 

Through that competition, I learned the importance of being grateful to the audience. I want to continue skating and learn various things from now on.

 

-Yuzuru Hanyu