This show will be subbed and released in 3 parts so please keep an eye out for Part 3 coming soon.
As Youtube no longer allows community contributions to subtitles, we were unable to contribute subtitles to the original videos which was our original preference, and therefore have uploaded a subbed version for an easier viewing experience for international fans. We ask that you show your support by visiting the original Youtube upload and giving them your views (Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3) as you watch the subbed version.
[!!!] Please do not edit or re-upload. If you would like to share our content, credit or link to the official account, thank you
Q: We saw your tears after finishing âPrologueâ.
Y: Anyhow, it was partly because it was my first ice show as a pro (skater). Um, I think that as a pro, I especially have to be most careful about not getting injured. Therefore, more than anything, itâs truly been a significant experience to have been able to finish this until the end without any big injuries. Also, there was of course a gradual decline in my physical conditions like this and many (other) things such as tremendous anxiety, pressure, etc. Even so, while receiving a lot of support from the many staff, Iâve once again realized that I can probably work as a pro (skater) going forward like this. So again, Iâll do my best going forward as a pro, not just with my own strength but while relying on and cooperating with (many parties) including my sponsors.
Q: You also had a full house today, how did you feel upon seeing that?
Y: To be honest, I had thought about this, for example at Japanese Nationals 2021. Back then I skated while seriously thinking how many chances I would have afterwards to skate while being showered with so many cheers and so many people watching me. But in reality, to have so many people watching me even after I turned pro like this, and so many people watching even where my line of sight canât reach, for example, people watching via the live viewing or TV. How should I say? SkatingâŠIâm very honored and blessed as a skater. There were many moments where I could say that Iâm truly glad Iâve pursued skating. From now on as well, uhm how should I put it? If everyone ever needs it, I would like to do my very best to deliver the skating that is needed. Or if your heart changes, I will continue doing my best going forward to put out performances that you can think âYuzuru Hanyuâs skating is good after allâ even if for just a second when you happen to see (my skating).Â
Q: You said that Prologue is finished and the Main Story would continue, and now you are going to give another ice show in February.
Y: To be honest, Iâm very nervous about doing the first performance at Tokyo Dome as a skater. As to come this far, many staff worked out the composition. I also worked out various layouts. Then I plan to add stories to it, write them by myself, add narrations to them, and many other things to work on. Unlike other ice shows, there would be a main story acting as the backbone, and my programs would be in there with various meanings – something like a picture book. I think itâll be the kind of skating that you can watch with the feelings that youâre coming to appreciate the story. I definitely hope youâll look forward to it.
Q: Did you feel any sense of freedom since it was the last day (of the show)?
Y: Oh well, I was fired up from start to finish. Of course I had a feeling that this was the last day. However, as it actually was the last day, I thought I had to carry on till the end by saving my physical strength and giving my it my all at the same time*. I think Iâm the only one who understands that balance. So it was truly a tough show. The fact that I was able to skate without any big mistake, make clean jumps till the end and deliver my performances is, maybe this is from a competitive point of view, but being able to nail the jumps and skating cleanly makes me feel confident, and it gives me a sense of achievement that I was able to give good performances.
*t/n: we think he meant to say æåŸãŸã§äœåãæ®ããªããå šåãåºãïŒãåãïŒ
Q: Did you feel like you performed the programs for an hour and a half?
Y: Thatâll be true (laughs). Without taking a rest, I need to continuously skate throughout the show. Beside that, I think it really was hard to switch between various things since there were a variety of things according to the programs, for example, how to condition my feelings or what kind of message I want to convey.
Q: Did you skate âSEIMEIâ without any mistakes? You made no mistakes throughout the 5 shows; do you think the reason is that your skills have improved compared to when you were an amateur skater or that you have mastered how to do them when it counts?
Y: Oh well. Honestly, Iâm working while feeling that this is harder than skating a free program every day. If you think about the number of quadruple jumps that I do, of course it is much less than ordinary free programs⊠Just a moment please, Iâve lost my concentration now (wryly smiling). Well, for example, if I talk about the number of triple Axels or the comeback of my Biellmann (spins), Iâm doing them by overusing my body. So in that sense, I think I can simply say that I got more physical strength. However, I might have ruined those programs infinitely if Iâd lost focus even a little bit, so I think I can recognize that I might have grown mentally after staying continuously nervous for an hour and a half, or should I say all the time from the practice to the actual performances and carrying on until the very end.
Q: Are you also going to do the show in Tokyo Dome alone? How was your year as a 27-year-old? What kind of year do you want your 28th to be?
Well, first of all, I am planning to do the Tokyo Dome show by myself as well. About the staging aspects, I want to make it a skating (show) or a story that everybody can enjoy with new sensations by using some more elaborate things – but not like the one this time – with a wider variety of technologies so that you can enjoy as a performance or a story without using videos in between (programs). From now on, I plan to do ice shows like this Prologue and take part in some other ice shows as well. Like this time, I also want to gradually evolve shows to have a bit more progressive style than existing shows, and do them more often. But for the Tokyo Dome show, I want to do a show in a completely different style that would propose a different view of skating.
And about my year as a 27-year-old, I cannot say anything since Iâm still 27 now (laugh). So I donât know how to say, but for me, the year of the age 27 has become a great milestone for me. I decided to turn pro halfway into the age of 27, and now Iâve just completed my first tour as a pro, with only 2 stops but packed with content. So I think I can finish my year as a 27-year-old feeling that Iâm becoming a bit like my ideal of a pro (skater), or Iâve made my first step. My 28th year will be the time that I fully spend as a pro, so I want to continue making progress so that when I look back on my amateur days, I can proudly say âIâm better nowâ after surpassing that huge milestone. Also, I want to continuously aim to deliver performances that people can accept and admit as mine when they want to watch my performances without looking for ones from my amateur days.
Q: What is the reason you chose Tokyo Dome, a big venue representing Japan, and when did you start planning for it? What kind of thoughts did you put into the title, GIFT?
Y: The Tokyo Dome project had started before the Prologue project began. However, we had difficulty in securing the venue. So we decided to start doing Prologue for the time being while not knowing how things would turn out at the end. Then we were able to secure the venue. In that way, we were planning Prologue first while also thinking about GIFT. The reason why we chose Tokyo Dome was, well⊠honestly speaking, the number one reason would be that I got an offer to do (the show) in Tokyo Dome. Frankly, I donât believe Iâm capable to that extent, and Iâm not that boastful, nor do I have so much confidence in myself. However, after being offered to do (the show) in Tokyo Dome and while getting support from various people, planning by myself and with many people, I thought a lot about what would be the figure skating that could only be possible in Tokyo Dome. Now the preparations for GIFT are moving forward with the feeling that I want to show them in Tokyo Dome. And what else? The thoughts that I put into (the title of) GIFT is that, when I recalled my amateur days, I came to think that many people have supported me. So it is not quite like giving back to them, but I thought that my story would start from giving back, and thatâs why I named it âGIFTâ, as a present. I hope the story itself will become a present to you all, and the programs that I included in that story will become gifts for you as well.
Q: As you mentioned in the explanation of the âEtudeâ performance, why did you hold the final show in Hachinohe?
Y: Actually, there were no other available venues so Hachinohe happened to become the final stop. However, of course I wanted to do my show somehow in Tohoku. Then I thought, if Iâd do this here in Tohoku, as there is 3.11 in this show of mine, Prologue, where Iâm envisioning half of my life – even though some might still be hurting from the scar of 3.11, I wanted everyone who came to watch the show to digest those feelings, or rather remembering and mourning about them by watching my performance. I donât know if that is a good or a bad thing, but I wanted to deliver performances that spark some kind of emotions, however small.
Q: You said that you were still unsure about your goals as a pro at the Yokohama shows, have you found a hint (about that goal) through Prologue?
Y: It gave me the confidence that itâs okay to continue like this. To be honest, while planning the Prologue this time, as a skater, I already knew the logistics and physical constraints, for example, having to continue skating without changing costumes. I was very worried about how everyone would feel about that, and how to make everyone enjoy and watch until the end even with such (constraints). Therefore, my start as a pro was filled with anxiety about whether people would accept my one-man show, so in that sense, I felt quite hazy. After the Prologue this time came to an end, it gave me some confidence that I can make everyone happy even with this style (of show). I donât think I will do shows that tell my life story that much in the future, but Iâll do a lot of thinking, planning and I hope to continue doing shows as my ideal version of a pro (skater) so that my programs will reach everyone and be enjoyable for you.
Q: Hachinohe is a place that has a deep connection with you. How did you feel about your show at Hachinohe and about Hachinohe City?
Y: Uhm⊠When I was met with the disaster in March (2011), after Ice Rink Sendai became unusable, I first came to the Higashi-kanagawa rink and was taken care of by my former coach, Tsuzuki-sensei. Afterwards, I was told that although I couldnât use electricity, I could skate in Hachinohe, so somehow I skated in such circumstances. As they were in power-saving mode back then, the lights wouldnât be turned on. Since it was during the day, the ceiling could be opened a bit for ventilation. I created my programs and did my physical training with only that light source. In that sense, I was indebted to Hachinohe. Being able to skate the programs that I created there in this place gave me really strong feelings. As they were programs that I created right after the earthquake disaster, they are probably of the same age as the earthquake. Itâs exactly for that reason that I want to recall the memory of the earthquake disaster, however little, by thinking about how many years itâs been since then, feeling these programs myself once again and having everyone experience them. While I do feel sorry for evoking (those memories) and making you suffer, I skated hoping that Iâve been able to deliver performance(s) that would make you also think that itâs because (such events) have happened that we have the present. Thank you very much!
[Final greetings] Thank you very much, for gathering like this for someone like me. Thank you very much. Iâll do my best. Iâm really happy to have everyone gathering here like this. I look forward to your continuous support. Thank you very much. Happy holidays! (laughs)
This is your first ice show since turning pro. What is your state of mind going into this event?
Uhm, I started to plan everything, including the venue, after holding the press conference announcing that I would turn pro in July. While there was not much time, I was able to create this while relying on many staff and having (them) fulfilling my requests. First of all, Iâm full of gratitude just for that alone. About this show âPrologueâ, to me it is the prologue to the story from here onward. This might get really abstract, but from now on, Iâll hold a new resolution in my heart and take one step at a time towards my goal, my dream: what Iâve experienced, and the strength that I received from everyone. I planned and constructed this show thinking that Iâd like to share those things with everyone once again and want to connect them to my next steps.
(Can you say something) about your arrangement of the first 6-minute warmup?
To be honest, when I thought about the placement and the order of the performances, where to put what, to me there was the press conference, then I went back to the past a little bit, there was the Pyeongchang Olympics. After that, I thought once more about how my life has progressed until now, and with the exhibition at Beijing at the very end, I wanted to make that akin to reaching the present. I first skated SEIMEI, which is also a representative program of mine at the Pyeongchang Olympics. Having the 6-minute warmup and skating with all of the lights on, which is unthinkable for ice shows, are all my ideas. To be honest, I wondered what kind of reaction I would receive. Also, I couldnât help being anxious, wondering how focused I could be doing the 6-minute warmup at a venue thatâs not a competition. Actually, I havenât heard everyoneâs feedbacks yet. But my impression after finishing the first day of Prologue is that everyone was really satisfied, judging by their expressions and reactions, so in that sense, I think that might have succeeded.
Is âA Fleeting Dreamâ the program that you choreographed yourself?
Yes. Itâs the program that I skated after âRomeo & Julietâ. Itâs a bit hard to express (the concept) in a few words. What I wanted to put in it when I first choreographed it is that, when I just let the music play as I skated, the cool down movements that everyone likes just clicked into place. It fits this program, or should I say, this song. At that time, everyone did say that they would love to see the cool down routine. As there were fans who said that seeing the cool down alone would be enough for them to be satisfied, my first thought was âwell then letâs put it into the programâ. After that, I got deep into the song, including its title ‘A Fleeting Dream’… Also, I really really love Final Fantasy X (which was the source of this piece) and it was from my generation. I thought about various things while creating it, including my own dreams. My original âdreamâ of becoming the 2-time Olympic champion. After that, I once again set my dream on the quad Axel and chased after it. In a sense, I couldnât accomplish it as an amateur, competitive skater. In a sense, I wasnât able to become the first person to ratify the quad Axel under the ISU system. In that sense, it might have been a dream that unfortunately ended, so itâs a fleeting dream (lit. a dream that would end some day). Somehow I couldnât do it although everyone expected me to. I wish that I can, yet Iâm so tired that I donât want to do it anymore. Somehow, the more people cheered me on, the more I was neglecting my own feelings and breaking down. I didn’t want to hear it anymore, but I still want to live up to everyone’s expectations; I intended to express that dilemma I have in my heart (in this program).
I asked for MIKIKO*-senseiâs help with âA fleeting dreamâ and the last program âHaru yo, Koiâ. Itâs the first time that I included this much projection mapping into my performance, so I think everyoneâs perspective of a figure skating program has also changed. Moreover, I actually think that the skate that you see if you are in the venue and really close to the rink, from a point of view similar to mine, versus if you look down from above or through the camera are totally different. Therefore, itâs a program that I hope everyone will definitely enjoy in those aspects as well.
*T/N: MIKIKO is a Japanese choreographer and director who has worked closely with J-pop groups such as Perfume and BABYMETAL. She helped create Japanâs hand-over segment at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Closing Ceremony.
Were your feelings during the performance different from when youâre at competitions?
For SEIMEI, I skate it while 100% recalling the Pyeongchang Olympics. About the (program) structure, it actually became approximately 4 minutes and 7 seconds. There were also slightly fewer jumps. Although it would have been dismissed if it were the original program, I purposely tried doing 3 triple Axels, since I can do it now as a professional. I was extremely nervous. How should I put it⊠In competitions, there would be the judges in front of me. But having a big audience right in front of my eyes, to be honest, feels like Iâm being put to the test, and I skated feeling like I have to give it a try. It was good anxiety.
What kind of physical strengthening and preparation did you have heading to this event?
Firstly, physical strengthening was truly exhausting. I did the show from beginning to end over 5 times. After all, I normally put everything I have into a program, so itâs unthinkable to skate again afterwards. But I think I have been able to carry myself through till now somehow. Also, thereâs a world that I want to express, my performances and the VTR in between them. I wanted to give those things a story line, to create something that can deliver my thoughts to everyone more easily, one that would properly convey my intention, so it was a lot of hard work editing and actually asking those who helped me create it while keeping that in mind. It was something that took until this morning to finish, so of course there are still things I want to do, and things I wish I did differently. I could not do everything by myself, and above all, I think that itâs not common for an artist to have their intention respected this much and to have such a big audience cheer for them as one like this, so Iâm glad that Iâve done my best, with all my heart, on all those occasions during my so-called amateur skater era. Iâve felt that I want to continue doing my best with everyone going forward as well.
Hanyu-san, what do you think your future story will become?
To be honest, I might have said this in the press conference where I announced my turning pro, I donât have anything specific as a goal just because Iâve turned pro. This is, in a sense, something happening for the first time in my life. Until now, Iâve always lived my life since I was 4 years old with the goal of winning the Olympic gold medal. Thatâs why Iâm in a bit of a limbo right now. But firstly, Iâm putting my efforts every single day so that Prologue can be a success, and I focus on each of my jumps and my performances as each day goes by. Such things will probably accumulate, and theyâll again lead to a new stage called Yuzuru Hanyu. And by amassing all these experiences, I think Iâll be able to build a new foundation for myself. So Iâll do my best at what I can do right now, and I want to overcome the limits of figure skating once again. I hope thatâll be my story from now on.
How did âA fleeting dreamâ express the worldview of Final Fantasy X?
Itâs hard to express this to someone who doesnât understand gaming at all. Itâs kind of like dancing, singing and expressing emotions with spirits. Also, thereâs a scene in the water in the fantasy landscape. I thought about the performance with MIKIKO-sensei based on that and used that place as a reference while creating this piece. In a sense, I myself also think that there are many people who truly support me with their souls. Back then (when I was performing) Notte Stellata, everyoneâs thoughts were shining. I once said it was like a sky full of stars. In the program this time, the light of everyoneâs support is blinding. Iâm skating together with everyoneâs thoughts, yet I donât want to look at them anymore, but I want to skate with them again. At the end, everyoneâs thoughts gather and I once again continue to skate; thatâs what I intended to express.
Thank you very much. I ask for your continuing support. Iâll do my best tomorrow as well (laughs). By the way, is this good for everyone? (everyone in the interview area laughs) Thank you very much!
This 1.5hr special is subbed and uploaded in 3 parts.
A note on suffixes: Generally, an athlete who retires from competition stops being referred to with the suffix âsenshuâ (éžæ) in Japan and instead is called âsanâ (ãã). In the spirit of preserving this meaningful nuance and in recognition of his intention to continue being an athlete, we have kept this suffix as-is in translations of all media coverage of Yuzuruâs professional athlete announcement.
Guide to subtitle colors and hosts Momo Ando (female announcer)/TV Asahi Narration: Black text on white background Matsuoka Shuzo: Dark blue with white background Yuzuru Hanyu: Light-blue with black background Shizuka Arakawa:Lilac with black background Nobunari Oda: Black with light-grey background Shigeo Takahashi:Brown on black background Other clips/people:White text with black background
[!!!] Please do not edit or re-upload. If you would like to share our content, credit or link to the official account, thank you
A note on suffixes: Generally, an athlete who retires from competition stops being referred to with the suffix âsenshuâ (éžæ) in Japan and instead is called âsanâ (ãã). In the spirit of preserving this meaningful nuance and in recognition of his intention to continue being an athlete, we have kept this suffix as-is in translations of all media coverage of Yuzuruâs professional athlete announcement.
Other translations: There was a live Japanese to English interpreter on the NHK broadcast, whose translation can be found here. However, knowing the limitations and time pressure of live interpretation, the Axel with Wings team decided to do our own translation with the benefit of more time and a full transcript of Yuzuruâs words. As always, though we do our best to check our version with multiple translators, we encourage viewers to consult multiple translation sources and interpretations as a point of discussion and to not treat any one translation as a source of truth.
[!!!] Please do not edit or re-upload. If you would like to share our content, credit or link to the official account, thank you
On August 10th, Yuzuru Hanyu (27), who turned professional having won two Olympics back to back at Sochi in 2014 and Pyeongchang in 2018 for Men’s figure skating, and turned to pro held an open practice called âSharePracticeâ at Ice Rink Sendai in Sendai City.
There was a live stream to share the practice session on his official YouTube channel, âHANYU YUZURUâ. The second chapter of his skating life has started.
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Q&As after the practice are as follows.
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Q: What is your intention of sharing the practice session this time?
Well, first of all, as I start to do the activities as a professional (athlete) from now on, I think there are scarce chances to show my practice sessions, or my challenge for the quad Axel.
However, there are people who want to watch my practices. In that situation, I thought it would be nice if I could create an opportunity for them to watch my athleticism, or should I say, my attitude of continuously pursuing things, which I fundamentally have in myself. Thatâs why I created this event of sharing my practice session.
Since it has been decided hastily, the programs that I can perform and the music that I can play were quite limited, I think. However, skating clean to SEIMEI with the same layout I did at the Olympics, I mean PyeongChang Olympics, was my goal this time.
And also I find myself having a strong resolution of wanting to prove that I am better than I was at that time. So today, I skated that program until the end.
Actually, people probably have a strong impression of the SEIMEI program that I skated at the PyeongChang Olympics. However, I could not skate it clean at that time, and although there were of course other parts that probably made up for it, I must admit that, given the conditions of my ankle and other things, I could hardly give a performance that I had wanted to do back then.
At that time, the probability of my being able to skate that program clean was not that high, so this time, what I wanted the most is to show that I have become better than myself at that time – that would be the strongest point.
Well, actually in my usual practices, I could do it 3 times consecutively. Of course, for example, I would omit some more transitions in between, but I do practice it 3 times in a row, so it was a little closer to what you can see at my usual practice. Well, in fact, I can skate it clean 3 times (laugh). I think there was a part where I was spinning wheels since I was too excited.
Thank you. Well, frankly speaking, regarding the live streaming, I do not use my own music pieces, one thing is that it costs a lot. However, this time, I also wanted to allow everyone to watch for free, so I shared it for free.
In fact, when I think about applying (for the rights to use) the music pieces that I want to use and various other things as well, I think it might cost a much more huge amount of money, so Iâve been thinking a little about what I should do from now on, or how I can do the activities on my channel itself.
But I wanted people to know how Yuzuru Hanyu would basically practice, or, people might have a very brilliant image of figure skating. I want them to see that behind such an image, there is me who looks unrefined and is desperately struggling while practicing. I thought Iâd like people who have no interest in figure skating to watch it even a little, and this is the reason I shared my practice session.
Q: You jumped a 4Lo-3T at the beginning of Hope & Legacy. We saw it at the practice, but you havenât done it in actual competitions. Why did you jump it today?
Well, actually, I wondered which one I should jump, such as a 4Lo, 4Lo-3T, or 4Lo-3A and so on. But this time, my goal was to skate SEIMEI cleanly, so I thought Iâd choose somewhere around a 4Lo-3T.
In fact, Iâve been steadily practicing combination jumps with the (quad) Loop, and when I think about whether they have high enough success rate to be put into actual performances, or if I need to do such difficult things in the activities that Iâd like to do in future, (I think) I might not need to do them since they are not even beneficial in terms of scores, but I just wanted to show that I have a potential to this level.
Well, actually, I used to practice quadruple toe loop (in this rink) right behind me, over there, and fell a lot of times. And Iâm nostalgic remembering that I used to explain âit falls short of rotation since I do like this, then I fall this way.â In fact, being able to practice here is something special. Of course, I no longer have the chance to practice together with various skaters now. Yet, I still have a special feeling for the fact that I do not have to leave this town and Iâm able to continuously brush up my skills by practicing at my home rink. While I want to keep growing here, Iâd also like to contribute to this city, and work hard to do many things to support my beloved hometown, even if only a little.
More than ten years ago, here (at this rink), when you were a small child, you said âI will get a gold medalâ. And you did it twice. Looking back, what do you think about it now?
WellâŠI just came to think that finally Iâm standing at the starting line. Now, in front of everyone, for the first time as a professional (athlete), Iâm able to show my skating. Then among other things, I think that thereâs some meaning as well in the fact that I could skate SEIMEI clean at this very beginning. Of course, Sochi Olympics, PyeongChang Olympics, and Beijing Olympics, all of them are my irreplaceable memories, and have become my experiences as well. Exactly because they were there, now Iâm finally at the starting line, and can think that âIâll be able to become better and better from now onâ. So please let me ask for your continuing support.
Well, I usually practice at midnight. So my body did not move as I intended*, and that made me really regretful, but I will practice it more and more, and I absolutely want to show my landing of the 4A. I will continuously work hard for it, as if I bet my life on it. Please support me.
*T/N: According to Nikkan Sportsâ article (https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/202208100000580.html), this part would mean that âI could not land a 4A today during the day time since I usually practise it at midnight and my body did not move as I intended.â
At this point, I think this place would be my primary training base. Nevertheless, if people would come here when Iâm actually practicing, that might cause trouble for the facility staff, so I beg everyone for your understanding and cooperation especially on that matter. I want to continue practicing here from now on, and above all, if possible, I think I want to do ice shows in Sendai or in Miyagi prefecture.
Thank you very much for always supporting me. In addition, regarding the Beijing Olympics, actually I could not land the 4A and could not get a medal either, but yet I saw that everyone kept cheering for me, and while hearing everyoneâs voice, honestly, I myself wanted to succeed more and more or wanted to get a result. From now on, I want to have an insatiable appetite for âresultsâ again, including the 4A. I also want to create more opportunities to show my performance in front of everyone, so Iâd appreciate it if you are looking forward to it. Thank you.
OK. Well, this place is⊠I think probably a different company owned it, and before it was renewed, I started figure skating here. And still now, this is the base of my activities and I mostly practice here. With that in mind, I thought I want to show everyone my practice here. And above all, I love Sendai very much. Honestly, when I moved my practice base to Canada, I went there crying and feeling that I didnât want to leave Sendai – I love Sendai to that level. So now that I can skate in Sendai, Iâm happy. Additionally, Iâm thinking of doing various things in Sendai, including my future activities. So Iâd like to continue on, together with the people of Sendai.
Honestly, after all, in Sendai, there is only one rink available all through the year. For figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating as well as short track, the practice environment can be said to be severe. I believe youâve been practicing under such hard conditions – I know well about it since Iâve been practicing here too – in such a harsh environment. Nevertheless, please keep your ambition of getting better and better. Iâm also continuously becoming better and better here. You also are skating on the same rink (as me) so Iâm sure you can be better. Please have hope, and work hard while envisioning the ideal image of yourselves. Thank you very much.
OK, well, what was to say first? Yes, my future plans. Regarding my future plans, I have more concrete visions for the things that I plan to do within this year to some degree. Actually, there are a few things that I have decided to do, this or that, within this year. And Iâm practicing for them now. However, Iâm thinking of announcing it at a different time, so itâs still a secret. Hehehe. Yes. About the activities to do within this year, I have a feeling that they will soon be decided, and they have been put into motion after the press conference so honestly Iâm very busy and find it hard to do. Well, as Iâd like to work hard on various things even if I have to cut down on my sleep, please look forward to it.
And then about the 4A, I think it would be great if Iâd have a chance to jump it in a program if possible. However, its success rate has not reached that level yet, and honestly speaking, I did it today but the level of the 4 and a half rotation now has reached only the same level as what I did at the Japanese National Championships [in 2021]. But considering my ankle condition, since it is a jump that would put a huge load on my left ankle, in that sense my left ankle has been in a better condition compared to the Japanese Nationals, and also my right ankle has recovered to some degree, so that I can challenge it like this. From now on, I will leverage my experiences from the (Beijing)* Olympics or the experiences as well as the knowledge that I had accumulated by then, so that I will be able to become much better. Thank you.
*T/N: Multiple outlets (Sports Hochi, Nikkan) have reported that Yuzuru says Pyeongchang here but based on the context of what heâs talking about (the 4A) and the fact he corrected himself on a similar mistake a few times in post-presscon media, we believe he meant to say Beijing.
Today, It is half a year after the free skate at the Beijing Olympics. Starting as a professional athlete, what is the difference you feel between them?
Well, after all, while I do the activities as a professional athlete, there are some points that I find different from the competitions. Let me see.. How can I put itâŠFor example, itâs not just doing a 6 minute warmup and then doing one program and finishing up. Itâs not only skating for the sake of getting scores, but of course, there is the need to put out a program that everyone would be willing to watch. For me, in addition to that, I think I have to give a performance like SEIMEI which I did today, namely the program that has the same quality, or even higher quality than the ones for the competitions, the performance where I step up a gear. Well, you might have thought while watching my todayâs practices, it is much tougher. Hehehe. It is really hard, and, honestly speaking, when Iâm trying to build up the structure of my new show* and practicing for it, Iâm doing it while feeling that itâs truly tough. But even in such a situation, I want to carry it through until the end without dropping the level (of my performance). So Iâd appreciate it if you could look forward to both the style of the coming show and expect an even higher level of explosive power from me.
*T/N: âNew show” would mean the ice shows he is now working on, potentially the ones in Sendai or Miyagi that he referred to in Part 2 of this article series.
Earlier, you said âI went to Canada while cryingâ. For 10 years starting from 2012, your coaches in Toronto who have been taking care of you also supported you becoming a professional athlete.
Oh, in fact I really want to quickly go back to my team Iâve trained and show my appreciation to them. However, as I said earlier, Iâm now building up a lot of different plans, or Iâve been shooting and editing YouTube videos. They are really like beginner’s works, but I also think they feel like mine. In that sense, Iâve been kind of running around all over the place and can hardly have a chance to go and meet them, which makes me feel apologetic. Having said that, I received an email from Ghislain again this morning, and he was like âIâm watching you!â. Thinking of their attitudes of trying to watch me until the very end or really sending me various pieces of advice from afar, I really want to go to see them quickly to show my appreciation.
Ghislain, yes – Ghislain and Tracy and Brian.. I havenât been able to see them for a very long time, so I really want to go and see my coaches and tell them, âThank you very muchâ and âPlease support me from now onâ. In addition to them, here in Sendai, there is Nanami-sensei who uses this rink as her home base, also Soji-sensei. And Iâm wondering if I can get a chance to meet and show my appreciation to Mami-sensei as well as Tsuzuki-sensei. I really want to do so. I wonder if they would watch this (live streaming) video, but in reality, itâs better if I am able to go to see them in person and convey my deep appreciation to them. Hehehe. Oh boy, I really want to see them.
Firstly, about my jacket: it was a sudden decision to create a new jacket for my new start, and actually, I received it just this morning. So this is a tentative style. From here, Iâm thinking of doing various things in future. As for the thoughts behind it, well, I put in the idea of using colors that are a little bit reminiscent of SEIMEI.
And the next question was.. oh yes, (my state of mind) after the press conference. Well, I’ll tell you that Iâve been spending my days being very nervous until today. Of course, while doing various activities, there are many things that I have to do by myself, I mean, do by myself as a professional athlete. Iâve also taken initiative in doing things that I used to let others do, as well as considering various things. Thereâre quite a lot of things like that. So it was very hard and Iâve been doing them while thinking that I had to cut down on my sleep a lot.
However, as for my feelings, I actually think that I even need to practice harder than when I was a competitive skater, and Iâve been actually doing it that way. So letâs say I used to work hard being chased by the things called competitions, but now I feel like I want to go beyond everyoneâs expectation. Hehehe. I think that would probably be much harder. But in fact, Iâve actually been able to have fulfilling days in my life. But in such an environment, as a professional athlete⊠as I have experienced many injuries as a competitor, and after all I cannot be allowed to cancel the event when I become a professional athlete,* and also I donât want to disappoint the expectations of everyone who is looking forward to watching me. So from now on, as a professional athlete, above all, I will try to avoid getting injured, and will work hard to let everyone watch me perform at a high level every time.
*T/N: It seems he thinks this way for himself. He is not referring to others.
Could you tell us about the reason you named it âSharePracticeâ, about the decision to take individual interviews (with the media) after the practice session, and also about Ohtani, who is your age and matched Babe Ruthâs great achievement*.
*T/N: the day before this, Shohei Ohtani became the first baseball player after Babe Ruth (1918) in major league history to have at least 10 home runs and 10 wins in the same season.
OK, so first of all, about Ohtani-san. I really appreciate that you gave a comment for me when you did an interview at the All-star Game. Once again, I think you have obtained an unattainably great achievement that seemed impossible in this era. Congratulations to you. I can hardly come close to you, and Iâm really honored to be in this âOhtani generationâ*. Iâd really like you to work hard as you have been doing, and as I have just stepped up onto the professional stage, Iâll do my best to be able to catch up with Ohtani san. Maybe I cannot, I guessâŠ(laugh). Itâd be my pleasure if we can meet again.
*T/N: As Shohei Ohtani and Yuzuru Hanyu were born in the same year (1994) and had remarkable achievements in their respective fields, the media came up with the terms âHanyu generationâ and âOhtani generationâ to show their significance compared to their peers. In interviews, Shohei and Yuzuru often exchanged compliments by acknowledging the other person as the representative of their generation, saying they are only a person living in the other personâs generation.
And then, what was next? Oh, yes, about the interviews, I remember! Regarding the interviews, honestly speaking, I could not receive them individually so often at open practices or during competitions. Well, I can only do the brief ones for each. But I thought I would definitely want to put individual interviews (into this practice session) however difficult it would be, so though originally I was thinking of doing all the interviews in the mixed zone, I insisted on it, saying âplease let me do thatâ, and so I did. I’d be really happy if people from each media company would take their time to write (their own article) about this person called Yuzuru Hanyu.
Also about the title, âSharePracticeâ, I decided not to put a space in between (the two words) and made it SharePractice. I think of it as one word, or a newly coined phrase. At first, I thought of âOpen Practiceâ, âOpen Trainingâ, and many other phrases. But when I thought about the things that I can own together with everyone and that we can go on fighting together in future, I thought âShareâ would be the most suitable one for me. On the other hand, this is an event and at the same time, I want people to watch me fight it out until the end – which is the greatest purpose and theme of this event, so I decided myself to title it âSharePracticeâ without omitting the word âPracticeâ. Thatâs it. Thank you very much.
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A note on suffixes: Generally, an athlete who retires from competition stops being referred to with the suffix âsenshuâ (éžæ) in Japan and instead is called âsanâ (ãã). In the spirit of preserving this meaningful nuance and in recognition of his intention to continue being an athlete, we have kept this suffix as-is in translations of all media coverage of Yuzuruâs professional athlete announcement.
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