Original article
The hope for men’s figure skating made his debut at this year’s senior competition. We looked at the true face of the 15-year-old.
◇
Takeuchi: You are very skinny. Your face is also small. How tall are you?
Hanyu: About 170cm. I am still growing a bit. My shoe size is 25.5cm. However, my skates are a bit bigger, 27cm. Since Italian made shoes are narrow.
Takeuchi: Figure skating is a sport to “show”; do you do anything with your hair?
Hanyu: Since I was little, my mom cuts it for me. I don’t have any preference, so she just cuts it for me.
●Debut competition, 4th place
Takeuchi: You made your debut last month at the NHK Trophy.
Hanyu: I was very nervous. There were many people in the audience, a number unthinkable for a junior, and the skaters around me were amazing.
Takeuchi: There, you landed a quad jump.
Hanyu: I saw many skaters’ quads during official practice, and I was able to get an image. I was a bit confident. When I landed the jump, I thought “Yay~” but at the same time I thought, “It’s from here that counts. I can’t miss my other jumps.”
Takeuchi: Winning or losing depends on being able to land a quad or not.
Hanyu: I think the quad has a great appeal to it. It’s dynamic, and the fast rotation draws you in. The young generation like me has to jump more, since we can’t win in terms of career or expression to the veteran athletes.
Takeuchi: You ended in 4th place.
Hanyu: Since it’s about winning or losing, I am frustrated, but at the same time I was able to learn a lot. I have no regrets.
Takeuchi: Were you jealous of Murakami, who is 15 like you are, being on the podium?
Hanyu: I wanted to get a medal. When I saw the medal ceremony, my performance was the next day so I thought “The podium is so nice, I want to get on it too.” I guess I was a bit jealous.
The hope for men’s figure skating made his debut at this year’s senior competition. We looked at the true face of the 15-year-old.
◇
Takeuchi: You are very skinny. Your face is also small. How tall are you?
Hanyu: About 170cm. I am still growing a bit. My shoe size is 25.5cm. However, my skates are a bit bigger, 27cm. Since Italian made shoes are narrow.
Takeuchi: Figure skating is a sport to “show”; do you do anything with your hair?
Hanyu: Since I was little, my mom cuts it for me. I don’t have any preference, so she just cuts it for me.
●Debut competition, 4th place
Takeuchi: You made your debut last month at the NHK Trophy.
Hanyu: I was very nervous. There were many people in the audience, a number unthinkable for a junior, and the skaters around me were amazing.
Takeuchi: There, you landed a quad jump.
Hanyu: I saw many skaters’ quads during official practice, and I was able to get an image. I was a bit confident. When I landed the jump, I thought “Yay~” but at the same time I thought, “It’s from here that counts. I can’t miss my other jumps.”
Takeuchi: Winning or losing depends on being able to land a quad or not.
Hanyu: I think the quad has a great appeal to it. It’s dynamic, and the fast rotation draws you in. The young generation like me has to jump more, since we can’t win in terms of career or expression to the veteran athletes.
Takeuchi: You ended in 4th place.
Hanyu: Since it’s about winning or losing, I am frustrated, but at the same time I was able to learn a lot. I have no regrets.
Takeuchi: Were you jealous of Murakami, who is 15 like you are, being on the podium?
Hanyu: I wanted to get a medal. When I saw the medal ceremony, my performance was the next day so I thought “The podium is so nice, I want to get on it too.” I guess I was a bit jealous.
Takeuchi: When did you first stand on the ice?
Hanyu: When I was 4 years old. My older sister was going to skating classes, so I went with her and tried skating.
Takeuchi: How was it, being on the ice?
Hanyu: I don’t remember, but I thought that it was really difficult.
Takeuchi: Did it hurt when you fell?
Hanyu: At the time, it didn’t hurt that much. Now, I have to jump high so it hurts more. Back then, it was so much fun falling down. Since the ice was slippery, I thought that skating was really nice.
Takeuchi: And then you went “into it”.
Hanyu: In a large rink, during competitions just me alone skating, just me everyone looks at; I wanted to stand out. And also, the feeling of accomplishment when I succeed something difficult was nice. That made me get into it.
Takeuchi: Did you not have interest for baseball or soccer?
Hanyu: I liked baseball. When I was in the 2nd grade, I didn’t want to skate. The teacher was scary, and with so much to train, I didn’t want to go practice. I had this image in my mind that figure skating was a girl’s sport. At school, my friends were doing soccer and baseball, so there was a period of time when I wanted to do baseball as well.
Takeuchi: What made you continue figure skating?
Hanyu: My mom and dad told me “Why don’t you do baseball.” But when I was told that, it was hard to let go of figure skating. On the outside, I said “I hated it” but deep down in my heart, I loved it.
Takeuchi: Do you watch baseball now?
Hanyu: Yes, I watch.
Takeuchi: What team are you a fan of?
Hanyu: Hiroshima Carps.
Takeuchi: But, you’ve been in Sendai all your life.
Hanyu: Of course I cheer for Rakuten Eagles, but I am a Hiroshima fan. When I was little, I loved the color red, and I’ve since the days when Rakuten did not exist yet. I became a fan when I saw the red Hiroshima Carps play.
Takeuchi: There are many great athletes, such as the pitcher Kenta Maeda.
Hanyu: Being able to pitch so gracefully with a skinny body; I wanted to do something like that with my own skating.
Takeuchi: So you sometimes get images from baseball.
Hanyu: I think there is something similar in all sports, so I wish I can learn things from many other sports.
Takeuchi: Did you get any hints for figure skating?
Hanyu: Hmm. My dad was the adviser for the baseball team. I think things like how to rotate your hips and shifting your weight could be hints from baseball.
Takeuchi: How is your school life now?
Hanyu: When I talk to my friends, I get rid of my stress. When I can’t land a jump, I complain a lot. Since my friends don’t skate, I can say such things.
●Graceful pride
Takeuchi: Your performance is very graceful. What do you think are your strengths?
Hanyu: I think I am a bit more flexible than other men skaters. It is something I was born with. I took pride when I was in elementary as well.
Takeuchi: It is unusual for men skaters to do ina bauers.
Hanyu: I don’t see many doing it. When Shizuka Arakawa took the gold at the Torino Olympics, I had an ina bauer planned in my program. I thought then “I’ll try doing a layback.” It was a small appeal point. I was just going with the flow. At first. At the time, it was hard to keep balance and I wasn’t able to do it well, but now I got used to it.
Takeuchi: What do you see when you are doing it?
Hanyu: I don’t see anything. I hold my breath. Since it’s before a jump, I think about the points I need to be careful of for the jump.
Takeuchi: What kind of person is Arakawa to you?
Hanyu: When I first met her, it was when I started skating. I was skating at the same rink. I thought she was amazing since back then, and she is also my senpai (at Tohoku High School) so she is a special person.
Takeuchi: What made you start doing the Biellmann spin?
Hanyu: Soon after I started skating, I became a fan of Plushenko (Russia). Plushenko was doing it so I tried imitating. Now it’s like my trademark so I am happy about that. It was hard spinning in that position. I didn’t have the strength, and I also didn’t have any core strength.
Takeuchi: How do you master a skill?
Hanyu: I listen to my coach’s advices again and again, and I just try and try. I believe you don’t jump an identical one twice. Since we are human, and we can’t be like machines and do everything exactly the same, but if I don’t try to jump like the times when I jump successfully, I can’t land it in competition. I listen to the advice and make my body memorize, and I practice being able to control my body to move according to the advice.
Takeuchi: Do you watch other skaters’ performances as an exemplar, to get inspiration?
Hanyu: I do. Skaters like Patrick Chan (Canada), also Kozuka, Takahashi, Oda; my skating skills improve. They are skaters with beautiful skating skills, so I try to imitate them.
Takeuchi: What about for jumps?
Hanyu: I imitate many skaters for jumps. I pick up skaters that have a style close to my ideal, and I try incorporating it.
Takeuchi: Can you share with us your story behind the triple axel?
Hanyu: It was during training camp, Asada was landing triple axels. I could see her “jumping with timing”. Watching it live was completely different to watching on television, so I absorbed those senses or images without realizing. Thanks to that, I think I am able to land triple axels now. I was able to put into concrete form Asada’s triple axel with my own body, so I was able to put together my image.
Takeuchi: You will compete at the Rostelecom Cup held on the 19th. What kind of performance do you want to do?
Hanyu: I want to land the jumps in the later half, and I want to land the quad. I will aim for a perfect performance and make my goal the podium.
Takeuchi: It would be great if you could participate at the Grand Prix Final.
Hanyu: I do want to participate, but I want to take each competition at a time, experience everything I can, and learn from it.
Takeuchi: Do you have an image of the senior Grand Prix Final?
Hanyu: Nope. After the first event of the Grand Prix series, even after watching the video, everything still feels surreal. I felt like why is that kind of person skating after me. Competing as a senior still feels unreal.
Takeuchi: What’s your future dream?
Hanyu: I want to be able to participate in the Sochi Olympics (2014) and build experience, and get a gold medal at the following Olympics.
Takeuchi: You are a great speaker.
Hanyu: No, I am very nervous.
Takeuchi: Do you think a lot when speaking?
Hanyu: My ideal athlete style is someone like Ryo Ishikawa (golfer). I want to be careful during interviews as well.
Takeuchi: What about Ishikawa do you like?
Hanyu: He is able to judge at himself calmly. Also, I think it’s important to be able to speak English. English is important. I am not there yet, so I have to study to be able to speak it. I will also make more friends by doing so.
Unconscious back shot, can’t take your eyes off
After the interview, the back shot of Hanyu going home with his mother who picked him up was something you could not take your eyes off. It should have been a view he was not aware of “being watched”. But his extended back muscles. On top of that a long skinny neck. A very small face. That back shot was in the sunlight, as if being in the spotlight on the ice. Hanyu, who said himself of “wanting to stand out”. Having a unconscious back shot that fascinates watchers is probably a charm he was born with. (TV Asahi announcer)
■The interview was planned to be aired on the 19th on “Houdou Station”.
*
Yuzuru Hanyu born in 1994, from Sendai. First grade high school student at Tohoku High School. Became champion at the Junior Worlds in March, became 4th at the NHK Trophy in October. 170cm, 53kg.
Hanyu: When I was 4 years old. My older sister was going to skating classes, so I went with her and tried skating.
Takeuchi: How was it, being on the ice?
Hanyu: I don’t remember, but I thought that it was really difficult.
Takeuchi: Did it hurt when you fell?
Hanyu: At the time, it didn’t hurt that much. Now, I have to jump high so it hurts more. Back then, it was so much fun falling down. Since the ice was slippery, I thought that skating was really nice.
Takeuchi: And then you went “into it”.
Hanyu: In a large rink, during competitions just me alone skating, just me everyone looks at; I wanted to stand out. And also, the feeling of accomplishment when I succeed something difficult was nice. That made me get into it.
Takeuchi: Did you not have interest for baseball or soccer?
Hanyu: I liked baseball. When I was in the 2nd grade, I didn’t want to skate. The teacher was scary, and with so much to train, I didn’t want to go practice. I had this image in my mind that figure skating was a girl’s sport. At school, my friends were doing soccer and baseball, so there was a period of time when I wanted to do baseball as well.
Takeuchi: What made you continue figure skating?
Hanyu: My mom and dad told me “Why don’t you do baseball.” But when I was told that, it was hard to let go of figure skating. On the outside, I said “I hated it” but deep down in my heart, I loved it.
Takeuchi: Do you watch baseball now?
Hanyu: Yes, I watch.
Takeuchi: What team are you a fan of?
Hanyu: Hiroshima Carps.
Takeuchi: But, you’ve been in Sendai all your life.
Hanyu: Of course I cheer for Rakuten Eagles, but I am a Hiroshima fan. When I was little, I loved the color red, and I’ve since the days when Rakuten did not exist yet. I became a fan when I saw the red Hiroshima Carps play.
Takeuchi: There are many great athletes, such as the pitcher Kenta Maeda.
Hanyu: Being able to pitch so gracefully with a skinny body; I wanted to do something like that with my own skating.
Takeuchi: So you sometimes get images from baseball.
Hanyu: I think there is something similar in all sports, so I wish I can learn things from many other sports.
Takeuchi: Did you get any hints for figure skating?
Hanyu: Hmm. My dad was the adviser for the baseball team. I think things like how to rotate your hips and shifting your weight could be hints from baseball.
Takeuchi: How is your school life now?
Hanyu: When I talk to my friends, I get rid of my stress. When I can’t land a jump, I complain a lot. Since my friends don’t skate, I can say such things.
●Graceful pride
Takeuchi: Your performance is very graceful. What do you think are your strengths?
Hanyu: I think I am a bit more flexible than other men skaters. It is something I was born with. I took pride when I was in elementary as well.
Takeuchi: It is unusual for men skaters to do ina bauers.
Hanyu: I don’t see many doing it. When Shizuka Arakawa took the gold at the Torino Olympics, I had an ina bauer planned in my program. I thought then “I’ll try doing a layback.” It was a small appeal point. I was just going with the flow. At first. At the time, it was hard to keep balance and I wasn’t able to do it well, but now I got used to it.
Takeuchi: What do you see when you are doing it?
Hanyu: I don’t see anything. I hold my breath. Since it’s before a jump, I think about the points I need to be careful of for the jump.
Takeuchi: What kind of person is Arakawa to you?
Hanyu: When I first met her, it was when I started skating. I was skating at the same rink. I thought she was amazing since back then, and she is also my senpai (at Tohoku High School) so she is a special person.
Takeuchi: What made you start doing the Biellmann spin?
Hanyu: Soon after I started skating, I became a fan of Plushenko (Russia). Plushenko was doing it so I tried imitating. Now it’s like my trademark so I am happy about that. It was hard spinning in that position. I didn’t have the strength, and I also didn’t have any core strength.
Takeuchi: How do you master a skill?
Hanyu: I listen to my coach’s advices again and again, and I just try and try. I believe you don’t jump an identical one twice. Since we are human, and we can’t be like machines and do everything exactly the same, but if I don’t try to jump like the times when I jump successfully, I can’t land it in competition. I listen to the advice and make my body memorize, and I practice being able to control my body to move according to the advice.
Takeuchi: Do you watch other skaters’ performances as an exemplar, to get inspiration?
Hanyu: I do. Skaters like Patrick Chan (Canada), also Kozuka, Takahashi, Oda; my skating skills improve. They are skaters with beautiful skating skills, so I try to imitate them.
Takeuchi: What about for jumps?
Hanyu: I imitate many skaters for jumps. I pick up skaters that have a style close to my ideal, and I try incorporating it.
Takeuchi: Can you share with us your story behind the triple axel?
Hanyu: It was during training camp, Asada was landing triple axels. I could see her “jumping with timing”. Watching it live was completely different to watching on television, so I absorbed those senses or images without realizing. Thanks to that, I think I am able to land triple axels now. I was able to put into concrete form Asada’s triple axel with my own body, so I was able to put together my image.
Takeuchi: You will compete at the Rostelecom Cup held on the 19th. What kind of performance do you want to do?
Hanyu: I want to land the jumps in the later half, and I want to land the quad. I will aim for a perfect performance and make my goal the podium.
Takeuchi: It would be great if you could participate at the Grand Prix Final.
Hanyu: I do want to participate, but I want to take each competition at a time, experience everything I can, and learn from it.
Takeuchi: Do you have an image of the senior Grand Prix Final?
Hanyu: Nope. After the first event of the Grand Prix series, even after watching the video, everything still feels surreal. I felt like why is that kind of person skating after me. Competing as a senior still feels unreal.
Takeuchi: What’s your future dream?
Hanyu: I want to be able to participate in the Sochi Olympics (2014) and build experience, and get a gold medal at the following Olympics.
Takeuchi: You are a great speaker.
Hanyu: No, I am very nervous.
Takeuchi: Do you think a lot when speaking?
Hanyu: My ideal athlete style is someone like Ryo Ishikawa (golfer). I want to be careful during interviews as well.
Takeuchi: What about Ishikawa do you like?
Hanyu: He is able to judge at himself calmly. Also, I think it’s important to be able to speak English. English is important. I am not there yet, so I have to study to be able to speak it. I will also make more friends by doing so.
Unconscious back shot, can’t take your eyes off
After the interview, the back shot of Hanyu going home with his mother who picked him up was something you could not take your eyes off. It should have been a view he was not aware of “being watched”. But his extended back muscles. On top of that a long skinny neck. A very small face. That back shot was in the sunlight, as if being in the spotlight on the ice. Hanyu, who said himself of “wanting to stand out”. Having a unconscious back shot that fascinates watchers is probably a charm he was born with. (TV Asahi announcer)
■The interview was planned to be aired on the 19th on “Houdou Station”.
*
Yuzuru Hanyu born in 1994, from Sendai. First grade high school student at Tohoku High School. Became champion at the Junior Worlds in March, became 4th at the NHK Trophy in October. 170cm, 53kg.