Yuzuru Hanyu BR: NHK Trophy 2015 - Entrevistas (interviews)

Yuzuru Hanyu landed 2 quads in SP and broke world record
translated by: yuzuland

At the last event of the Grand Prix Series, NHK Trophy (held in Nagano, Japan), Yuzuru Hanyu broke the world record (which he set in Sochi Olympics) with his SP score, 106.33, placing first after short programme.

He was the last to skate in the second group. In his SP, “Ballade no.1”, he successfully landed a quadruple salchow in the beginning, and then a perfect quadruple toe – triple toe combination. His superb performance received 106.33, which is 4.88 points higher than the previous world record, 101.45, he set in Sochi Olympics 2014.

Boyang Jin, who was last to skate in the previous group, landed two quads, including a 4Lz3T combination and earned 19.33 for that element. He received 95.64, which was the world record SP score for this season. Hanyu, who saw [Boyang’s] score, revealed that “I thought ‘I’m going to get a higher score than that’.”

Hanyu is guaranteed to qualify for Grand Prix final as long as he places on the podium at this event. He is aiming to be the first skater ever to win 3 consecutive grand prix final titles. Regarding his free skate on 28th, Hanyu (original article: “King”) said “although I have just finished my SP, I want to focus and do my best in [the free skate tomorrow].“

“I did my best. I am pleased that I had a clean short programme. Instead of surprise or happy, I’m mainly glad that [this result proves that] what I have done in practise is not wrong. [Regarding Boyang Jin’s score] I was thinking ‘I’m going to get higher score [than him]. Watch me.’ while I was performing. Although I have just finished my SP, I want to focus and do my best in [the free skate tomorrow].” – Yuzuru Hanyu

“I have been waiting for this performance for so long. Including two quad jumps [in SP] is the new standard for the international top level skaters. [Regarding to the changes made to the programme], I was very conservative [in terms of changing the layout of the programme] but he was very ambitious” - Brian Orser

151129 AKKOの部屋 por YzRIKO

Akiko’s Room with Yuzuru Hanyu
translated by: yuzuland

Host: Welcome to this show where we have a nice chat with the skaters at the the Kiss & Cry corner in the venue. This year’s personality is Akiko Suzuki, the champion of 2011 NHK Trophy and two times Olympians. Since Akiko you are the personality of this show, the name of the show is “Akiko’s room”.
Akiko: I don’t know if I should be the personality of this show that many senpai skaters had hosted before, but I will try my very best.
Host: You have been at this show many times during your competitive career. Please ask the skaters some questions that only figure skater will know.
Akiko: I will try my best to ask them.

[Domo kun camera footages]

Yuzuru: *Laugh at coach Nobuo’s video*

Host: Here is our first guest Yuzuru Hanyu, who just laughed at the footage of coach Nobuo [from the Domo kun camera]. Congratulations. [Yuzuru: Thank you] Last two days were amazing. [Y: Thank you.]
Akiko: We are so happy to be able to witness this historical moments. Right, everyone?
Host: How do you feel after a day? I know you were very excited yesterday, how about now?
Yuzuru: I couldn’t quite fall asleep last night. My brain is basically liquid now. My body feels like I have been doing my free skate the whole time. I couldn’t sleep, yeah.
Host: You scored more than 300 points…322.40. [Yuzuru: Thank you very much.] Is it hard to imagine [getting over 300 points]?
Yuzuru: Um… yeah I didn’t picture myself [getting that score.] I didn’t expect that but the score is the score. I just humbly and sincerely received the score and I know I have to work even harder now.

Host: Oh this is the men single [free skate] from yesterday. Let’s ask Hanyu to commentate on his own performance.
Yuzuru: Haha… what should I talk about? [Host: So this is [based on] Onmyoji, SEIMEI.] Yes. I paid a lot attention on my skating and worked hard on it. It’d be nice if you can take a look at it. [Akiko: 4S! What did you feel after landing that?] I didn’t have time to think about that. The moment I landed that salchow, I started thinking about the [quad] toeloop. It is difficult to jump 2 different kinds of quad, same for Boyang. [Host: that’s beautiful. Akiko: that is the 4T3T in the second half.] I can’t commentate since the video is fast-forwarding from one part to another.
Akiko: At this point, the atmosphere of the venue just get more and more hyper.
Yuzuru: I am aware that the cheer after landing the 3Lz is louder than the cheer I got from landing the 4T3T combination. I have also noticed that myself.
Akiko: I was just thinking “the lutz in the end!”
Yuzuru: I wonder why [I can’t land a lutz]. People kept saying my lutz is going out for a walk but it finally came back to me. [Akiko: Welcome back to Hanyu.] Well it got let go in short programme though.
Akiko: What did you feel when you see the score?
Yuzuru: I don’t know if I should describe that as a satisfying performance but I tried my best for it. That was probably the best that I can currently do. So I was very happy and regardless of the score, I just thought “now I have to deliver a performance that is as good as this”.
Akiko: Oh ok. We talked about lutz just now… [the lutz] is the last jump [of the programme] right? [Y: Yes] If you skated clean up to that point, for a skater, do you feel a lot of pressure going into the last jump? When you think “I want to have a clean programme”. I always felt that, what did you feel before going into that lutz?
Yuzuru: I always think I should at least land the last jump and work hard [to not fall on that jump]. But I fell [on the lutz] in the last event [Skate Canada]. For everyone, [that lutz] is like a trauma now. This time, [I could feel] the intense attention from everyone in the stadium during the course of landing the 3A1Lo3S and going into the 3Lo without much transition, and landed the 3Lo and then going into the lutz. Brian even shouted “LUTZ!!!” at the rink side. He was like “Land that lutz!”
Akiko: By the way, Oda, who was sitting right next to me, screamed “GOOOOOO!”
Yuzuru: I feel like Brian cheered for my lutz than my 4T in the second half.
Akiko: is that why you landed the jump?
Yuzuru: It was like official practise, thinking “don’t you dare making a mistake here”.

Akiko: But that was really a superb performance. The part that I was wondering about was at the ending pose, where you opened your arms. I can see that you changed back from the Yuzuru Hanyu, who is acting as Seimei, back to the normal Yuzuru Hanyu.
Yuzuru: That’s because at the ending of the short programme, I looked too scary, like a devil. And my eyes became so big, it made me wondering about the adrenaline level in my body. So I thought… at least for SEIMEI, I should end with a smile [and not looking scary]. When I finished [SEIMEI], I was smiling and I thought to myself “Ah I’m smiling now”.
Akiko: But that satisfying smile is really wonderful.

Host: After asking many skaters, a lot of them reported that they have rarely seen Hanyu this excited before.
Yuzuru: I’m rarely this excited…but that’s because I have never had such a great performance. If I can deliver a performance that shows all of my ability, then the score will come with it. I have been working hard practising so that I can perform a memorable programme…some people even cried [after the performance].
Host: These are the footages from Akiko and Oda’s reaction to the score yesterday. Look at their faces.
Akiko: Both of us couldn’t close our dropped jaws [because of the score]. And [Yuzuru] came and gave us the flower…
Yuzuru: You two have took care of me since ice shows and being good friends with me in private as well. And you provided me with guidance. Thank you for all of that. [Akiko: Thank you]

Host: So you have qualified for the Grand Prix Final. There is a chance of you taking your third consecutive title!
Yuzuru: Yeah. I don’t know what I should say about this but right now I feel not only the pressure for the third title but also since this score came out…that is a weird way of saying it, but since my performance was received such a good response, I have to aim for something even better than that. I aim to make every move more sophisticated and have more beautiful jumps. I hope I can achieve this level of performance not only in an event held in Japan, but also everywhere else, regardless of how difficult the situation is.

Host: 322.40, when will you renew this record?
Yuzuru: Well I would like to say GPF. But I don’t care where [I will renew this record]. Regardless of the score, I just want to deliver a performance like this, a performance that will stay at everyone’s heart.

Host: So you have your exhibition coming up. That’s it from Yuzuru Hanyu, thank you very much.
Yuzuru: Thank you. [turn to Akiko] Do your best [Ganbatte] on Akiko’s room. [Akiko: Thank you very much. Host: How considerate.]

11/29 報ステサンデー por popkon11

About Yuzu pointing to the Olympic sign, 29 Nov news snippet –partial translation
translated by: Angelic Yuzuru

Children in skate rink: Hanyu-senshu(=athlete), congratulations!!!

The day after the free programme,
Yuzuru: I was so excited, I couldn’t sleep well. More than just the scores, it was a day where I really felt the significance of being able to accomplish my own performances.

Narrator: NHK Trophy was held in the same rink that was used for Nagano Olympics in 1998. The ‘5 Rings’ mark is there inside the venue.

[Yuzuru’s voice during replay of FP is what he said in the interview after that:]
–Skating in the rink that held the Olympics, and the Olympic mark is also there, I (was putting pressure on myself and) telling myself that I am the absolute champion.
– I just wanted to do each part with care, to trust my training.
– I REALLY put in a lot of hard work in my practice, so I had the intention of doing this.

Narrator: After his performance, in the rink, he pointed up to something. It’s the Olympic mark. Then he pointed to himself and gestured “number one”. (t/n: meaning what he said in the interview. “Skating in the rink that held the Olympics, and the Olympic mark is also there, I was putting pressure on myself and telling myself that I am the absolute champion.”)

-translated by me (thanks to uploader MSub for the video)