11/7/2021 Dreams on Ice 2021 (day 3) Interview with Yuzuru Hanyu after the show
Translation post 36
Original language: Japanese
Translator’s note: Based on the special edition aired by TBS Ch2, on August 29, 2021, This is not a word-for-word translation. I paraphrased some of the things said in the broadcast to clarify the main point.
- On joining Dreams on Ice for the first time after 6years
Hanyu: It made me feel pretty nervous, but after all, I have practiced hard for this, and I think that despite the nervousness, I could show the performance I had wanted to show... or that I could put my feelings that I had wanted to put into it, not just driven by the emotions, but while paying attention to my posture or the nuances conveyed by the tip of my fingers, and as a result, I could present something good as figure skating performances as well. So, regarding my performances, Dreams on Ice this time made me feel, like, "I am happy that I made it!"
- On dreams to realize in this season
Hanyu: I definitely want to land the quad axel successfully, of course. After all, I think the power of will is so strong, and it is something unique to human beings. Aside from tackling something driven by our instinct, we can also take many other things into consideration, calculate, and make a detailed plan for it. I believe there is something that can be achieved only by human beings that behave in such a way. Well, I think common sense would see it as a difficult feat, but I will work hard for it every day to say confidently, "I made it because I am what I am," someday in the end.
- In your training and life at the moment, what quad axel means to you?
Hanyu: Umm... Genuinely, without exaggeration, I feel it is my motivation in life. For me, figure skating is, after having been doing it for a long time up until now, it is... I don't really like to call it "a part of my life"... Umm... It is something I have taken every step in my life together, and all the while, I have been feeling a sense of gratitude towards my skating shoes, costumes, and the ice as well. I believe because you have something like that and have a goal to achieve in it, you can make efforts for the things that exist in the background of it. I think it applies to not just me but probably everyone. (Looks at the camera operator) For the person operating the camera now, the camera is the motivation in life, I suppose. (with a mischievous smile) I think it is fortunate to have something like that supporting you in life. Lately, I am thinking that I would be happy if my performances or things that I do can contribute, even for a bit, to creating a chance for someone to realize their motivation in life or the meaning of life.
