Translations by cantilover

Interview with Shoma at Heroes & Future in Nagano, June 7th

Hello, this is Shoma.

Right now, I am working steadily with the choreography heading towards the new season.

The new programs are tough and quite a handful but I am also devoting myself to practicing the basics in order to be compatible with the new rules.

The programs are still far from being my own but I would like to show them to you all as soon as possible, so I have decided to skate my new SP at the first show in Nagano.

As for the free, it cannot be debuted yet as it is still lacking a lot… I will continue to work hard on it!

I am looking forward to seeing you all again.

p.s.

Although I’m a homebody, I am slowly trying to push myself to do new things recently.

Post-FS interviews with Shoma, March 24th

You gave it your all here in your last performance of the season. How are you feeling now?

S: Yes… I was able to… give it my all until the very end… right now I am filled with that thought.

You went for the same layout as the Olympics layout despite your foot condition. This really showed your character.

S: Well, my foot, it’s been looking so much better since yesterday, so it didn’t have an effect on my skating. It was my calculation mistake, I headed into the competition in an unprepared state, and I tried to make sure my focus was there but there ended up being a lot of mistakes. But I managed to land my jumps at the end and I really want to believe that it was the result of my practices.

This was a busy season for you, but what has this competition become for you?

Interview with Itsuki, March 21st

Do you guys come to this restaurant often?

I: Yes we do.

Have you guys eaten here since the Olympics?

I: I think we’ve already been here 3 to 4 times.

Wow, so this really is Uno’s victory dish.

I: Yes.

First the tongue?

I: Yes, first the tongue.

You like sauce with tongue?

I: Yes, for tongue, both Shoma and I like sauce. Delicious.

What did you two talk about when you came here after the Olympics?

I: Rather than talking about the Olympics, we just gamed. We ate while talking about gaming.

Who cooks the meat?

I: The one who isn’t gaming.

You guys game while you eat yakiniku??

Post-SP interview with Shoma, March 22nd

When you walked over here from the Kiss and Cry, it seemed like your foot was bothering you, but are you okay?

S: I’m okay. It wasn’t too painful during my skate because of the nerves and adrenaline, and also because of everyone’s support. I lowered my BV but I was able to skate in a problem-free condition.

How do you feel about your SP?

S: The nerves weren’t so much, well I was a little worried that I didn’t get to practice much in the past few days, but the 6 minute warmup didn’t go too badly, so I was able to go into my first jump with confidence, but I am a bit frustrated that I messed up the combo which I had lowered.

I could tell you put a lot of feeling into your 4T and 3A, but with what emotion did you head into this competition?

S: Well I planned to do the 4T alone first, so I really wanted to land a high quality one and I think I was able to. And the 3A as well, I am satisfied with how I landed it. It’s a shame that I wasn’t able to land the most crucial jump here, but I want to move forward to the free leaving that behind.

What kind of performance would you like to show in the free?

S: Well here, I failed the jump that was supposed to be the easiest. And my foot, well, it didn’t hurt too much during my skate, so for the free, taking next year’s spots into account as well, I want to be more aggressive with the layout. I know people will think it’s not a good idea for me to do this, but today really made me desire to attack in the free.

Please do not strain yourself. Thank you for your hard work.

(Source)

Is your brother someone who rarely gets nervous?

I: He never gets nervous [with skating]. But he sometimes gets nervous with gaming. [With gaming,] he gets nervous in the important stages.

What did you guys talk about when you first saw each other after the competition?

I: I told him “congratulations” but he was just like “let’s game”.

What games do you play with him?

I: Recently we’ve been playing Knives Out.

Do you two have fights?

I: We’ve never fought before.

What are your goals for the future?

“Yes/No Quiz” with Shoma and Yuzuru on “ZIP!”, February 18th

Q1: Were you confident that you would win a medal here?

Y: Yes - It’s not an exaggeration when I say that [winning the medal] was my life’s sole purpose. I’m 23 right now, and I’ve been skating since I was 4. Everything I did since then was for this medal.

S: Yes.

Q2: Do you guys have anything you admire about each other?

Y: Yes - Uno and I are quite the opposite. I reexamine myself and analyse everything and then somehow move forward with that. Uno is able to skate in his natural stance with the things he feels in that moment. I think it’s incredible that he was able to compete at the Olympics without feeling anything special.

S: Yes - I don’t think I’m someone who can give it their all when they’re nervous the way Hanyu can. I want to work hard to become a skater like Hanyu who can perform well even when they’re nervous.

Q3: Did you put your medal on again when you were alone in your rooms?

Y: No.

Before the 2016 World Championships, you practiced with overflowing determination, but you ended up in 7th place. Did that each you a lesson?

S: If I had been able to do a perfect performance with that attitude, I think it would’ve been really emotional. But I’ve come to realize that focusing too much over a long period of time doesn’t work for me. Now, I head into competitions with a light mentality. It’s perfect for me to be at the level where people think I’m just playing around.

What emotions are you feeling towards Coach Machiko and Coach Mihoko?

S: Coach Machiko has a lot of experience, so she’s given me a lot of advice. Coach Mihoko, who helps me with the more technical elements, is someone who makes me think, “I don’t know if there’s anyone else who puts in as much effort for me besides my family.” I want to tell them both “thank you so much” (present tense). Not “thank you so much” (past tense).

Mao Asada, who was the root of the start of your career, also won the silver medal at her first Olympics in Vancouver.

S: The heaviness [between my silver medal and hers] are too different. Everyone else puts their life into succeeding at the Olympics. For me it’s different, it’s just one competition out of many. I want to let this pass and head onto the next competition.

Your next goal?

S: I think I didn’t feel any nerves at the Olympics because it wasn’t something I saw as a ‘goal’. I don’t really know what my goal is but I will continue to seek for my best skates and results everyday with all my might.

Goals outside of skating? Asada answered this with ‘to find love’ at Vancouver.

Video

How do the medals feel?

Y: It’s heavy. It’s ordinarily heavy.

S: It’s…heavy.

Y: A little part of me started to realise that my time is limited, so I really felt the need to win this time.

S: I kind of guessed that I would end up second after my performance, so I was’t surprised [when the scores came out].

Y: I’m someone who wants every bit of happiness out in the world. But I realised I can’t have certain things without sacrificing others. I have really intense highs and lows. After experiencing the recent low, I just thought, “Let’s just throw all of my happiness away for the Olympic consecutive title.” I left behind every little thing that makes me happy. This made me be able to reduce my emotions heading into the Olympics to this size.

Medalist press conference with Shoma, February 18th

Fan Q&A with Yuzuru and Shoma from the JOC Instagram story (x)

What do you think about right before the music starts to play?

Y: I think about wanting to perform well and also about the first jump.

How do you calm yourself before you skate?

S: I just do whatever I want to do. I game until the last second. And in the warmup, rather than trying to focus, I just play around the way I like to.

What were you listening to during the warmup?

Y: One Ok Rock’s Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer, and Koji Wada’s Kaze.

What would you like to reward yourself now that you’ve won the silver medal?

S: I just want to sleep for now. I’ve been so busy since yesterday, so I want to sleep. I also want to give myself more time to game.

What kept you going through difficult times?

Y: All the messages from my fans and my senpais and others.

What is necessary in order to make dreams come true?

S: There are many things, but the most important one is effort. And not just putting in effort, but I think what’s most important is to put in effort to think carefully about your actions.

What were you talking about with Fernandez after the competition?

Y: He told me this might be the end of his competitive career, and I started crying.

At what point of the competition did you think, “I gave it my all!”?

S: The moment I finished my free program. Regardless of the first mistake, I was able to keep it together until the end, which was the result of my training.

How are you different from how you were at Sochi?

Y: I think my attitude towards myself and my strengths has changed.

Any words of encouragement for kids who wish to become skaters?

S: If you really want to do it, you must enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t improve nor will you have fun. So if you really want to go for it, I wish for you to enjoy it.

If you were to describe yourself with one word, what would it be?

Y: I’m someone who hates losing, and I’m also stubborn.

What is the first thing you want to do when you return to Japan?

Live interview with Shoma and Yuzuru on “Going!”, February 17th

[U - Ueda, Y- Yuzuru, S - Shoma]

U: Gold and silver, you two have accomplished a great achievement. Are you alright? Is it straining your body?

S: No no.

U: Should I lift you up? You’re alright, yea? Hanyu, you have won your consecutive Olympic gold medal. How do you feel?

Y: I am relieved. I feel so fortunate, and very relieved, since I gave it my all for this.

U: Honestly, you were amazing. And Uno, you won the silver medal at your first Olympics. How has this Olympic experience been for you?

(Source)

You have won the Olympic silver medal. How do you feel after skating?

S: I don’t feel anything special. It doesn’t even feel real. I’m more happy that I was able to perform like myself than my placement itself.

What impact will this have on those close to you?

S: I think they will be happy because I was able to perform like myself and not because I won the silver medal at the Olympics.

How do you feel looking back on today’s competition?

S: From the beginning to the end, I was able to avoid losing to myself, so it was a good performance. It didn’t start too well when I first stepped onto the ice. I thought, “What’s going to happen?” I have trained hard in order to avoid making mistakes no matter how bad my condition is. I don’t feel any regret from today’s performance. It wasn’t a great performance, but I was able to show the things I have worked on so this is a happy silver medal for me.

You were last to skate. What were your emotions?

S: I hated it. I watched everyone’s performances, saw everyone’s scores, and I was thinking of what type of performance will land me in which placements. I calculated that if I didn’t make any mistakes and skated perfectly, I would be first. When I fell on the loop, I chuckled.

Did any part of you wish to place above Hanyu?

S: Of course, but after watching his performance, I knew I would only be able to surpass him if I skated even more perfectly than he did, and I headed into my performance with that in mind. After falling on the loop, I decided to just think about myself.

Again, what did it feel like to experience the Olympic Games?

S: I didn’t feel anything special to the very end. Coach Higuchi was the happiest she’s ever been, so that made me really happy. It didn’t feel any different to winning a silver medal elsewhere. I know it must be a special place for Hanyu, but I don’t have any special emotion towards it. This competition to me just feels like one of many competitions, and that feeling stayed to the end.

Before the awards ceremony, we saw you three hugging.

S: I don’t understand English, so I didn’t get what they were talking about, so I was just guessing that it was about being in the same club and about Javier’s career coming closer to the end. I was in the hug, but I didn’t understand what they were saying while they were crying.

What are some differences between you and Hanyu? What parts of Hanyu do you look up to?

S: By watching Javier and Hanyu, I realised that I really lack the ability to land jumps with high GOEs. During practices, I can land jumps that would get high GOEs once every few jumps. But at competitions, my jumps get overly packed. I think it is crucial for me to experience landing good jumps in competitions. Considering the condition I was in today, my jumps were pretty good. I would like to make my performances even better and better.

What part of your practices were you able to show today?

S: The 4T. I wasn’t confident going into it, but I somehow landed it. If this was in the first half of this season, I’m sure I would’ve messed it up.

You were smiling a lot during your performance.

S: I was able to skate with a constant smile on my face. I do want to win someday, but it’s important to critically think about how to win, rather than just wanting to win.

You and Hanyu accomplished a 1-2 finish.

S: We both fought intensely, both against our own selves. I am really happy of our results. He is my ultimate goal and an athlete I look up to. Ever since I was younger, I’ve realized that winning Japanese Nationals is the most difficult thing in the world to accomplish. I wish to chase him forever.

How do you feel about the Beijing Olympics?

S: I don’t really think about the future. I don’t know what will happen from now on. I don’t have anything specific in mind. This season, I didn’t get to compete in the same competitions as Hanyu. In comparison to those competitions, I didn’t get as much media attention here, and it felt really relaxing to not have the pressure. I would like to have that relaxation [by being in the same competition as Hanyu] for a bit more.

Your plans from now on?

(Source)

Thoughts on your performance?

S: I messed up the first jump, but I think I was able to perform in a satisfactory way until the end.

Are you okay?

S: Sorry my voice isn’t working.

We really felt your theme of attacking in that performance, but how do you feel about it?

S: Even after messing up the first jump, I stayed calm, and I was able to land the next the jump. I think I was really able to show all that I’ve practiced up to this point.

Please drink water.

S: Sorry.

Are you okay now?

S: Yes.

You skated last on the Olympic stage, and you told us yesterday that your high emotions got out of your control, but how did you feel today?

S: Today, it felt like I couldn’t skate much, so I thought the chances of me failing was a lot higher, but my constant practice of landing jumps in any circumstances really helped me here.

Were you aware of the circumstances you were heading into? Were you aware of the performances of the skaters before you?

S: I watched everything, so I knew what performance would get me in which place. I knew that if I pulled off a perfect performance, my score would get me in first place, but I kind of started laughing the moment I fell on the loop (laughs).

Was that how calm you were?

S: Yes, when I fell on the loop, I thought to myself, “Let’s just try my best.” I didn’t rush at all. I couldn’t help but laugh.

You stood on the Olympic stage, and you have the medal ceremony later. How do you feel about that?

S: We have the ceremony after this?

The medal ceremony is tonight.

S: Hmm, well, I didn’t really have any special thoughts [towards the Olympics] through it all.

Thank you for your excellent fight.