#post18olyevents

The moderator was Toshio Shimada from NHK – veteran, astute, shrewd. Despite being barely half his size, Hanyu looked big. Surely that was due to his presence. Just sitting there, one could feel his aura – I dare say, a first since Shigeo Nagashima (former baseball player; legendary Uniform #3 for the Yomiuri Giants). What’s more, there were no gaps in this one’s words.

On the virtual lack of weaknesses, we’ve heard such impressions: “Almost scary” “A fairy grounded in reality.”  In view of the onmyoji from his free program, it is as if [he casts magic] even off the ice. Maybe, perhaps.

Case in point, when asked about the whereabouts of the massive number of Pooh toys thrown into the rink after his performance, “back to the forest” was the answer, inducing the entire room into laughter. He continued, “Those are words I love. My favourite fantasy!” but it didn’t end there. “Realistically speaking, people are spending huge amounts of money in order to buy tickets and to get to the venue. All this money is flying in the air. If the economy is invigorated, that is plenty.”

Speaking of dreams, a take on life elaborated off the reels. From a heart of gratitude, going into his pride as a Japanese. Regarding his next challenges, the Quad Axel and the quintuple jumps, “If Yuzuru Hanyu were to jump, absolutely I would jump as part of my expression. Because that is my style” – an unwavering outlook on competition. His loneliness at the top of the world and its conquest. So much that couldn’t be included here, we implored the secretariat for an early release of the full transcript.

Even if questions are said to be suggested ahead of time, even if told to prepare a draft of the answers, it’s impossible to write a manuscript. We take our hats off.

And then, regarding the Beijing Olympics in four years’ time, an assertion: “If I were to participate, I absolutely want to win."

At the press conference, it was said that the Chinese embassy presented Hanyu with a panda plush toy. As a "Welcome to Beijing as well!", probably. The worry here would be... once again, Pooh's whereabouts. In China, Pooh is used for satire as it is said to look like Xi, and thus its impression has been regulated. 2022 is right at the end of Xi's second term. Would Pooh, as the symbol of Hanyu's fans, be welcomed into Beijing?