Lol. Whatād I tell yāall bout the American hype machine and politics? Never underestimate their power, mate. But. I wouldnāt underestimate Mr. Hanyu, either. He seems to have this uncanny ability to will outcomes he most deeply desires into reality, no matter the setbacks.
Anyway, I think the only way to beat this whole thing is basically what Hanyu is attempting to do. Match Chenās arsenal blow for blow but with all his transitions and all other performance aspects intact, to show what a program with the highest technical content *and* intricate performance really looks like. I mean he *is* showing it now but if all people care about is high BV-ed quads, then the only way to really fight this is by using their own method against them BUT with real finesse and intricacy thatās currently missing in the reigning world champās gold medal winning performances yet the US media are swearing up and down is right there. And truth be told, ankle aside, heās the only one who can do this because heās the only one whoās able to present a full package so far.* Full package by the definition of what it means in its truest essence, that is, and not by the definition of, say, the US media (whose next step may just as well be putting āNathan Chenā as the definition of āperfectionā in the Merriam-Webster. Iād hesitate to do that even for Hanyu.)
Ergo, heās got to have everything Chen (as for now, itās just Chen on the horizon for menās buuuuut Zhou could be getting there soon himself, with the way things are advancing) has and more, and *then* some, and translate it into a tour de force, to really shut down the American hype machine. Whether or not his body and his brain will let him is another thing but it is admirable what heās attempting. And really, I think this is the way the guy likes it. I mean, ankle, etc notwithstanding, I think itās pretty obvious that the kind of champion he wants to be is the sort that is so undisputable, even the most stubborn and obnoxious has no choice but to stand down.
No statements of entitlement. No weight throwing. No complaints. Just go for it. And if he fails, no one can say he didnāt try.Ā
*I mean, Chen can try to turn what his country and the most ardent of his fans are saying about him now into truth in future seasons because not only would I be respecting him all the more for it, FS as a whole would be all the more richer for it. Itās not like he doesnāt at all have the potential for it. Heās already got some great moves and innate and distinct qualities that only he has, that if he shares the same philosophy for skating that Hanyu has, and manages to hone them to fit seamlessly with his jumps, heād be quite the phenomenon himself. Artistically theyād still be very different and therefore invoke different emotions but theyād both be amazing artistic athletes all the same. And if he beats Hanyu that way, then I wonāt hesitate to admit heās the new absolute champion. Unlikely to happen as it may be, since he supposedly already has it all, I wonāt mind very much if this happens, truth be told. I mean, Iād still mind somewhat, of course, but Iāll get over it. It doesnāt even have to happen on the Olympic stage. Hanyuās standard of the absolute champ may be the OGM but mine is him, which I think is a taller order. Whoever beats him the way he has beaten others, that is, by putting on an intricate performance with breathtaking jumps melded seamlessly into the performance, is the new absolute champ to me.
