[2026.03.12] Tokyo Sports - Yuzuru Hanyu: A Professional's Pride - "I'm still desperately trying to get better"
— In the summer of 2025, you announced that you would set aside a “maintenance period.” What was your aim?
Hanyu: “I wanted to get better. To be honest, continuing ice shows while also improving my physical level at the same time is really difficult… When I was a competitor, I only had to focus on raising my competitive level, but now I’m also creating performances, so there are many things I have to do. That’s why I took about eight months off.”
— “Yuzuru Hanyu notte stellata,” held to mark the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, was your first ice show in about eight months.
Hanyu: “My range of motion and the flexibility I can make use of have improved considerably. I’ve always had a wide range of motion, but in order to properly incorporate it as a form of expression, it’s not just about understanding how I should use my body in my head. It’s also about being able to let it come out naturally when I think, ‘I want to move this way for this piece.’”
— Your motivation clearly remains high.
Hanyu: “It’s not that I’m trying to maintain my current level, it’s more that I have a strong desire to improve. When people see something, if there’s a sequel, they naturally expect something even better, don’t they? In order to keep meeting those expectations, I always want to improve. When I’m trying to convey emotions and other things, I often feel frustrated because my technique is still far from complete. Rather than just the desire to improve, I think the feeling of ‘I can’t forgive myself for being this unskilled’ is even stronger.”
— That attitude likely makes you a role model for younger skaters.
Hanyu: “I’m really happy that so many skaters mention my name as someone they look up to, but I’m not trying to have them carry on anything from me or impose anything on them. That said, I did feel the passage of time a little (laughs). I used to work hard myself because I wanted to get closer to the skaters I admired. Of course, I’m glad to be looked up to, but I still feel I have a long way to go, so I’m pushing myself to keep getting better.”
— Looking ahead, is there anything you hope to achieve or a level you want to reach?
Hanyu: “I think I’ll probably always feel that my own performances are lacking or not good enough. I don’t think I’ll ever be fully satisfied with my skating. There are more times when it’s not enjoyable, but the moments when I achieve something are definitely more rewarding. Even if it’s not always fun, what I dislike even more is performing in a way that I can’t be proud of. So each time, I want to give everything I have and keep pushing myself to the point where I can say, ‘I’ve done everything I could.’”
Source: https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/380632
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