Immediately after the approval of the new rules at the ISU Congress I started following the path of Yuzuru Hanyu, from the first competition program of which I found images to today. It felt right to follow the growth of the best skater of all time, from that child who started skating to spend more time with his sister to the athlete who worked constantly to improve himself in all respects. Growth occurs when those who do something want to improve themselves, and constantly do their best, perhaps inventing original solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems.
I went on until July 18, with the SEIMEI of the Olympic season. Videos of the programs, and cranes with pictures of their costumes. That I arrived at SEIMEI on the morning of the 18th is a coincidence. An hour later we all learned that there was going to be a press conference tomorrow.
On the morning of the 19th I interrupted the chronological path to move on to current events and Raison, the latest program interpreted by Hanyu, this not in a competition but in a show. And, an hour later, the arrived the announcement that, for better or worse, everyone was waiting from the day before. I haven’t really written about it yet, although I have published a post with all the cranes, and all the programs, of my chronological path. Now I resume the path with the programs – of the competitions, or of the gala of the competitions, as long as the costume is different from that of the competition – of the last four years. A four-year period in which Hanyu has continued to improve, even if the scores he has received do not testify it.
GP Helsinki 2018: world record 106.69 points
CoR 2018: world record 110.53 points
1st ACI 2018
1st GP Helsinki 2018. First 4T + 3A + SEQ sequence ever performed in competition. FS world record: 190.43 points. Total world record: 297.12 points.
1st CoR 2018 despite an ankle injury
2nd WC 2019. First and only 4T+3A+ SEQ with positive GOE performed in the history of figure skating. FS World Record 206.10 (the last sensible world records in the FS). World record in total: 300.97 points (the last sensible world records in the total). First to exceed 300 points in total with the CoP +5/-5.
SC 2019: first and for now only 3A with a +5 GOE.
1st place ACI 2019
1st place SC 2019 (with the first 4T+1Eu+3F combination ever landed). The highest score he received with the CoP +5/-5.
1st place NHK 2019
2nd place GPF 2019 (in this program he landed five quadruples)
2nd place National Championship
111.82 points. It’s his 19th world record (and the latest world record justified by what happened on the ice).
1st place 4CC 2020. With this success Hanyu became the first skater (and for now only) able of completing the Super Slam in the Men’s competition (JGPF 2009, JWC 2010, GPF 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, OG 2014 and 2018, WC 2014 and 2017, 4CC 2020).
If anyone is curious to compare the starting image and the crane that arises from that image, I did a photo of the sheets of paper that I have already prepared for the next period. The SEIMEI 2020 costume, of course, is the one in the center.
As you can see, I have already printed numerous sheets. After I have finished the journey with the competition programs I will start another one, dedicated to galas and shows programs.
1st place National Championship
3rd place World Championship (7th medal, equaled the record for the number of world medals in the post-war men’s competition held by Jan Hoffmann)
3rd place World Team Trophy (3rd team, 2nd personal)
1st National Championship 2021. His first attempt at 4A (not recognized by the ISU because it’s a national competition, first attempt of a 4A by anyone that not ended in a fall). Sixth title, like Takeshi Honda. Only Nobuo Sato has won the Japan Championship more times.
With this code of points, the overall score obtained by Hanyu, 322.36, was surpassed only by Hanyu himself, at Skate Canada 2019, and in four competitions (two national, two international) by Nathan Chen, with evaluations that could be discussed at long (on one I have focused a lot in recent times: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). The others, starting with Shoma Uno, nearly 10.00 points away, and Yuma Kagiyama, over 10.00 points away, are far away.
4th Olympic Games 2022. First attempt of 4A made by anyone at the Olympic Games. First attempt at 4A not downgraded and officially recognized as quadruple by anyone.
If competitions are what remains in the history of a discipline, sometimes something else remains in the hearts of fans, and the beauty of Yanyu’s movements, his harmony, also stand out in the cool downs and training. Among those who have always supported Hanyu in his path there is ANA, and for this cool down Hanyu wore the jacket with their logo.
And, if skaters really know how to skate, even a simple training is better than the best competition programs of some celebrated champions.
Hanyu’s competitive path is ended. By choice, not because he was no longer able to compete with the strongest skaters, but because his skating had become so complex, so rich in transitions, so flawless in the best executed technical elements, that the judges were unable to understand it. Hanyu has grown, judges and figure skating have fallen behind. The time has come to start a new path, a path in which there are no scores, personal interests, ignorance, insecurity and all that infinity of external factors that, if they have not been able to obscure the beauty of Hanyu’s skating, have unjustly influenced the results of the competitions. Now the only limit is the sky.
Fly Yuzu!
Excellent blog post. I plan to follow his journey by watching every video in order (I’ve already seen most of them while browsing sporadically). This will be no hardship, as he is always a joy to watch. You put a lot of time into these posts, and I appreciate it. Also: the cranes are magnificent and beautiful!
Thank you. On a couple of occasions I have looked at the programs (all of them, even those in which he made mistakes, even those that I have not posted here because in these posts I have made a selection by choosing from one to three per season, depending on their importance) in chronological order because I wanted to follow his growth, more often I looked at them in random order, depending on the mood of the moment. It’s painful to watch the way he’s been treated by the ISU, but the programs are wonderful.
The cranes were born by chance, and have become an indispensable part of my days. In my small way they are a way of telling him that nothing he did was in vain.
Grazie per questo post (e per i precedenti, con tutta la mole di lavoro che esigono). Condivido quanto espresso così puntualmente. Grazie
You’re welcome. 🙂
Couldn’t agree more at the last paragraph! The judging system had failed him as the judges don’t have the know-how. Yuzuru’s programs were too complex with so many variations, the transitions are so seamless in and out and he has the power to bring you into his programs, that’s how great he is! I just don’t have this feelings for other skaters. I am glad that he doesn’t need to wait at the kiss&cry and hear to his scores and get depress anymore. Feel so relieve and happy for him!
Love this affirmation “Now the only limit is the sky.”
Yuzu never had rivals or limits, his only rival is himself, and his limit has always been his future self. Fly higher Yuzu! And we’ll follow him as we used to do.