Yuzuru Hanyu’s shocking “divine response” right after his tragic short program

Today, February 10, Yuzuru Hanyu (27) is going to have his free skate. In the short program on February 8, the world gasped at the “mistake” of the quadruple salchow at the beginning. But there is no doubt that the person who was most shocked was Hanyu himself. However, after the shocking short program, our correspondent witnessed Hanyu’s “divine response”.

Immediately after the short program, after Hanyu had scored his own points with “Kiss and Cry,” Masama Uno’s name was called out in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Hanyu then greeted Uno with a big round of applause. Not merely as a courtesy, he continued to applaud for a while even after the TV cameras had switched off.

When the competition was over, the competitors left the rink through a partitioned corridor behind the kiss-and-cry area. It was not shown on TV and was out of sight of most of the spectators. However, from the position of this reporter in the press box, we could see Hanyu pulling away. As he walked out of the rink through the partitioned corridor, he bowed deeply to the staff who were opening and closing the door. It had been less than ten minutes since he had finished his own performance.

A little more than 20 minutes after the end of his performance, Hanyu appeared in front of the press. With a slightly flushed face, Hanyu opened with

Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. And then.

I’m on …….”

After the SP practice, Hanyu pulled out of the rink.

Afterwards, he continued.

“The ice hates me.

After that, he joked again and again, “The ice kind of hates me,” “Maybe I should do ten good things a day instead of one good thing a day.

“I have to do ten good things a day, not one good thing a day,” he joked again and again, reflecting on his performance and his enthusiasm for the free skate.

By the time Hanyu came into the interview area, many of the media were shocked and unsure of what to say to him. Hanyu seemed to have sensed the tension and concern of the media and people involved.

At the end of the interview, Hanyu said

Thank you very much. I’ll do my best next time!

At the end of the interview, Hanyu bowed deeply to the press for three seconds. He was attentive to the people around him until the very end.

Hanyu has had many comebacks and miraculous victories, like the one at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, five years ago. However, these are not miracles, they are won by Hanyu’s sincere attitude and tireless efforts. I felt I saw a part of his strength in his “divine response” after the short program.

In the practice on the 9th, he successfully landed a quadruple and a half. Hanyu has not given up yet.