The latest feat in figure skating will be retold for a long time.
Yuzuru Hanyu earned a gold in the men's figure skating at the Pyeongchang Winter Games. This marked a splendid second consecutive win for him at the Olympics. Hanyu became the first person in 66 years to earn two consecutive wins in this competition. It is safe to say that his extraordinary achievement will go down in the history of the Olympics.
Shoma Uno also won a silver medal. Their simultaneous feat of winning a gold and silver medal is a memorable event in the history of Japanese sports.
In an interview after the competition, Hanyu said with a beaming face, "I performed well enough to feel I'd done all I could." True to his words, his energetic skating fascinated spectators, and he won a high-level competition in an age when skaters vie over quadruple jumps.
Hanyu injured his right ankle during an official practice session for the NHK Trophy in November. Day after day he was unable to take to the ice, and it was even feared that he could not compete in the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Hanyu may have been impatient with the situation. Still, he managed to make himself ready for the Olympics after striving to heal his injury. He avoided the kinds of jumps that put a heavy burden on his right ankle, and somehow succeeded in winning a gold medal by producing the best performance he could give now.
Hanyu seemed to be expressing his honest feelings when he said, "My right leg worked hard." Arrangements made by the people around Hanyu to support him seem to have worked well.
Greater momentum hoped
Hanyu won the gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. It must have been no easy task for him to rekindle his fighting spirit after reaching the top of figure skating.
He had aimed for Pyeongchang after making mistakes in the free skate at Sochi and used this sense of vexation as a springboard to try harder. His tireless desire to improve himself also helped him to secure two consecutive wins. It is hoped that Hanyu will continue to reign as a champion in figure skating.
Uno's silver medal is also praiseworthy. Although he fell on his first quadruple jump, he firmly pulled himself together immediately afterward and pulled his performance together.
Uno has impressive mental strength that allows him not to be thrown when he is in a tight spot, and not lose control of his performance. It is hoped that he will take an even greater leap forward while fiercely competing with Hanyu.
The sight of Hanyu and Uno hoisting the Hinomaru national flag must have been a great inspiration for junior skaters.
They will practice hard, saying to themselves, "I'll do that someday, too," which will produce outstanding talents to follow Hanyu and other top skaters. Creating such continuity is indispensable for ensuring Japan remains a leading nation in figure skating.
Hanyu earned Japan its first gold medal in the ongoing Olympics. In other events, too, a notable number of Japanese athletes have made a splendid showing. There has been a constant increase in the number of medals Japan has won. Japan's standing in the first half of the Games has been favorable.
There are events in the latter part of the Games in which Japan is regarded as likely to win medals, including speed skating. It is hoped that the present situation will provide even greater momentum for Japanese athletes as a whole.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 18, 2018)
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