“I really hated skating. After retirement from single skating, I was really drowning in alcohol.” Daisuke Takahashi about the struggles he faced around the 2014 Sochi Olympics
Daisuke Takahashi about the struggles he faced around the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
source: tokyo-sports.co.jp
Figure skater Daisuke Takahashi (age 37), who retired from ice dance last month, appeared on the Japanese TV show “Matsuko Kaigi” on July 17th and revealed the struggles he faced around the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
After finishing 6th place at the Sochi Olympics, which was his third major stage, Takahashi decided to retire at the age of 28. Looking back, he said, “I really hated skating. The last two years were tough, Yuzuru Hanyu appeared, but I also couldn’t do well even when I tried. I had no good results, and it was really difficult.”
After retirement, there was a period when he drank alcohol excessively. He said, “During that time, I was really drowning in alcohol. The only three days I didn’t drink were when I fell ill. Most of the time, I would just lay my head on the desk and fall asleep. It was like spilling alcohol every night,” he chuckled.
However, he later returned as an ice dancer and rediscovered the charm of skating. Entertainer Matsuko Deluxe (age 51) mentioned, “This person became a recluse once, but crawled back from there,” and pointed out the change, saying, “When he came back, he looked much happier doing ice dance than the old ‘Dai-chan.'”
Matsuko asked about his plans for the future, saying, “Are you going to do choreography?” Takahashi replied, “I tried choreographing once, but no ideas came to mind. When I’m handed a piece of music, I start thinking, ‘I want to do this, I want to do that,’ and then I become unable to move. I thought it wasn’t for me.” Nevertheless, Matsuko persistently encouraged him, saying, “I want Dai-chan to do choreography and make the juniors uncomfortable. This is the highest form of praise, so ‘uncomfortable’ means they’ll be amazed.”
Related topics: Daisuke Takahashi
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