“It’s because there is hardship that we can truly feel happiness.” Q&A session with Yuzuru Hanyu

Translation of the short Q&A session with Yuzuru Hanyu.

source: mainichi.jp dd. 21st September 2023

In an appearance on ANA’s YouTube channel “BLUE SKY NEWS,” figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu, who is a two-time Olympic champion and is now active as a professional skater at the age of 28, participated in a Q&A session that left fans deeply moved.

When asked, “If you could have a special ability, what would it be?” Hanyu responded, “I would be happy if I could embody the images I imagine.” Additionally, when questioned, “If you could live forever, what would you want to do in your life?” he replied, “I would invent something that prevents me from living forever. I think having ‘infinite freedom’ would be boring. It’s because there is hardship that we can truly feel happiness, and I have thought this a lot since ‘3.11’

When asked, “When are you happiest?” Hanyu smiled and said, “When I’m skating and someone praises me.” Then, when questioned, “If you could be born again, what would you want to become?” he replied with determination, “Yuzuru Hanyu.”

For the final question, “What message would you like to convey to your fans?” after a moment of deep contemplation, he sent the message, “I will continue to embody Yuzuru Hanyu with all my heart and soul.”

Fans responded with comments like, “I was touched by his quick thinking and sincerity,” “I’m happy to live in the same era as him,” “Even if reborn, I would choose to be Yuzuru Hanyu; tears welled up at those words,” and “Hanyu’s determination shines through every word, and it warms my heart.”

Related topics: Yuzuru Hanyu