Yuzuru Hanyu: “Honestly, I was extremely frustrated with my performance at the Beijing Olympics. But I believe exhibitions reveal an athlete’s true qualities. I was determined to make my very last performance the best.”
Interview with Yuzuru Hanyu about nutrition in preparation for the Olympics and quad axel.
original source: Nikkansports
In the interview with Hidefumi Kurihara, the team leader of Ajinomoto Co., Inc.’s “Victory Project (VP)”, which supports the Japanese national team, Yuzuru Hanyu looked back at the behind-the-scenes journey to attempting the quad Axel.
“Q: I heard from someone that there was an athlete who was a little worried about nutrition, body-building, and health. That athlete turned out to be Mr. Hanyu.
Yuzuru Hanyu: Yes, that was before Sochi…well, when I was 17 years old. It was in April 2012, the summer after moving from Sendai to Toronto, Canada. At that time, I was a high school sophomore with no interest in food at all.
Q: At first, you told me, “I don’t like eating.”
Yuzuru Hanyu: I have a weak stomach, so there are times when I can eat and times when I can’t. It was right after moving to Canada, and there were instances when local ingredients and dishes didn’t suit me. Starting with what was easy to eat, then considering the way and timing of nutrition intake. When I couldn’t eat, I incorporated supplements and learned a lot. Our sport requires certain restrictions for jumping, and I was afraid of getting heavy. There was a strong emphasis on dieting over nutrition.
Q: Until Sochi, we focused solely on general “health” and took the step of “eating three balanced meals daily.” Especially in figure skating, a sport that expresses emotions and worldviews to judges and spectators through performance, it was absolutely necessary to be mentally healthy as well.
Yuzuru Hanyu: For the Pyeongchang Olympics, “body weight” and “activity level” were our themes. When did we start that?
Q: It was two years after Sochi. While managing body weight and composition, we also quantified daily training amounts and intensity as “load” and monitored changes over time to align them with performance.
Yuzuru Hanyu: My approach to nutrition management up until the Pyeongchang Olympics laid the foundation. From around the age of 23 or 24, after I won consecutive Olympics, I started saying, “I might not like it if my body feels heavy.” Since our sport is like a marathon, it constantly shakes the internal organs, inflicting significant damage, so I also took care of my innards so that food wouldn’t stay in my stomach. We debated whether it was better to have the body weight I had when I was performing at my best or to gain more muscle strength in pursuit of the quad axel.
Q: I noticed immediately before the Beijing Olympics that you had significantly strengthened your legs through exercises. When I mentioned this, you were surprised and said, “You can tell? But…” and then added, “The level of muscle for jumping feels good. Next, it’s about the tendons.” It was precisely when I was thinking that the key to jumping the 4A might be the tendon reflex. We were thinking the same thing.
Yuzuru Hanyu: Also, research has been advancing globally and scientifically proving certain things.
“Tendons” connect muscles to bones and act like springs, storing and reusing elastic energy. Using this reflex to attempt the quad Axel, Hanyu actively consumed amino acids leading up to the Beijing Olympics and focused on strengthening. It was one of the moments where Hanyu’s continuous exploration of body mechanisms and Kurihara’s proposals harmonized.
Yuzuru Hanyu: While laughing, I said, “Mr. Kuri has brainwashed me, but I’m really greedy about how to improve myself. My own knowledge is never enough. That’s why I asked Mr. Kurihara and did my own research. We shared that knowledge and polished it up.”
Q: From tendon reflexes to intense glycolytic training and discussions about aerobic systems, we also developed new amino acids that promote tendon health. I had the hypothesis that this would definitely add to the 4A, and it helped in designing the training.
Yuzuru Hanyu: Interval training, low-carb to KAATSU training, and heart rate monitoring, whether it was for explosive power or endurance. It was no longer just about “health”; the foundation had been built, and everything else was established on top of that. (The Beijing Olympics) was truly a culmination.
Q: I’ve been wanting to ask you something. After the 4A was certified in Beijing… despite the frustrating result. But then you contacted me saying, “Mr. Kuri, I’ll gather my energy again for the exhibition, let’s do it,” just three or four days after the free skate. What was going through your mind as you replenished your energy during that time?
Yuzuru Hanyu: Honestly, I was extremely frustrated with my performance. Of course, I didn’t plan to do the 4A, but I believe exhibitions reveal an athlete’s true qualities. I thought that how much I could show there would determine all impressions of me. My spirits were low, and I even thought, “Why did I have to sprain my ankle again (he injured his old right ankle injury the day before the free),” but I couldn’t let myself get lax. I was determined to make my very last performance the best.
Q: I was watching on the TV in the athlete’s village dining hall and was moved to tears. It was the best performance. It was an unforgettable moment in my life, and I absolutely wanted to share that with you this time.
Yuzuru Hanyu: My feelings from that time still persist. How to deliver the best right up to the very end. I’m continuously working towards that. My right ankle was extremely painful, but I wanted to show something even better. Supported by Mr. Kuri and many others, as athletes, we go out to compete. It would have been great if I could have given my all during the actual free skate, but since I couldn’t, it was frustrating. That’s why I wanted to give my all in the exhibition. I want to repay the support and produce results every time. That’s both a pressure and a driving force for me.
The Olympics have a different scheduling than normal competitions. For example, athletes have routines like ‘eating a certain number of hours before performing,’ but often, it’s not possible to follow them. We discussed a lot about when to fit in extra meals.
Q: We completed discussions that were almost scientific in nature. My job was to make sure he was healthy and ready to perform on the ice.
Yuzuru Hanyu: In figure skating, I’m basically alone with the support team during competitions, so the wait for the results and the tension felt during that time must have been different. ‘I’ve done what I could; now all I can do is wait,’ I thought (laughs). I think I might have been perceived as troublesome, but I learned a lot. I didn’t even know how many calories were in a bowl of rice before, but they helped me build a foundation for thinking about building my body.
Each week, the combination of the loads I submitted, body composition data, and my activities, and how I felt were probably studied. I wonder if the mathematical formulas and the intensity actually felt by the athlete matched up. I was a gold medalist at the Olympics at 19, so it is likely that my body composition, activity level, and calorie expenditure have been studied based on me for over a decade.”
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