Yuzuru Hanyu winning the Olympic title (Sochi 2014 → Pyeongchang 2018) ↳ “My mistakes in the free skate at Sochi are part of the reason I worked so hard these past four years. The moment I finished skating, I thought I’d won against myself.”
mao’s last dance // mao’s last dancer
redemption (n): the act of recovering what was lost, of making amends, of rescue. the state of being fulfilled once again.
mao asada’s 3rd place free skate at the 2014 olympics brought her from 16th to 6th place; nathan chen’s 1st place free skate at the 2018 olympics brought him from 17th to 5th. both faced immense pressure and criticism after stumbles in their short programs, but redeemed themselves powerfully.
it’s easy to be written off after expectations aren’t met. it takes a certain strength to say ‘fuck that’ and roar back. in figure skating, a competition consists of two segments, and it’s never over until the final bow.
Yuna Kim, the final torchbearer of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, continues the choreography of Imagine, her final skate in competition performed during the exhibition gala at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, Mao Asada (JPN) became the first woman to attempt eight triple jumps and one of each type of triple, including a triple axel, in a free skate. She received full credit and positive Grades of Execution on four of her seven jumping passes.
This happened 3 years ago today.
After a very dissapointing short program, where she finished 16th, Mao came back with all guns blazing and delivered this incredibly emotional performace.
During her whole career she has tried to push the boundaries of the sport, delivering not only technical content most ladies wouldn’t even dare to try, but also artistry and skating skills like no other. Her step sequences, her musicality, and her emotional conection to the music and the audience have moved skating fans all over the world. She’s been up and down during her entire career, her life hasn’t been easy, but not once has she given up.
To me this is one of the most inspirational performances ever. I hope to see her in a year in Pyeongchang.
Thank you for all the wonderful performances you’ve shared with us Mao, i hope there will be more to come :)
Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat - Le Petit Prince et sa rose
You’re with Yuna! (Kiritoru)
Backstory: At the Sochi Olympics gala, the first 6 singles skaters were paired together as part of the choreography. Mao Asada and Daisuke Takahashi were paired together, while Tatsuki Machida was initially paired with Yuna Kim (who was late for practice). Tatsuki stood aside without a partner for a good while (at one point Yuzuru Hanyu asked him to be his partner) before the choreographer paired him with Yulia Lipnitskaya.
Happy (Belated) Olympic Day! (6/23)
Day 2 - Favorite Retired Team Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat
Daisuke Takahashi : February 14
Obviously a lot of people would be happy to have a silver medal in the Olympics. But that season, most of the jumps I couldn’t do. I wasn’t happy about it. That’s why I came back, to be perfect for myself, the jumps and everything.
Tatsuki Machida teased by the interviewer and his team mates | Sochi Olympics 2014
Yuna Kim (KOR) claims silver in ladies’ singles
