Jiji-Japan News
OKAYAMA — Figure skating star Daisuke Takahashi, who during an
injury-plagued career made history as Japan’s first male Olympic
medalist in the sport, announced his retirement on Tuesday.
“It’s
quite sudden, but I’ve decided to retire,” Takahashi said in making the
announcement at an event in which he was honored by a local Okayama
foundation. “I thought I would take a year and think about whether to
retire or continue, but I want to get started on my next objective, so I
made the decision.”
The 28-year-old Takahashi appeared in three
Olympics, winning the bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games. That
came two years after he underwent major surgery to repair a torn
right-knee ligament and missed the entire 2008-09 season.
Takahashi followed up his Olympic medal performance that year by
becoming Japan’s first male world champion. He chalked up another
historic first for Japanese men in 2012 by winning the Grand Prix Final.
The Okayama native injured his right knee again last season, but still
appeared at February’s Sochi Olympics, where he placed sixth.
That would be his last competition, as he withdrew from the world championships the following month.
A five-time All-Japan champion, Takahashi appeared in his first
Olympics in Turin in 2006, placing eighth, then won the silver medal at
the 2007 world championships.
As for his future, Takahashi said he hasn’t decided what he will pursue next.
“I want to take a look again at myself with a fresh feeling,” he said. “I think there are a variety of paths that I can take.”Speech
The Yomiuri ShimbunThe following is an excerpt from Daisuke Takahashi’s Oct. 14 press conference to announce his retirement.
Question: How did you reach the decision to retire?
Takahashi:
I’d been thinking the Sochi Olympics [in February] would be the close
of a chapter for me. I was busy through August because of ice shows and
other reasons, but when they ended, the notion [of retiring] grew larger
in my mind.
I made up my mind in mid-September, and I wanted to make the announcement before the season started. I feel satisfied now.
Q: Did injuries have an impact on your decision?
A:
They’re not the main reason I retired. I struggled quite hard to
maintain my motivation going into the Sochi Games, so when I asked
myself if I could undergo the same experience [to prepare for the next
Games], I kind of felt it was impossible for me now.
Q: What is the performance you best remember?
A:
I can still recall the view from the podium at the Vancouver Olympics.
My performance there was also fairly good. It wasn’t perfect, though.
Q: What has overcoming serious injuries and battling through arduous rehabilitation done for you?
A:
Of course, it’s better to be injury-free. However, I wouldn’t have won a
medal in Vancouver if I had not suffered from injuries. Injuries made
me reflect on myself, and forced me to realize the need to build myself
up physically in a structured way. Without the injuries, though, I don’t
think I would have been able to continue my competitive career this
long.
Q: Have you considered a career path that involves coaching or doing choreography?
A:
Before thinking about that, I need to deal with the fundamental
question of whether I really want to continue being involved in figure
skating. Until now, goals have always just come to me naturally, so
actually plotting out a new goal is a first for me. To tell you the
truth, I’m a bit perplexed.
I want to take time to decide whether
I will hit the reset button on my life and start down a completely
different path, or continue down this skating path.
Q: Did you consult Mao Asada, who decided to take a year off to consider retiring, in making up your mind?
A:
I thought of telling her I would retire, but in the end, I decided
against talking to her. I suppose making the decision is much harder for
her than me. I hope she makes her decision without considering what
people around her say — I myself am looking forward to hearing what she
has to say.
CENTRAL FIGURE / Takahashi retires after etching mark in history
The Yomiuri ShimbunFigure
skating star Daisuke Takahashi, who took the sport for men in Japan to
new heights, recently put an end to his 20-year career.
And his accomplishments figure to last a long time.
“I wanted to help bring energy to the world of figure skating, and I
thought the only way for me to do that was to focus on the artistic
side,” Takahashi said at a press conference held in Okayama city on Oct.
14.
“I didn’t let other things clutter my thoughts and worked to
get good results. That’s what has gotten me to this point,” said
Takahashi, who became the first Japanese man to win an Olympic medal in
figure skating when he won bronze at the Vancouver Games in 2010.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the Okayama Prefecture native has
changed the course of history for Japan in the sport. Takahashi won gold
at the World Junior Championships in March 2002; the World
Championships in March 2010; and the Grand Prix Final in December 2012,
all firsts for Japanese men.
Takahashi, 28, has enchanted fans with his distinguished artistic expression, highlighted by his elegant footwork.
In
October 2008, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and injured
the meniscus in his right knee. However, he made a dramatic comeback
from those injuries to win a berth at the Vancouver Games.
In Vancouver, he attempted a quadruple jump, and despite failing to complete it, his performance earned him the bronze medal.
Takahashi’s
longtime coach Utako Nagamitsu praised his charge for “improving his
skating technique and elevating the artistic expression in his routines
to a level that surpassed U.S. and European skaters.”
“He was one
of few skaters capable of making sports and art mesh. I would like to
thank him for being involved with the sport of figure skating,” said the
63-year-old Nagamitsu.
Takahashi’s ambition and desire to
improve never waned even after he entered his late 20s, a time when
those in the figure skating world earn the label veteran.
He refocused on his basic skills, and turned his attention on the
only title he had not obtained: Olympic gold. That was his goal at the
Sochi Games, but he finished sixth, in part because of the effects of a
right-shin injury.
Yuzuru Hanyu, a 19-year-old who describes Takahashi as his role model, grabbed the gold medal.
“Daisuke has always shown me the way. He’s the one who has made Japan men’s figure skating what it is now,” Hanyu said.
“Yuzuru will be the next driving force [for Japan],” Takahashi said.
“But at the same time, I hope to see the emergence of skaters capable of
surpassing what he has done and increase the level of competition.”
カナダの新聞「THE GLOVE AND MAIL」のWeb版です。
Daisuke Takahashi retires from competitive figure skating
Vancouver Olympic bronze medalist Daisuke Takahashi announced on Tuesday he is retiring from competitive figure skating.
“I’ve
decided to retire so that I can take the next step in my career,”
Takahashi said. “It was a quick decision but I didn’t want to fuss about
it for too long.”
The 28-year-old Takahashi finished sixth at
this year’s Sochi Olympics. In the previous games at Vancouver, he
finished third behind Evan Lysacek and Evgeni Plushenko to become the
first Asian man to win a medal in men’s singles at the Olympics.
Known for his intricate step sequences, Takahashi won the gold medal
at the 2010 world championships in Turin, Italy, adding to two silver
medals he won the worlds in 2007 in Tokyo and 2012 in Nice, France.
In
2008, Takahashi had surgery to repair ligament damage to his right knee
and would miss the entire 2008-2009 ISU Grand Prix series. He returned
to competition to win the Finlandia Trophy in October of 2009.
“Thank
you Daisuke Takahashi for your magnificent career and your beautiful
art,” former skater Johnny Weir tweeted. “Congratulations on your next
chapter and golden luck.”
Wish
you all the best in your future projects #OnceASkaterAlwaysASkater
#daisuke #takahashi #d1sk #goodbye #figureskating #figureskater #japan
#iceskating #skating
“It is a mental debate; I am not completely finished, I’m in the middle. I want to think about the future.”
Japanese superstar Daisuke Takahashi has laid claim to many
milestones during a career that has so far spanned more than a decade.
He was the first Japanese man to win Junior Worlds in 2002; in 2010
he became the first Japanese man to medal at an Olympic Winter Games in
figure skating and the first to own a World crown, and in 2012 he became
the first man to claim a Grand Prix Final title for his nation.
Last season, however, was one of ups and downs. Takahashi landed in
fourth at Skate America, and then rose to the top of the podium at NHK
Trophy. A right leg injury he suffered in a practice session in late
November that forced him to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final also
affected his performance at the Japanese Championships a few weeks
later.
“The injury is getting better, but sometimes when I practice and when
I jump, my leg gets a little swollen,” Takahashi said. “It is still not
perfect and I still have to have treatment.”
The five-time national champion said he was exhausted after the 2014
Olympic Winter Games where he placed sixth. “I was so tired after Sochi,
I felt like I did not want to skate. I think I did not skate at all for
almost two months,” he said. “Sometimes I went to the ice rink, but I
didn’t practice. I just skated around and after 20 minutes I went home.
Instead, I met with many friends and went out for dinner with them. I
enjoyed that a lot.”
Takahashi said there are a number of reasons he feels the need to
take a break. “I was not able to perform the way I wanted last season. I
was supposed to attend Worlds, but I couldn’t because of my injury so I
did not come to a final closure,” he explained when asked what would
inspire him to continue competing.
Though he had previously announced that he would retire at the end of
last season, the 28-year-old has not made a final decision in that
regard. Instead, he is keeping his options open. “It is a mental debate;
I am not completely finished, I’m in the middle. I want to think about
the future,” he explained.
“If I can get the confidence from taking a rest I think I will
continue to skate in competitions. But if I find something different I’m
going to stop skating. I want to find out what I want this one year. I
don’t know yet. I’ll perform in shows until August and after that I want
to get a little bit away from skating.”
Throughout his career, Takahashi has impressed international
audiences and judges with his artistic versatility. Whether he skated to
classical music, hip-hop, Latin rhythms or movie soundtracks, his
musicality and interpretation of a character were always highlights of
his performances.
But still, there are musical styles that he has not yet attempted but
would like to try. “There are many pieces of music and styles. I have
never tried a Jazz, Flamenco or a Waltz program,” he said.
Out of all the programs Takahashi performed during his career, he
said that his favorite was the oriental themed “In the Garden of Souls”
short program, which was choreographed by David Wilson.
Next season lyrical music will be permitted for singles skaters, but
Takahashi said he is not sure that is the right way for the sport to go.
“I don’t like it at a competition,” he said. “But maybe there is some
music that has just a few words, and not throughout the whole piece. It
could be a nice idea to use that kind of music.
“I think music with lyrics feels like an exhibition performance and I
think there has to be a difference between competition and shows.”
Few skaters can boast an enormous fan base such as the one that
Takahashi enjoys in his homeland. A large group of his fans travel the
world to attend his competitions and shows, armed with banners, gifts
and flowers for their idol. Many attended the Denis Ten shows in remote
Kazakhstan in late May, the first time Takahashi had performed since the
Olympic Winter Games.
It is easy to understand why he is so popular. Aside from his on-ice
success, there is a general consensus in the skating world that he is
one of the nicest people in the sport. Though he sometimes appears a
little shy, he is in fact fun loving, outgoing and very personable.
Looking back at his career Takahashi said he has so many great
memories. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games is his all-time favorite
recollection. “When I stood on the podium in Vancouver, the feeling that
I had at that time was very special and it came only one time in my
career,” he explained. “Even though I couldn’t get the gold medal, it
meant more to me than winning Worlds.” Takahashi captured the bronze
medal.
“The hardest year, not the most memorable one, was the year before
Sochi, which was so hard but was also very special. During that time I
tried to find out what I have left in me. I thought about what I really
wanted to do, and whether I wanted to continue to compete. The result in
Sochi helped me to consider what I want to do in my future.”
Takahashi said his plans for the future are wide open. “I don’t want
to coach,” he said without hesitation. “I may go to school. I would like
to do something with dance and study languages.”
Whatever path he chooses, he has already earned his place in the
annals of skating history as the trailblazer of the Japanese men’s
figure skating program.
Out of all the programs Takahashi performed during his career, he
said that his favorite was the oriental themed “In the Garden of Souls”
short program, which was choreographed by David Wilson.
