Yuzuru Hanyu feels the pressure and happiness of competing with rivals. (4ページ目)

Prior to this, Hanyu had only ever completed performances without mistakes in both the short program and free skate "at small local competitions". But in that season, he achieved the feat on the biggest stages, including the NHK Trophy and the Grand Prix Final. Unable to train as much as he wanted due to injuries in the previous season, Hanyu felt happy to have a body now capable of enduring training.

Even though his score was unbelievably high, Hanyu refused to get carried away and didn't think of himself as outstanding, probably because he knew it is impossible to always perform without mistakes.

"In fact, I was surprised by Javier's performance," Hanyu said. "The points don't matter. The media and the fans focused on my record points and were excited. That made me feel happy but my main focus is to master my performance and each element. I am happy when people say they like my performance, and I will keep working hard for them to say 'wonderful', 'impressive', and 'do it again with regards to my performance."

In this Grand Prix series, Hanyu proved that over 300 points were not so special and that it was something he was capable of achieving. Scoring over 300 points consecutively raised the potential of figure skating even higher. And, still, Hanyu aimed higher and higher.

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