News and Topics 2019

Thanks for the link, sonabilis. Dai's heartful laugh is the best thing to start a day with

sonabilis wrote:

Dai has kept secret how much trouble he actually had with his injury.

Watching videos of practice, it could be noted that some landings were not fully stable. Perhaps he feels still pain and/or feels the ankle not quite fixed.

Japanese athletes usually do not talk much about their physical issues, perhaps they don't want people think they are not doing their best and taking some preventive excuse for bad performances.
And in my opinion it's also part of a general culture to keep some personal issues private.
We have learned of the real situation in Sochi only many months after

I think it's good that Dai speaks frankly about his situation. He is not looking for excuses, he just says the truth and we can trust him he will do his best. Also love his kind reply to insidious questions about Hanyu. I strongly hope that media avoid creating a drama between the two and their fandoms.

Nice expressions of love by a fan

Fan art Dai and Kana

The Phoenix Bear

Source https://twitter.com/poohshoo2/status/1207089899918131200

DAI-CHAN, GAMBA!!!!!!

Benoit's Instagram! First ChSq from PGG
What a pleasure to see that ... so wonderful  

Interviews/ Articles
thedigestweb
In a nutshell: he lacks enough practice, he wished he had a week now instead of a day. [sure] He'll be very nervous [as always ]. He is already feeling towards ice dancing, so it doesn't feel for him like an end.

Chunichi
Quote: "The legs are okay, but the adjustment was not successful and I couldn't build up. I have never practiced a 4T, but my body was moving in today's practice. I was also surprised (laughs)." He will probably not try it [quad] and concentrate on 3A.

Nikkansports
According to this report, at the end of today's practice, Dai landed a 4T !!!!!!  --- and the hall was wrapped in applause.
He commented:  “I had never practiced it, but today I was moving, so I was going to jump from memory. I am also surprised. I don't think I'll do it tomorrow. "
He quotes two teachings from Utako: "Do never whine" and "If you make a miracle, you will be pleased."

SP order!Dai is 4th in 5th group.
Video Dai drawing  

3 heroes Really nice photo  

Asahi article, but behind waywall.

Oh my, this post has become far longer than thought. I have to end now.
Here below is what I originally began to write, but then came the endless rain of news and pics  

In any case: DAI-CHAN GAMBA!!! All the best for you!          

Quote :

Fan art Dai and Kana

Hey the fan really made an effort to capture the personal traits of the two Like it

Quote :

Also love his kind reply to insidious questions

Yes I've noticed how clever Dai is in his kind way of avoiding pitfalls. In so many years of media presence, he was able to avoid verbal mistakes almost entirely. Admirable!

Surely, the organizers have taken precautions to protect competition and venue from disturbances. What happened in PalaVela really doesn't need to be repeated.

Thank you, friends for updates and all your wonderful posts!  

So Dai landed a 4T out of nowhere  

I was calm before, but after watching practice clips, hearing the old JN bolero, all familiar nervousness is coming back...
I soooo want him to end this on a happy note, after many bad lucks he deserves as little.  

sonabilis wrote:

Benoit's Instagram! First ChSq from PGG
What a pleasure to see that ... so wonderful  

and that is what is important and what we want to see

GAMBATTE DAI-CHAN!!!!      

It's raining Dai, hallelujah!!!!

Thanks, sonabilis, for links to lots of Dai beauty and for taking the time to translate and supply info.

I agree, the 3 gentlemen are really great. 3 Olympic medalists in 3 Olympics in a row competiting together. I wonder how many other skating Federations can present the same.

Fans are flooding the web with info, news, links, pics and clips..... It's almost impossible to catch up with everything.  Daisuke Takahashi Road to Sochi has started an album and there are already many pictures from today's practice. I bet more will follow!!  Take a look, but be prepared!!! Amazing Dai beauty ahead!!!

2019 Japan Nationals


One more pic of the 3 Olympians at draw

sonabilis wrote:

According to this report, at the end of today's practice, Dai landed a 4T !!!!!!

AND HERE IT IS!!!!          Smooth, efforless and with good landing!! And seems also fully rotated.  

Tv news - more practice and an effortless 3A+2A

Am I the only one fainting at the sudden appearance of Dai's nude skin????      

Dai and Utako sensei

The Japan Times - Takahashi ready for curtain call

Although I don't always trust Gallagher at 100%, I hope he has reported Dai's quotes right. The feeling is positive, Dai feels no pressure because he has no aims to medal, he only wants to enjoy the competition and show to younger generation that at 33 a skater can still be competitive.

Full video (35 minutes) of today's draw

Japan Nationals | Opening Ceremony and Draw

I'm almost tipsy with all these treasures        

DAI-CHAN GAMBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EDIT: Hi ilica!! Nice to read you again!!! Will we change our avatars at the end of Nats?????

It sure is raining Dai! So much content today I am in Daiheaven! Oh my that 4T and 3A were beautiful, so much spring and height.

Hi ilica hope all is well with you. Don't be nervous. We have to celebrate with Dai
like he said he is feeling positive and no pressure.

GO DAI-CHAN!!!!

Pattina wrote:

Am I the only one fainting at the sudden appearance of Dai's nude skin????

You are definitely not the only one, Pattina   

Who explains this phenomenon to me ...   The more Dai is under tension, the more charismatic and breathtaking he becomes. And he is never more beautiful than in those moments when he is willing to do the impossible.      

Another pic almost bursting with charm: Dai greeting friends (junior skaters?)

Haha, like it

Compilation from various short videos from yesterday's practice. Some passages from Phoenix, L - T combo (?), several times the 4T, but 3A is not included.

Btw., prudent division of the skater groups for SP.

Shyla wrote:

We have to celebrate with Dai

That is a good word! A new day is coming, hopefully full of positive news and breathtaking pictures ... let's celebrate with Dai!      

GANBATTE DAI-CHAN !! We are with you!

Hi Everyone.  Thank you all so much for the latest updates.  Your collective contributions are always much appreciated!  I can't believe the Nationals are almost here.  It seems like just yesterday that they seemed to be so far away and now it's almost upon us.  I cannot believe that Dai landed a 4T!  Seeing as it was unexpected I'm hoping that this will give him an extra boost of confidence.

Try not to be too nervous, Ilica, because no matter what happens on the ice it is not the last we will be seeing of him!  We have his ice dance performances to look forward to.  At least, that's what I keep telling myself so I won't freak out.

I hope that his ankle won't be giving him too much trouble and wish only the best for him.  Break a leg, Dai!  You have so many people behind you and our loyalty and respect will never waiver.  Just go out there and skate like only you can because there is no one else like you!

sonabilis wrote:

A new day is coming, hopefully full of positive news and breathtaking pictures

More pictures from yesterday practice: enjoy!!!!

Kishimoto

Quote :

The more Dai is under tension, the more charismatic and breathtaking he becomes. And he is never more beautiful than in those moments when he is willing to do the impossible

The third pic in first row above

Perfect Lines

Perfect lines 2

3 Olympic smiles



I have not enough of if. Love the way Dai, after landing, goes on skating as if 4T is daily job for him

Tv news - 4T

Various pics from yesterday's draw. Dai in the first one

Online on ice IG

Tv news with practice and draw focused on Dai, Yuzu and Shoma. Look at 1:42: Dai said something and Yuzu bursted laughing. Wish this nice and happy atmosphere will last for long.

Tv news: practice and draw - Dai, Yuzu and Shoma

Pleasing news from today's practice!

(or: Oooops... he did it again!   )

The following is a compilation from hochi.news (h) and daily.co.jp (d), online translation, I did some small corrections. They basically report the same, but with some different details.

(h) Daisuke Takahashi landed triple axel and triple lutz in the runthrough of his FS "Pale Green Ghosts".
After that, he challenged a quad toeloop once and landed brilliantly.

(d) ....there was a sense of stability in the jumps on this day as well.
At the end of practice, he landed a quad toeloop.
On the way out he was asked if he would put a quad into program. "No," he laughed, "I won't. Somehow today I felt like doing it."

(h) About condition:  "I'm more tired than yesterday (18th), but I'm feeling good.”

(d) And he left the venue with a fulfilled expression.

Dai yesterday "I won't do it tomorrow", Dai today: "I felt like doing it  
EDIT No doubt a quad as a single jump is another thing than one in the middle of the program. Dai will likely be very cautious this time because he doesn't want to jeopardize his performance. (It's my guess, but who knows....)

No words      

Source, with more pics

Two more

More

A dear fan has uploaded "EPILOGUE 2019"! (as a series of tweets), many thanks to @1001maima!

Part 1
Part 2 - 23

Note from kind uploader: It ends at 23. 24 is wrong in order

It's been a tough day at the office: business meetings in the morning and in the afternoon, and in between the usual daily routine. Back home....I'm in DaiHeaven

Thanks sonabilis for exhaustive updates!!

I spent the last hour and half jumping from link to link, here, on Twitter and on Daisuke Takahashi Road to Sochi.

One more quad!!! and lots of nude skin

Tv news - moments from today practice - quad included - commented by Takeshi Honda

Flying high

Sexy bellybutton


Time schedule for tomorrow SP - Dai will take the ice at 20:37 Japan Time

You can try to watch here

mov3 Fuji TV

If the video does not start, click on "live" - then you can see an OK on the down right corner: try it for another streaming. It should work tomorrow, I've been told, so there is no harm in trying

Come what may!!! DAI-CHAN GAMBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Pattina for the link. I will try it to see if it works for me.

sonabilis thanks for all the Dai goodies. Isn't he Beautiful!!!!

GAMBA DAI-CHAN!!!

The flood of news and articles about Dai doesn't end. Usually nothing really new.

This contribution from sportiva is something special.
Not just the usual questions, but really thoughtful and interesting. How Dai is trying to control his nervousness. How hard it really is to be a high-performance skater at 33 - here's a quote:

»This year's summer interview, Takahashi was talking about the harsh situation with a gentle expression.
"As for the knees, it's not the old wound, but it's difficult. The meniscus is also worn down, so if I do too much (practice), my knees swell and can no longer be stretched.
My right ankle is swollen.
When my body gets out of balance, it immediately reacts stressed and I have to get along with the pain."«

The reporter then asks him why he is making such sacrifices. The answer is, roughly,  skating is a joy for him, he want to be involved, not apart... (In principle, Dai is saying something like:  he has to, he can't help it)

Recommended reading, it's really interesting! Even despite insufficient online translation.

*
An article in three parts by Daisuke  Ikawa, who published “Daisuke Takahashi, nobody knows”. It provides some interesting details from former times:
part 1 - part 2 - part 3

Fanart by Deracinated Flower
and Hyakukaoru@100Imaima

Dai at morning practice! Phoenix runthrough, finally with 3A! Photo in costume!

One more

More pics

Wow (Still with training gloves. Mmmmh ... will the red ribbons come back ??)

Dai-chan all the best and good luck to you ... GAMBATTE  

Thanks sonabilis!! So many things to catch up with and I'm still sleeepy...

Just because we are never tired of Dai-chan

Video

Live News - 17 seconds of runthrough

Tv news - warm up. Taka Mura commenting

Press articles are more or less the same, confirming that in today's runthrough Dai nailed a 3A and a 3Lz.

Chunichi Sports

Look at the edge!!

Sexy caresses

Flying

Official video with some skaters. Don't understand but I guess they invite people to watch promising to do their best.

Dai at 1:09

Have to leave now. Dai-chan GAMBATTE!!!!! I don't know if I'll able to watch but my heart is with you, always!!! Enjoy the competition, be safe and happy

@Pattina the link you provided works good, thanks.

I actually considered not watching the live stream because of nervousness - but now I couldn't stand it.
Shoma did very well, he got something at 102 points!
Now Dai is on ice for warm up. Red ribbons!!
Oh my ... in the many operas that I helped rehearse, they always sing "Mi sento morire!" I could sing that now too!!

Fantastic performance! Bravo Dai, congratulations! with a super 3F3T combo. 3A both legs, and too bad the lutz didn't work out. but he was strong he let not get irritated. an extraterrestrial landed in Yoyogi arena and set it under fire. Dai-chan we love you!!! arigato gozaimasu!!! ::cheer::

I missed Dai's performance I woke up just after he skated. I hope a video surfaces soon.

Glad Shoma skated a clean program.Here is a video of Shoma's SP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=22&v=EXPflsWseP0&feature=emb_logo

THE PHOENIX

In interview afterwards, Dai is very critical of himself. Dai! Everything is fine! It was great. After a full year and an injury, going into competition with such a monster of a program! who could match him with that?

sonabilis wrote:

THE PHOENIX

In interview afterwards, Dai is very critical of himself.  Dai! Everything is fine!  It was great.  After a full year and an injury, going into competition with such a monster of a program! who could match him with that?

Oh sorry to hear that he was so down on himself. Phoenix is a very difficult program and like
you said with his injuries he did the best he could. His tech score was not good but he got the third highest PC's 42.42.

The video of Phoenix has been taken down copyright issues, darn.

sonabilis wrote:

https://youtu.be/WtvgFX7VATE

Thank you so much, loved it!

Thank you Pattina, Shyla and Sonabilis for the links and commentary. So much for my words of support to Ilica who was so nervous.  I was reluctant to log on because I found myself stressing out but I couldn’t help myself and found comfort in knowing that Dai had a successful practice.  He didn’t disappoint and what struck me as I watched him skate was the fact that he is 11 years older than Shoma and still manages to mesmerize the audience. Thank you Dai for the early Christmas gift to all of your fans. Congratulations to Shoma and Yuzuru for their clean skates.

Thank you, Dai!    You did what you could with this darn bad competition luck of yours.

(But I'm gonna blame the not so perfect skate on the costume  I still hate it.)

I had bad feelings before this, was too scared to watch it live, was even afraid he's not going to make it to the free skate    
So it wasn't as bad after all

The technical judging was brutal though

Anyway, he performed brilliantly, never let the mistakes get to him, and look very handsome, even with black christmas tree hanging on his neck (sorry, I'll stop, I promise.)  

Now I feel the worst is behind us and the free skate will be much better!

GAMBATTE DAI-CHAN!!!  We love you very, very much!!!

Hi everyone!!!

As the streaming seemed working well on my mobile, this morning at 12.30 I told my colleagues I needed 15 minutes for me, please if the phone on the desk rings let it go and do not look for me!! I hid myself in the archive room and watched live. Sota was skating and then the camera is on Dai with red ribbons, feathers and all..... His starting gaze, the power he was conveying to audience, the first combo well done (later I saw second jump was under). And then the technical mistakes on 3A and the fall. Each one a stab in my heart. But when he stopped before the step sequence and I heard the cry of the commentator and the roar from audience everything sad disappeared and from thousands of kilometers away I was completely with Dai on the ice sharing any beats of music, any changes of edge, any turns and the final crash on the ice. Loved any second of The Phoenix, no matter what.

At K&C Dai looked serene in spite of placement. He knew from the start it would be hard and accepted it.

Technical scores

Dai gained the third PCS score with 42.42

It seems that both videos provided here have disappeared. This is still on

The Phoenix

Short tv news with interview

Pictures

Sankei

Hochi news pic 1

Hochi News pic 2

Chunichi Sport

Post of Daisuke Takahashi Road to Sochi with translation of Sankei's article

Daisuke Takahashi "Sorry, I couldn't move in the second half"

The documentary by Fujitv - full video Daisuke Takahashi - The Epilogue

GAMBATTE DAI-CHAN!!!! Yes, we love you so much and will always do!!!!!