[ENG SUBS] Russian choreographers about Yuzuru Hanyu (Natalia Bestemyanova and Igor Bobrin,Nov-2015)

Igor Bobrin: “I remember that we immediately established an amazing relationship with this athlete. How he trains, how he fulfills the requirements of the coach! And sometimes the requirements are such that you need to try & test something, and there’s no certainty it will be in the program. He tried everything unquestionably, and at each training session he gave his best to the point of sweat, exhaustion, almost to unconsciousness. When the Japanese TV came to film him working with us in Moscow, I thought it would be his last day in his life, so much he tried to do his best! (laughs).

Natalia Bestemyanova: We sometimes think that the Japanese are different in terms of working performance. A year ago, before the World Cup, where Hanyu got bronze, there was a TV here filming our session. After the interview with Hanyu, they came to us, and I just couldn’t get what's wrong, they were just staring at us)). Then the translator explained: "He said in an interview that he went to every training session with a wild fear. He's afraid he wouldn't make it to the end of the training session." That's how he gave himself to the work! That's how he believed in what we gave him! He is a very talented guy, but at every training session he worked really like it was the last one. Only a few people can train like this".
Source: 04.11.2013 https://rsport.ria.ru/20131104/698256186.html

Interviewer: — Before the Sochi Olympics you worked with Yuzuru Hanyu, who is surrounded by somewhat mystic aura. What's your opinion about him?
Igor Bobrin: — He came to Moscow several times, and did not speak Russian at that time and just a little bit of English. But what I always saw in his eyes – was lack of indifference. Having finished skating, he rushed up and already asked with a look: "What’s ok, what not ok?" You see, you can make 200, 300 jumps — but then you just fall into total indifference & loose interest. A person tends to get tired of monotony. A personal desire is the most important thing for a skater.
Hanyu remains to be unique, such skater as him will not appear that soon. Not everyone likes figure skating as much as he does. ISU is now thinking about how to change the rules, whether to raise the age limit or not, about the artistry in skaters' programs etc. — while Yuzu's programs still cause my tears of emotion. Look at his face! Yuzu, with his asceticism, can even show a lot of emotions even without any movements of his facial muscles. It's a talent. If a person has a need not only for technical, but also for sensual self-expression, even a Japanese athlete can show us an example of how to skate for the audience.
Interviewer: — Do you say "even" because being emotional is not typical for the Japanese culture?
Igor Bobrin: - Yes, we saw their behavior perfectly on the coronavirus problem — they are obedient. If I come to train a Japanese person, I become a guru for him, a sensei — a person who has come to do something good for him. Not only in sports, but in production, anywhere. I will never forget how during our departure from Sochi, Yuzuru called and asked to pass through their hotel. His team came out together with the head of the skating federation and silently made a synchronous bow. I've never been thanked in such a touching way. The hotel staff were more shocked than I was.
Interviewer: — Why did the cooperation stop?
Igor Bobrin:— He went to Canada to join Orser, where he has his own team, with own principles. But I can see how he still applies the best practices we worked out together in his programs.
Source: May 29, 2020 https://www.sport-express.ru/figure-skating/reviews/chto-proishodit-s-medvedevoy-kto-vyigraet-olimpiadu-2022-goda-intervyu-igorya-bobrina-1677254/

Sources used for video compilation:
(audio) 29 November 2015 : https://echo.msk.ru/programs/dithyramb/1666558-echo/ abstract from radio interview "Dithyramb" Guests: Natalia Bestemyanova and Igor Bobrin
~29:25 - 32:00 min
(Video) : abstract from JPN documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQuOwbiByP4

P.S.
There probably exists a translation of this old radio interview somewhere, but I’ve never come across it neither in English nor in Japanese yet, so I’ll leave here my own version :)

Видео [ENG SUBS] Russian choreographers about Yuzuru Hanyu (Natalia Bestemyanova and Igor Bobrin,Nov-2015) канала Ledi Sinichka