Javier Fernandez

[Olibritt]

I came in to say "Please, stop making me cry!!" but I knew that I would probably end up crying when I clicked in this thread… So I have what I deserve, I guess. Thank you for your post, they are great!!

And that La Liga video with Javi team mates is really great. They probably have spend years keeping those stories away from the camaras, trying to protect Javi's public image

 

[kptnciam]

OMG tureis... thank you so much for all those details. I wanted to go to Minsk but, you know, life... so I had to miss it and regret it for the rest of my life. But at least I have those details. Thank you. [emoji3590]

Totally agree with Olibritt, I want to stop crying but I keep coming here to read and cry even more xD hahaha

 

[tureis]

Well just when I think I have no more tears to cry, I run into something like this from Absolute Skating.

A farewell to Javi:

"Javier Fernández was the most experienced skater at the competition in Minsk, it was his 13th consecutive European Championships. It was also his last. The news that Spanish champion wants to compete for the very last time aiming to add 7th European gold to his medal count were announced long ago. We all came to Minsk prepared, but still not ready to say goodbye. The countdown has started: his last short program, last draw, last practice, last competitive performance, last K&C, last press conference... And when for the umpteenth time that day he was asked to maybe, just maybe consider competing for a bit longer, coming for another Europeans or making a comeback in case some major ISU championships takes place in his home country, he smiled and then politely but firmly said: "No."

It was not easy to accept that and he will be hugely missed, but he is not leaving the ice. He will continue to perform and bring joy with his skating, he will continue making a revolution, his revolution on ice. And although he was modest or truly not sure about it but we are: in twenty years' time people will remember his name. They will remember "SuperJavi", who was very opposite from being a superman; he was a simple guy from Spain who started from the very bottom — 28th at his first Europeans, 35th at his first Worlds — and with a lot of work and dedication reached the stars.

Gracias, Javi, for your patience towards journalists, kindness to rivals and young skaters who looked up to you, for your beautiful and versatile programs, for always being an inspiration, for everything you did for this sport."

:luv17:

 

[Clairecz]

There's a new IceTalk Podcast interview of Jackie Wong with Tracy Wilson. You can listen to it here.
They also talk about Javi.
14:45 – beginning of the interview with Tracy Wilson
29:35 – the part about Javi

I've just noted down some highlights:
"Right after New Year Javi came back to train and I saw him in Spain in the summer but not back in the Cricket Club since the Olympics. And he walked in and started to skate and I literally had to walk away because my eyes were welling up. He’s such an incredible presence. Like Jason Brown such a kind person, genuine, the skating comes from inside them. They make those around them better."

"Brian and I had a talk before he came back and were like 'I don’t know how he’s gonna do it.' 'If this is gonna be serious for him we’re gonna have to talk to him and really be honest here and say: you know what, Javi, don’t. Don’t do it. Because you know three weeks is not a lot time.'

(about the first day) “Wow he’s just gonna do it. You could just see his intent. (…) It’s about saying goodbye to his audience, saying goodbye to his friends and family, it’s about wanting to serve the sport well and leave the sport on a high.”

“I still don’t know how he pulled it off. With a lot of heart. A lot of heart.”

"I said to Javi at one point because for Brian and other coaches work ethic is paramount, doing runthrughs, doing training. (…) And I said to Javi: I don’t think you are gonna get confidence from doing run-throughs, I think you are just gonna get tired. So, I think we are gonna come up with another strategy. Quality over quantity.”

(about his legacy) His genuineness and authenticity as a skater. To come from the skating environment that he came from and to be able to transcend the levels and accomplish what he accomplished. It just shows the world what is possible.”

“For him, it’s people first.”

“You can’t know him and not be touched by him. And I think that’s his legacy. His humanness.” (I think exactly the same said also David Wilson...)

(in a few occassions I'm not sure I heard a word or two right...)

 

[eppen]

(about the first day) “Wow he’s just gonna do it. You could just see his intent. (…)”

I think this section was the most important thing I got from those minutes Tracy talked about Javi. Because you could feel that intent, that determination just watching him skate, especially after the SP. Brian was there, but seemingly mostly for some moral support.

It also delights me that the monumentality of that achievement will probably stay in people's minds for some time - how many other skaters do you remember who would have done something like that? Announced their last competition (and particularly the 3-week training period!) beforehand and then finished their careers with a bang? Usually skaters just fade away because of injuries or some such thing or just announce retirement after the season has ended. It was such a bold move, sheer craziness because he could also have bombed...

I hope he is enjoying his downtime which will end soon enough - on the ROI website, it says that the 2019 dates and cities will be announced February 19...

This video made my Sunday morning - a little training at the gym (looking for a new sport?).

E

 

[tureis]

There's a new IceTalk Podcast interview of Jackie Wong with Tracy Wilson. You can listen to it here.
They also talk about Javi.
14:45 – beginning of the interview with Tracy Wilson
29:35 – the part about Javi

I've just noted down some highlights:
"Right after New Year Javi came back to train and I saw him in Spain in the summer but not back in the Cricket Club since the Olympics. And he walked in and started to skate and I literally had to walk away because my eyes were welling up. He’s such an incredible presence. Like Jason Brown such a kind person, genuine, the skating comes from inside them. They make those around them better."

"Brian and I had a talk before he came back and were like 'I don’t know how he’s gonna do it.' 'If this is gonna be serious for him we’re gonna have to talk to him and really be honest here and say: you know what, Javi, don’t. Don’t do it. Because you know three weeks is not a lot time.'

(about the first day) “Wow he’s just gonna do it. You could just see his intent. (…) It’s about saying goodbye to his audience, saying goodbye to his friends and family, it’s about wanting to serve the sport well and leave the sport on a high.”

“I still don’t know how he pulled it off. With a lot of heart. A lot of heart.”

"I said to Javi at one point because for Brian and other coaches work ethic is paramount, doing runthrughs, doing training. (…) And I said to Javi: I don’t think you are gonna get confidence from doing run-throughs, I think you are just gonna get tired. So, I think we are gonna come up with another strategy. Quality over quantity.”

(about his legacy) His genuineness and authenticity as a skater. To come from the skating environment that he came from and to be able to transcend the levels and accomplish what he accomplished. It just shows the world what is possible.”

“For him, it’s people first.”

“You can’t know him and not be touched by him. And I think that’s his legacy. His humanness.” (I think exactly the same said also David Wilson...)

(in a few occassions I'm not sure I heard a word or two right...)

Tracy's words about Javi struck me on two counts. First of all, that it was really only Javi who believed in this, no one else. I have to admit I certainly didn't. But not even his coaches, who are the two people on the planet who know Javi best as an athlete and quite possibly as a person in general, and actually were planning on talking him out of it? It seems even they didn't know the level of dedication Javi is capable of. And in this sense it's entirely true that it was Javi who made victory possible for himself at his last ever competition, no one else.

I have one comment related to this. Enough with the people who still want to paint Javi as this lazy, careless guy who just wanders around in his own skating career while others work hard to give him focus. I really can't put up with these comments anymore! When are we going to finally state once and for all that Javi has completely transformed over the years into an extremely hardworking and dedicated athlete who not only has taken ownership of his own career, but pretty much took on the burden and responsibility of promoting and developing his sport in an entire country?

And second, that Javi really has defied every logic and rule known about figure skating on his way to winning his 7th title. Conventional wisdom about figure skating is built so heavily on the concept of runthroughs, the thought that Javi went into this without them is beyond shocking, and makes his win all the more epic. Not to mention the 11 month break and 3 weeks of training. He wanted it so much, he was able to make it happen with sheer willpower and, as Tracy put it, a lot of heart. And I'm going to say it, against a distinct headwind in the form of the judging panel wanting a different result. It really is a historic victory.

And not just in figure skating terms. How many athletes succeed in going out at the top at their very last competition? Even the likes of Usain Bolt and Lindsay Vonn couldn't do it.

 

[Olibritt]

I don´t like it either when some people make criticisms about Javi but, it's really not a big deal. Javi is fine, he's going out to parties with his friends (as anyone of his age usually does), beginning a new chapter in his life, he has jobs offers all around the world, new projects that he is passionate about, he has his family around him, a girlfriend, he's got thousands of admirers… We can look at those comments with our best sense of humor:

Javi, a modern versión of El Cid*: "the skater who won his last championship once he was retired"

[SUB]* El Cid: he was a spanish historic figure, the leyend says that, in his last battle he was badly injured and asked to be tied to his horse to lead his army, so technically, he won his last battle once he was dead"[/SUB]

 

[Jaana]

Tracy's words about Javi struck me on two counts. First of all, that it was really only Javi who believed in this, no one else. I have to admit I certainly didn't. But not even his coaches, who are the two people on the planet who know Javi best as an athlete and quite possibly as a person in general, and actually were planning on talking him out of it? It seems even they didn't know the level of dedication Javi is capable of. And in this sense it's entirely true that it was Javi who made victory possible for himself at his last ever competition, no one else.

Neither did I believe he could win the Europeans... But he has matured a lot in a few years and has become a man who knows what he can do.

 

[eppen]

Who actually did believe that he could do it? Lots of people put him in the first position in the pre-Europeans predictions, so I guess many did. But those who actually followed him and knew what he had been doing since Olympics? Probably not so many... I hoped he would not bomb completely

But life continues and, firstly, there is this story on Javi and Iker Casillas and their common roots in Navalacruz. His parents and grandparents interviewed plus a sweet photo.

Secondly, Javi has resurfaced after about two weeks of silence! (A well-earned rest, I think, he has been going almost non-stop since the Olympics - not to mention the time before the Olympics.) He did a radio interview with Cope talking about his career. Another pic of the interview here.

E

 

[kptnciam]

Well, I did believe he could pull it off, and I knew what he had been doing since the Olys.

Of course, my belief was based on the fact that european skaters are currently not very consistent, so I didn’t think they could beat a “good Javi”. We needed that combo.

I thought 2 quads, triples and decent “Javi” PCs scores were good enough to win gold. Of course I wasn’t counting with Samarin’s inflation, buuuuut luckily that didn’t destroy the party.

And I was hoping/expecting to see a “good Javi”, which I wasn’t sure of it, of course, but I had that gut feeling that he was gonna do it.

Just one last time. “At home”.

 

[Clairecz]

Who actually did believe that he could do it?

I have to confess that I didn't believe it much. I'm a world champion in imagining worst case scenarios so I saw Javi not making it to the free or injuring himself... But the more realistic and optimistic part of my mind took comfort in Japan Open. Javi did quite well considering he didn't train much for it so I was hoping for a podium finish and trying to convince myself that it really doesn't matter if he wins or not.

I'm so glad Matteo won bronze and had the opportunity to share podium with Javi. (Have you seen his eyelashes? And he clearly loves football - the Mbappé slide?! And he also uses the all-encompassing "we" in English even though he clearly talks only about himself. Javi has a worthy successor in all aspects )

After Euros there was a nice fairy-tale like and long (not necessarily right in every fact) article in Czech newspapers about Javi which is very unusual because usually the only thing you read about Euros is along the lines: as expected, Michal Březina messed up... I thought that I'd share a link here and you'd be able to read it with the help of google translate. But the result was so exceptionally bad in English that even me translating this is better...

Full translation is here.

Here are some highlights:

In a blaze of gold. That’s how Fernandez, Don Quixote of the ice, dreamer and champion, says his goodbye

„To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe.“ With these words begins the musical Man of La Mancha. And in the role of Don Quixote, in his last competition, Javier Fernandez concluded his amazing career.
Once again he did something that many deemed impossible. He overcame the 8.65-point gap after the short and from ascended the third place to the seventh European title.
The last person who claimed seven European titles in a row was Karl Schäfer 84 years ago (he had 8 titles in a row in total). And the only man who got even more titles was Ullrich Salchow, this took place at the turn of 19th / 20th century, in the prehistoric times of figure skating.
Salchow competed in the time when easy jumps were only being born. Fernandez shined in the era of many quadruple jumps, in competition harder than ever before.
A man from a country with no figure skating tradition.

„When I saw Javi for the first time at Junior Worlds, he was a guy with long curly hair, he swayed on the ice as a rag on a broom, but every time he skated everything he momentarily could,“ recounted Michal Březina. „His style was „Nobody tell me what I should do because I’ll skate how I want either way.“ Back then and also now he had his own unique style,“ says Březina

At the age of seventeen Fernandez went abroad, first to Nicolai Morozov, Russian coach, and then to Brian Orser, world champion, and it was a cooperation meant by fate.
And gradually an almost father-son relationship developed between him and Orser.
He won two World and seven European titles under Orser’s guidance, they prepared unforgettable programs together. He liked to tell famous stories on the ice: Neo from Matrix, Jack from Pirates of the Caribbean, Charlie Chaplin. He also skated to music of Elvis Presley or Frank Sinatra.
It was expected that he finishes his career last year at the Olympics in South Korea where he won bronze. „You have to be smart and know when to step away,“ he said. „But Olympics are too busy for retiring. So I decided to compete one last time at Europeans and say goodbye and thank you to everyone.“
After a six-month break he began training in September. Only in January he began jumping quads again. „He’s not trying to do four quads in one program anymore as he did, but – reasonably – he trained to do two quads,“ says Michal Březina. (well, one paragraph and so many errors…)
The ISU officials gave their consent to a change in the order of skaters‘ introduction before the free. Though he was not skating last, he was introduced as the last one. The best at the end. „Javier Fernandez, today in Minsk, in his last competition of an amazing career.“
Then he set off, Orser stood behind the boards – worried and smiling at the same time, maybe he was remembering all the years together.
Fernandez jumped a quad toeloop and a quad salchow, showed his remarkable art during step sequences and spins and also his Spanish soul full of emotions – and messed up a flip because he’s human.
He finished his program, got into the lead and waited what Mikhail Kolayda from Russia, winner of the short, does in the free.
Kolyada couldn’t deal with the pressure and made mistakes.
Javier Fernandez won.
That’s how El seňor del hielo finishes his career.
That’s how the Lord of the ice says goodbye.


I also translated the Czech TV commentary of Javi's SP, FP and gala to complete the collection. The commentators really love him. But I'll post it separately so you can skip it...

 

[TallyT]

I have to confess that I didn't believe it much. I'm a world champion in imagining worst case scenarios so I saw Javi not making it to the free or injuring himself... But the more realistic and optimistic part of my mind took comfort in Japan Open. Javi did quite well considering he didn't train much for it so I was hoping for a podium finish and trying to convince myself that it really doesn't matter if he wins or not.

I'm so glad Matteo won bronze and had the opportunity to share podium with Javi. (Have you seen his eyelashes? And he clearly loves football - the Mbappé slide?! And he also uses the all-encompassing "we" in English even though he clearly talks only about himself. Javi has a worthy successor in all aspects )

After Euros there was a nice fairy-tale like and long (not necessarily right in every fact) article in Czech newspapers about Javi which is very unusual because usually the only thing you read about Euros is along the lines: as expected, Michal Březina messed up... I thought that I'd share a link here and you'd be able to read it with the help of google translate. But the result was so exceptionally bad in English that even me translating this is better...

Full translation is here.

Here are some highlights:

In a blaze of gold. That’s how Fernandez, Don Quixote of the ice, dreamer and champion, says his goodbye

„To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe.“ With these words begins the musical Man of La Mancha. And in the role of Don Quixote, in his last competition, Javier Fernandez concluded his amazing career.
Once again he did something that many deemed impossible. He overcame the 8.65-point gap after the short and from ascended the third place to the seventh European title.
The last person who claimed seven European titles in a row was Karl Schäfer 84 years ago (he had 8 titles in a row in total). And the only man who got even more titles was Ullrich Salchow, this took place at the turn of 19th / 20th century, in the prehistoric times of figure skating.
Salchow competed in the time when easy jumps were only being born. Fernandez shined in the era of many quadruple jumps, in competition harder than ever before.
A man from a country with no figure skating tradition.

„When I saw Javi for the first time at Junior Worlds, he was a guy with long curly hair, he swayed on the ice as a rag on a broom, but every time he skated everything he momentarily could,“ recounted Michal Březina. „His style was „Nobody tell me what I should do because I’ll skate how I want either way.“ Back then and also now he had his own unique style,“ says Březina

At the age of seventeen Fernandez went abroad, first to Nicolai Morozov, Russian coach, and then to Brian Orser, world champion, and it was a cooperation meant by fate.
And gradually an almost father-son relationship developed between him and Orser.
He won two World and seven European titles under Orser’s guidance, they prepared unforgettable programs together. He liked to tell famous stories on the ice: Neo from Matrix, Jack from Pirates of the Caribbean, Charlie Chaplin. He also skated to music of Elvis Presley or Frank Sinatra.
It was expected that he finishes his career last year at the Olympics in South Korea where he won bronze. „You have to be smart and know when to step away,“ he said. „But Olympics are too busy for retiring. So I decided to compete one last time at Europeans and say goodbye and thank you to everyone.“
After a six-month break he began training in September. Only in January he began jumping quads again. „He’s not trying to do four quads in one program anymore as he did, but – reasonably – he trained to do two quads,“ says Michal Březina. (well, one paragraph and so many errors…)
The ISU officials gave their consent to a change in the order of skaters‘ introduction before the free. Though he was not skating last, he was introduced as the last one. The best at the end. „Javier Fernandez, today in Minsk, in his last competition of an amazing career.“
Then he set off, Orser stood behind the boards – worried and smiling at the same time, maybe he was remembering all the years together.
Fernandez jumped a quad toeloop and a quad salchow, showed his remarkable art during step sequences and spins and also his Spanish soul full of emotions – and messed up a flip because he’s human.
He finished his program, got into the lead and waited what Mikhail Kolayda from Russia, winner of the short, does in the free.
Kolyada couldn’t deal with the pressure and made mistakes.
Javier Fernandez won.
That’s how El seňor del hielo finishes his career.
That’s how the Lord of the ice says goodbye.


I also translated the Czech TV commentary of Javi's SP, FP and gala to complete the collection. The commentators really love him. But I'll post it separately so you can skip it...

Thank you for this! Wonderful to read during this Olympic anniversary - and tomorrow (for me) is the anniversary of his so long awaited and so deserved Olympic medal too.

 

[kptnciam]

Fernandez jumped a quad toeloop and a quad salchow, showed his remarkable art during step sequences and spins and also his Spanish soul full of emotions – and messed up a flip because he’s human.

hahaha this made me laugh. I thought: not because he's human, but because he is Javi and he likes making us suffer xDDDD

Thank you for the translation!

 

[Clairecz]

So as promised I'm posting the translation of the Czech TV commentary into English.
Full translation (+ the previous ones) is here.

The co-commentator (the same for SP and FP) has been saying all these years that she knows Brian and only now she revealed that she knew Javi personally, too. (since 2004...)

I tried to find some highlights but the whole commentary is great and interesting, so this might be a bit long even after a careful selection

SP
Com: Brian Orser smiles and Javier Fernandez even though he’s quite out of breath can be happy about the way he’s managed this goodbye-competition so far. He probably won’t overtake Kolyada. The level of Kolyada’s skate… Here were two small mistakes, well a bigger mistake at the axel, one smaller mistake in the combination. Oh? The salchow is according to the tech panel underrotated? So, that’s third mistake and that’s a bit too much to threaten Kolyada. But Kolyada won’t have a comfortable lead because the (Javi’s) PCS will be huge, of course, and it should bring Fernandez closer to him, second place without a doubt.
We witness a historic moment. I think that since Plushenko’s goodbye – and that was a bit weird – this is the biggest goodbye in men’s figure skating, and really at the biggest stage.
Co-com: Javi is a personality on the ice regardless if he gets a medal here or not. He’s a personality of world’s figure skating. He’s an icon. And this programme, I don’t mean today’s performance, but this programme will be always treasured as is Bolero or some Carolina Kostner’s programs, it’s a break-through programme everyone in the world remembers. Everyone knows which programme you mean when you say Malaguena. Everyone knows it and remembers it. We’ve seen it here – with the first tone, first move, the audience was immediately ecstatic. At this point it doesn’t matter if he jumps the jumps or not. (she loooooves the program, she said exactly the same in 2017 and didn't say it in 2016 only because she wasn't in the TV studio )

Com: Well, time flies. He’s 27. It’s the age when skaters finish their careers. But the time flew so incredibly quickly…
Co-com: It depends a lot on your genes and whether the skater has had a bad injury or not. And at a certain point your body tells you to stop. Jozef Sabovčík (they previously talked about Sabovčík’s farewell show Fire on Ice /Javi will appear there, too/ where Sabovčík retires from shows at the age of 55, and that he jumped quads even at 40 just for fun) managed to stay in skating for quite a long time. Javier has a lot of health problems, many worn out joints, ligaments etc, I think, so reasonably, he knows it’s best to finish still at the top.

Com (very surprised): So, in the end he’s only third… He’s third. Samarin surpassed him, but only by a tiny bit. A bit unsure reaction (of the arena) though Russians (spectators) could be excited that they have a chance, but they are torn because even in Russia they love Javier Fernandez so much.

FP
Instead of the warm-up they showed the Olympic Chanell's goodbye video with Czech subtitles.
Com: A beautiful confession of friendship and admiration for an amazing skater and I really think that since 2014 when Evgenii Plushenko said goodbye there hasn’t been such a great goodbye. It’s also interesting that when the skaters from this last group were introduced here in more detail, the organizers changed the order at the end and introduced Kolyada first and then Fernandez as the last.
Co-com: Even this means showing respect to this phenomenon named Javier Fernandez. And I’d like to add one thing. This introduction has its rule and you can switch the order only with the consent of the ISU.

Com: In the arena there are of course Javier Fernandez’s family and friends. But I think that right now there are ten or twelve thousand spectators in the arena who feel like family members and friends of Javier Fernandez. And there are other millions of them around the world.
Co-com: For example here in Prague. (they were broadcasting from Prague)
Com: I think that in every corner of the Czech Republic! So, let’s hope he handles it.

Com: Quad toe – triple toe. Quad sal ahhhh. Triple axel – double toe. Triple axel ahhhh. Double flip – Euler – triple sal. And immediately another triple salchow.
That’s how a champion says goodbye. And it will be one last medal for this amazing, nice guy. And it will be one last flood of 10s, because artistically you cannot skate better.
Co-com: Since the first triple axel I’ve been thinking that we’re watching an exhibition skate and you could really feel it. And look at the spectators – they are giving him standing ovation. I think we’ve never seen Javier so relaxed. It looked really good, you could see how he was enjoying his last skate, last competition, and even though we’re watching only on a screen I felt such ease and contentment from him, that’s an advertisement for figure skating.

Recap
Co-com: Nah, this silly mistake (flip) doesn’t matter, look, he himself is smiling because it really doesn’t matter.
Com: Javier Fernandez performed many great programs during his career, and I can promise you that for the gala tomorrow we’ll try to find some of them and show them during the break. But I think that he could not have finished his career with a better program than Man of La Mancha.
Co-com: Indeed. He certainly chose two beautiful programs, programs closest to his heart. Where he can be himself. Because as Brian Orser said at end of the video message, he is Spanish. And you can just see it.
Com: 179.75 and Fernandez is first. He’s beaten Alexander Samarin. Of course, that’s thanks to the PCS. And even though we can sometimes discuss that PCS is not objective, in this case you cannot say anything against this. And I’d even say that his PCS could’ve been higher.
Co-com: Of course, it could’ve.

After Misha’s second fall.
Com: And it’s decided. Heaven forbid, we certainly didn’t wish this. But this story was meant to have the one and only hero.

Co-com: I think that it’s an almost fairy-tale ending for Javier. Because not to do any competition and to come to the Europeans… despite all experience he has, he hasn’t competed since the Olympics in February until the end of January now, that’s eleven months… veni, vidi, vici. Only a true champion can win like that. And I don’t mean champion only in performing technical elements but in mentality. He IS the winner. That’s the mentality, he didn’t let anything distract him, he skated what he can. Yeah, there was one mistake, but we are used to his one mistake in the free , and with his enthusiasm and elegance he won over everyone.

Com: really it will be Javier Fernandez everyone will be talking about. I remember only one similar story, in was EC in Bern (2011) and the goodbye of Sarah Meier. It was also a golden goodbye, her first EC gold.


Com: Will we get another Fernandez or someone like him who’ll make European and world’s figure skating history? And when?
Co-com: Hard to tell. Because not only the performance on the ice makes a champion. He needs charisma. And that’s something you can’t learn. When we compare the two phenomena, Plushenko and Fernandez… they could hardly be more different. Evgenii Plushenko – self-confident. I don’t mean it bad, he had what to be confident about, amazing skater, figure skating icon. And an at first hardly noticeable, humble Spanish skater who made it from nothing to where he is now and also became an icon, but totally different. You’ve never seen Javier participate in political campaigns, or to be promoting himself in social media as Zhenya Plushenko did. It’s not good or bad, it just shows that they are totally different, but both equally charismatic. They have the x-factor and it helps them, for example in a competition like this.

com: Do you have a personal memory you’ll always remember when it comes to Fernandez?
Co-com: Well, certainly. 2004 when I lead a seminar for figure skaters in Madrid. There was also this junior, young boy, Javier Fernandez. He jumped alright but he could hardly turn on one foot . And me and others were trying to find a way how to push Spanish skating forward.
Since then I’ve known Javier personally and we have kind of a working relationship (smiles). And I have to say I admired the will of the Spaniards and the federation with which they launched the project – which was back then named Javier. I had my doubts because we know Spanish nature… This is really a fairy-tale that came true.


Gala
Com: And now the real highlight of the whole gala, maybe even the whole EC, but I don’t think anything can top his free skate that brought Javier Fernandez his seventh European title in his last competition. The Spanish champion.
The song Prometo was composed and performed by Spanish author Pablo Alboran and he says that it’s his most personal song. And Javier Fernandez, in his goodbye performance, interpreted it the same way.

Com: And just Fernandez’s presence there brought him the edge over his rivals. They weren’t able to put up with the role of the challengers who had to dethrone Fernandez by themselves. So, Fernandez stays on the throne and nobody will ever dethrone him because he leaves as a king which is something many stars in the past didn’t accomplish.

 

[kptnciam]

:sad21: :sad4: :sad46: :giveup:

 

[eppen]

A year from the Olympics, a month from the last competition… Last week was supposed to witness the announcement of the ROI 2019 dates and cities and considering that Javi did three TV appearances, it sure was going to happen, at least according to some plans. Except it did not. But he did do the TV work.

On Monday, a heavily edited 4 minutes with Sara Carbonero on Deportes Cuatro (a journalist who is married to Iker Casillas and had been on maternity leave for some time, this was her return to work). The funny bit was when they were trying to make it sound as if he had been away from ice FOREVER, but he was wearing skates in that celebration in Madrid on January 28 and then the show was recorded the week before Feb 19, so actually, a pitiful 2 weeks off ice. Ask him again in a month or two (ah well, he does have to do something to prep for SOI Japan, those audiences wanna see 3As and quad battles). The actual program seems to be geoblocked, but the 4-minute clip covers everything but the presenter chat.

And on Monday (Feb 19) he was at Valdemoro giving his sister a hand in coaching.

On Wednesday, he appeared on La Manana RTVE 1 with Paloma Del Rio (the Spanish commentator) in the studio as well and a live connection to Navalacruz where his uncle and aunt were interviewed. Also, a pre-show clip with Paloma. The show should not be geoblocked, Javi is on in the last 10 minutes.

Finally, on Thursday, Lo Siguente on RTVE 1, a 30-minute program with current affairs being discussed, such as climate change, Trump’s possible Noble Peace Prize nomination, Serena Williams presenting at Oscar etc. The bits focusing on Javi had nothing new in them. Again, should not be geoblocked.

Not very good interviews, but it was interesting to see him in those different situations. With Sara C. he seemed a little wary at times, but also very emotional (I wish we could see the bits that were discarded!). On La Manana, pretty emotional as well, turning into a little boy basically when his relatives were on. And on Thursday’s program sharper, adulting, more like what we have seen him in press conferences.

It was also interesting to see Javi's SP PCS scores analysed from the first to last senior competition. The person who did this had also calculated a best fit line which his scores mostly fit, apart from big two leaps. The analyst seemed to be of the opinion that there should not be big exceptions from the best fit line and if there were, those are probably judging inflations or some such thing (this is at least what I read between the lines). However, Javi's leaps happen to be connected with changes in coaches: the first one in 2008-2009 when he moves the US to train with Morozov and the second a few years later with the move to Canada and Orser. Both leaps upwards could maybe be explained partially with coach reputation and partially as real improvement in his skating. But when you compare his skating in Worlds 2011 (last moments wit Morozov) and in Skate Canada 2011 (second competition with Orser), there is real visible change. As there was also in what he did with his Spanish coaches vs. what he showed with Morozov after a season's worth of work. Based on what we just saw in the preparation for and his actual skating in the Europeans, I would put my money on the improvement in scores being all Javi responding to better coaching. Later, after he reaches a certain level, you can see the effect of a bad performance very clearly in the diagram. The best fit line is also a bit misleading as it continues above 50 points which is the limit for SP PCS...

Edit: Forgot about the Inside Skating recap of the Europeans with quite a few emotional bits (and great pics!) on Javi. And check out Wilma Alberti's photos!

E

 

[Edwin]

Thanks for the updates on Javier

 

[Clairecz]

A bit late but it's never late for Javi-love I've seen quite a lot posts of other skaters about Javi's retirement or just related to Euros. So here are some of them: Misha Ge, Alexander Majorov, Gabby Daleman - this is especially touching, Dima Aliev, Tim Koleto, Tim again, Maé Bérénice Méité, Olympic channel's article summing up Javi's career with Yuzuru Hanyu's full message to Javi (part of it was in the OC's farewell video), Florent Amodio. Florent also did this, I don't understand him, but he sure is a fan

There's a picture with a funny caption about Javi adopting all upcoming European skaters - and in a way it's true. They all look up to him, especially Matteo. Javi and Matteo hugging before the victory ceremony

And it's not only European skaters who look up to Javi, Donovan is one his biggest admirers. (And he's again - after some struggles - going to Worlds!) Here is an interview with Donovan, he says this about Javi: "Soccer, like in Mexico, is really popular there. So he started to change that mind[set] and the sport started to grow up with him. He was an inspiration and I would say: “If Javi is cool and can do that maybe I can do that for my country.” ... "So far, the Mexican has not yet met his idol in person, but has exchanged messages with him on social media. He would love to take part one day in a seminar with Fernandez teaching." (I really hope Javi invites him to his summer camp, pretty please...)

Throwback to the Olympics:
Sara Hurtado posted a series of videos how she, Felipe, Sonia, Paloma Monris and Kiril were watching from commentators' seats Javi's FP (Even watching it now I was so nervous for Javi if he gets the medal or not ) (after the Olympics she posted just one of the videos)

I LOVE Italian commentary and a few days ago there appeared a video of Javi's Olympic FP with Italian commentary

La Liga did a series of interviews with the guest skaters during ROI and they have only nice things to say about Javi: Yuka Sato, Yuna Kim, Jeff Buttle, Gabrielle and Guillaume, and the best is of course Kurt Browning.

"In reply" to our discussion a while ago that Javi has had less injuries than many other skaters he says: "Also, young skaters can watch how he jumps. And he jumps so relaxed. His shoulders are down, his knees are soft. And I think if skaters jump like Javier Fernandez then they will have less injuries. It's
so perfect, so natural."

 

[tureis]

Thank you very much, Clairecz, for the above too, but especially your translations! It's so heartwarming to read how much love and admiration Javi was getting, how much respect he earned from professionals over the years, and how openly they expressed that respect to viewers, especially as he was competing for the last time. :sad21:

It was interesting to catch that remark about Javi having a lot of health problems with worn out joints, ligaments, etc. I do wonder whether he will start speaking out about this aspect of his competitive career at some point. Figure skating is such a secretive sport when it comes to injuries, so many of them being revealed only later on or maybe unspoken altogether, I guess because of the expectation of perfection, as if revealing the physical costs of the sport would jeopardize being seen and judged as someone capable of perfection.

Javi was really lucky to have had such a long career without major injuries, certainly not anything that would have forced him to withdraw from any competition. I'm sure that is largely due to the pure technique Kurt praised, and that Javi always seemed to be economical and conscious about his training and especially the amount of quads he was doing, going for quality rather than quantity. But we could also see a few signs of lingering things showing up over the years. First the rubbing of the knees, then the touching of the hip. I don't think it's possible to do this sport for as long as Javi has, and not have joints and such gradually eaten away by what the body is being exposed to.

 

[Imov]

I saw on twitter that Javi received a special recognition from a university.
I forgot from where but when I find the source I am gonna share it here.
Congrats on the citation Javi. Keep working hard.