After the Final, let's end this.
Huh?
You've done more than enough for me, Victor.
Thanks to you, I was able to give everything I had to my last season.
Thank you for everything, Victor.
Thank you for being my coach.
Victor?
Damn...
I didn't expect Katsuki Yuri to be such a selfish human being.
Right.
I made this selfish decision on my own.
I'm retiring.
What are you doing, Yuri?
Oh, I'm just surprised to see you cry.
I'm mad, okay?
You're the one who said it was only until the Grand Prix Final!
I thought you needed my help more.
Aren't you going to make a comeback?
You don't have to worry about me—
How can you tell me to return to the ice while saying you're retiring?!
We decided to each make our own decisions after the free skate.
Narration: Fujino Naohiko
This is the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.
Katsuki Yuri Strives for His First Time on the Podium Battle of the World's Top 6 Skaters
Barcelona Spain
Tonight, we'll know our world champion.
We have Russia's Yuri Plisetsky in first, with the highest ever short program score.
Short Program: 1st Place Yuri Plisetsky (15)
Otabek Altin, the hero of Kazakhstan, is in second at his very first Grand Prix Final.
Short Program: 2nd Place Otabek Altin
Christophe Giacometti of Switzerland is in third
Short Program: 3rd Place Christophe Giacometti (25)
after a very distinct performance.
Katsuki Yuri, Japan's ace, hopes to turn his fourth place into a spot on the podium.
Short Program: 4th Place Katsuki Yuri (24)
Short Program: 5th Place Phichit Chulanont (20)
Phichit Chulanont, the first Thai skater to qualify for the Final, is in fifth.
And Jean-Jacques Leroy of Canada enters the free skate, shockingly, in sixth.
Short Program: 6th Place Jean-Jacques Leroy (19)
Will he make a comeback?
The final chapter of the Grand Prix Final is about to begin.
Final Chapter
Turin Olympics Silver Medalist World Championship Gold Medalist Stéphane Lambiel
Grand Prix Final Men's Singles Free Skate
This is Stéphane Lambiel reporting from Spain.
Now to you, Mr. Morooka at the rink.
Yes, Morooka here.
Skater Katsuki has not practiced publicly
since the day after the short program.
He's worried his supporters by remaining out of sight,
but he returned to the ice for the morning's public practice.
Hi, Victor!
Hi, Stéphane. It's been a while.
People of Japan, please continue to cheer for Yuri today.
Turin Olympics Silver Medalist World Championship Gold Medalist Stéphane Lambiel
Grand Prix Final Men's Singles Free Skate
Thank you, Victor. Best of luck to him.
Hmm... It seems neither Yuri Katsuki
nor Victor Nikiforov have the energy we've come to expect.
Final Skate Gotta Super-Super-Supercharge It!!! Grand Prix Final Free Skate
Gotta Super-Super-Supercharge It!!!
Grand Prix Final Free Skate.
The Men's Singles Free Skate is about to start.
First on the ice is Jean-Jacques Leroy of Canada.
A string of short program mishaps has cost him points, and he's far behind.
JJ!
You can do this!
JJ, the music's started!
I can't believe I just did that.
It's been sixteen years since I started skating.
Mom! Dad! Look!
I feel like I've been tossed onto the ice naked for the very first time.
Looks like he didn't go into the jump with enough speed.
That jump is Jean-Jacques Leroy's specialty,
but his practice was mired in mistakes, too.
Still, he's the sole skater among the final six with four quads in his programs.
Quadruple toe loop, triple toe loop.
Yeah!
He did it!
Leave me alone!
JJ?
Sorry... Mom, I'm sorry.
I don't know what to do!
I'd never been that angry before.
I'm truly a bird with a broken wing.
Stop it.
I don't deserve applause right now!
Given the current totals,
I might be able to claw my way onto the podium if the others mess up.
But still...
Me? Win out of sheer luck?
That's not like me at all!
A triple axel.
Another success!
We'll greet him with a smile, no matter what score he gets.
The "JJ Style" I have in mind is...
Coach, I—
First of all, say, "Yes."
This is so that JJ can stay JJ.
Watch me!
For his final jump, he's planned a quadruple toe loop.
A plan is just a plan!
A quadruple loop.
Jean-Jacques Leroy!
Yes!
He rose to the challenge!
There was a step-out, but overall, a great jump.
Huh?
I guess he did do that jump during practice.
JJ landed a quadruple loop?
The Four Continents will be fun.
Their battles will continue for years after this Grand Prix Final.
No tale is more compelling than one that never ends.
Jean-Jacques Leroy of Canada's score is 213.91! A high score right off the bat!
It's JJ Style!
JJ hasn't changed at all.
A pupil's accomplishment is headier than any wine.
Phichit, use your performance to intoxicate the world.
In his short program,
Phichit Chulanont of Thailand, age 20, bewitched the audience here in Spain.
His supporters back home have high expectations, as well.
I've never had such a big crowd cheering for me before.
I really want to turn in a flawless performance!
A triple axel...
He stumbled, but got up right away.
I have to entertain the audience!
Jiayou!
Right now, the toe loop is my only quad.
I can't easily add more to my quad repertoire just yet, but...
A quadruple toe loop.
Bravo!
His nerves settled, and he nailed it!
Okay!
Here at the Grand Prix Final,
I'm confident that I stand out as a skater unlike any other!
Triple flip, single loop, double flip.
He landed his last jump combination!
I have a dream.
I haven't told Yuri about it yet...
But I want to have an ice show in Thailand someday.
I want everyone in Thailand to know how fun figure skating is!
Please be my coach until I retire!
I wish you'd never retire.
Let's win gold together at the Grand Prix Final.
Don't worry. You can win gold, Yuri.
Believe in yourself.
Hey, Victor...
I told you before that I wanted you to stay who you were, right?
Don't suddenly start trying to sound like a coach now.
I want to smile for my last time on the ice.
Yuri, listen to me.
I debated whether I should tell you this now, but...
I took a break after becoming the five-time world champion to coach you,
so how is it possible that you still haven't won a single gold medal?
How much longer are you going to stay in warm-up mode?
I really want to kiss the gold medal.
What's going on?
Skater Katsuki looks like he might be crying.
I've already made up my mind about my goal.
Go!
Go, Yuri!
Hey, he's running out of time.
My name is Katsuki Yuri.
I'm a dime-a-dozen Japanese figure skater.
I'm 24.
He said he'd like to use this program to express the different forms of love he feels.
His music for the free skate is "Yuri on Ice."
There will be two consecutive quads.
The first is part of a combination...
Quadruple toe loop, double toe loop.
For more than half of my life, I've been trying to catch up to Victor.
Thank you for bringing me all the way here, Victor.
And it's not just Victor I have to thank.
A quadruple Salchow.
He's changed since Yurio taught him how to do the Salchow.
A triple flip.
He changed it from the triple loop...
Yuri, you can't be serious.
My performance needs to be better than flawless for a chance at the gold.
I've been thinking ever since the short program that
I'd like the final free skate of my career
to have the same difficulty as Victor's.
A triple axel.
A triple flip is planned next.
A quadruple toe loop?
A quad?
You added another for a total of four quads, Yuri?
Do you realize it now, Victor?
Triple axel, single loop, triple Salchow.
I don't want it to end here, Victor.
I want to be in figure skating with you forever.
Triple Lutz, triple toe loop.
But your staying on as my coach
means slowly killing you as a competitive skater.
Look at the Victor who lives on inside me.
Your becoming my coach wasn't a waste of time.
I'm the only one in the whole world who can prove that.
The last jump is a quad, the signature move of his coach, Victor Nikiforov!
A quadruple flip.
He did it!
Katsuki Yuri has succeeded in creating a masterful culmination of his career!
Yuri!
I don't want to go to the kiss and cry.
Because going back there means it's over.
Don't worry.
Your performance was so perfect, I'm sure you'll get a great score.
We have Katsuki Yuri's scores...
His free skate score is 221.58!
He's broken Victor Nikiforov's long-time world record
for the Men's Singles Free Skate!
His total score is 319.41!
He's jumped all the way to first place!
Congratulations, Yuri.
Having both Yuris beat my records
is the ultimate bliss as your choreographer and coach,
but it's the ultimate diss as a competitor.
Huh?
Does that mean you'll come back?
That guy rumored to be retiring banged out a world record.
Talk about a dreamer.
Christophe Giacometti is skating to "Rapsodie Espagnole."
I thought this Grand Prix Final would be my last chance to win,
but Yuri easily beat my personal best.
Looks like it won't be that easy to get my hands on a medal,
but I think I'll be able to enjoy this year's Final until the very end.
A quadruple Lutz.
He landed it again in the free skate!
I can do this.
Yeah!
Oh, please take our picture with this phone!
What was meant to be a quadruple Salchow became a single.
Hang in there, Chris!
Allez!
Chris!
Victor...
I got too used to having you in front of me.
I pretended not to notice the discomfort of being surpassed by another.
But I can always fan the flames of regret within me!
There!
A triple axel!
A lone triple axel?
He changed his program to make a jump into a combination in the second half.
Triple axel, single loop, triple Salchow.
His final jumps were successful!
Yes, he brought a combination he usually does in the first half
into the second instead.
We have a standing ovation from the audience!
Just look at their enthusiasm!
Chris!
Merci.
OMG!
His free skate score is 188.32.
His total score is 290.69.
After four skaters, he is currently in third.
At this time, Katsuki Yuri, currently in first,
is guaranteed a spot on the podium!
Congratulations!
Oh, thank you.
After the short program, he's 6.18 points behind the leader, Yuri Plisetsky.
Otabek! Davai!
He's now on the ice, gunning for a spot on the podium at his first Grand Prix Final.
Keep an eye out for the quadruple Salchow straight out of JJ's book!
Go, Otabek!
He is skating to the second movement from Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9."
Now is the time for you to take center stage.
The whole world is waiting for you.
A quadruple toe loop.
He did it!
Yakov...
I want to talk to you about something.
Right now?
Tell me later.
It's almost Yuri's turn!
Quadruple Salchow, triple toe loop.
What?!
You're coming back?!
Yeah.
For now, I'll time my return to the Russian Nationals.
Hey, does that mean the pork cutlet bowl's retiring?
That's his decision.
He said he'd decide after the Grand Prix Final was over.
Don't forget what it is you want.
Now is the time to take off.
A triple axel.
Fulfill your dream.
Only you can make it a reality.
Live your life.
Victor?
Dance your dream.
Sing, sing... Sing your own song.
A quadruple Salchow.
He's landed all his quads!
Triple flip, single loop, triple Salchow.
Wow.
Originality isn't only about what you're born with.
At age 19, Otabek is about to prove that.
Do to the fullest, play to the fullest, and discover.
Find your path, and go above and beyond it!
Now is your beginning.
Live your own life.
Here comes the final jump...
A triple loop.
All of his jumps were successful!
Now is your beginning. This is your time.
Otabek Altin missed Jean-Jacques Leroy by a sliver and is currently in third!
Katsuki Yuri remains in first place.
The final skater to take the ice is the Russian fifteen-year-old,
Yuri Plisetsky.
Yuri, davai!
Yakov, Lilia.
Grandpa.
YU RI O
Yurio-kun, davai!
Yuko and the rest.
Davai, davai!
And Katsuki Yuri... Watch this closely.
He is skating to "Allegro Appassionato in B Minor."
Yuri Plisetsky hammered out a new world record with his short program.
If he wins the Grand Prix Final in his senior debut,
that will make men's singles history.
First up is a quad!
A quadruple Salchow.
Success!
A spiral... into a triple axel.
Another success!
That was a difficult entry, and he used a raised arm with the jump,
earning higher marks for greater difficulty.
Yuri Katsuki...
He screws up his jumps, but his step sequence grabs your attention.
I want to see him skate with no mistakes.
What kind of guy is he?
What a loser! He's crying!
We don't need two Yuris in the same bracket.
Just retire already.
Moron!
What, you're gonna retire once you win gold?
You don't care anymore now that you got a higher score than Victor's?
That's bull!
Don't disappoint me!
There are no gold medals for pigs to feed on!
A triple flip.
Hang in there, Yurio.
Here come the second-half jumps.
I'm going to win!
A quadruple toe loop.
A big fall there!
He got up right away.
Beautiful spiral position.
Yuratchka, look how strong you've become.
You've distanced yourself from being a prima ballerina,
but you've evolved into your own new beauty, Yuri Plisetsky.
Quadruple Salchow, triple toe loop.
Brilliant execution!
What determination, raising both arms again!
Are you watching, Katsuki Yuri?
I'm gonna beat your record someday.
Quadruple toe loop, double toe loop.
He's added a quad at this point in the program!
If you retire now, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life.
Moron!
Triple axel, single loop, triple Salchow.
He did it!
Yuri Plisetsky's free skate score is 200.97!
His total score narrowly beats Katsuki's
by 0.12 points to win the gold!
Well, Katsuki Yuri's on the podium for the first time!
Plisetsky: Gold, Katsuki: Silver, Leroy: Bronze Astounding! New World Record Score
Guest: Stéphane Lambiel Commentator: Morooka Hisashi
Yes, and what a magnificent result!
He showed us a performance that no one would have imagined after last year's Final.
It's not a gold medal, but...
I don't feel like kissing it unless it's gold.
Man, I really wanted to kiss Yuri's gold medal.
I'm such a failure as a coach.
Yuri, do you have any suggestions?
Something that would excite me?
What did you think just now?
Oh, um... Well...
Victor!
Please stay with me in competitive figure skating for one more year!
This time, I'll win gold for sure!
Great!
But keep going!
What?
Even I'm worried about making a full comeback
if I'm also staying on as your coach.
In exchange, I'll need you to become a five-time world champion, at least.
Okay.
The men's singles silver medalist, Japan's Katsuki Yuri.
His exhibition is the free program of his coach, who's just announced his comeback,
last year's "Stay by Me."
There's a place you just can't reach
unless you have a dream too large to bear alone.
We call everything on the ice "love."
Yuri!