Two-time figure skating Winter Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan told his childhood coach Mami Yamada that he will continue to skate because he will win the gold again.

Yamada became Hanyu's coach when he was only 4 years old. "I was teaching Hanyu's big sister at the beginning," 48-year-old Yamada told Xinhua News Agency. "Every time when she was taking lessons, he would follow her to the rink and kept running around."

Hanyu impressed Yamada the first time he walked onto the rink because he skated all the way to the center. Though he tumbled after that, Hanyu did not cry at all. Instead, he continued to skate like nothing happened.

That's when Yamada realized how unique he was. Unlike others, Hanyu skipped the initial stage of learning to walk on ice and was brave enough to try to complete various moves. "I think he must be convinced that he could do it after watching his sister skate all the time," said Yamada.

It did not take her long to find that Hanyu also had an impressive ability to learn and strong desire to show what he could do.

"For example, when children are learning jumps, it will take very athletic children at least two to three months to add half a spin to their performance," Yamada said. "Regular kids may need half or even one year. But Hanyu mastered it in one day. I was so surprised, like I saw something that only happened in comic books. It's just too unbelievable to be real life."

Yamada recalled that Hanyu was obsessed with interpreting the music in his own way. He was too immersed in his understanding and interpretation of the music instead of telling the story of the music. "Sometimes I would remind him that he was exaggerating too much and that's not what the rhythm means," said Yamada, adding that he exaggerated his movements much more in his early days of skating. "That strong desire of interpretation has been part of his performance and one of his biggest advantages."

Yamada coached Hanyu for four years, and the last time they met was in July 2019 when Hanyu visited her class. "He impressed me as a true adult. He talked and behaved like an Olympic champion and his words carried weight," Yamada told Xinhua. "For example, when kids asked him why he's still skating after winning two Winter Olympic gold medals, he said because he thinks he could do it again. I was really touched by his reply because there was no media around and he's still hungry for the challenge and pursuit."

Hanyu has not competed since April because of an injured right ankle ligament. He had originally planned to attempt a quad axel jump, a move that no one has ever completed in competition, at the NHK Trophy in November.

"The quad axel jump is his goal and motivation now," Yamada said. "He will try it no matter what others say. That's who he is. This spirit of his will set a good example for children and give them bravery and encouragement."

Many worry that Hanyu's injury may impact his performance at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which are only three months away. However, Yamada said she has faith in him.

"Athletes at his level are either training and competing with injuries or pull out due to injuries. That's why I believe he can do it."