Daisuke talks about Worlds in his own words
Total Defeat. At the World Championships I couldn't achieve my second consecutive win, I couldn't even medal. I was surprised that I was 13 points behind Patrick after the SP, and though I knew I needed a miracle to win, I was cool and focused on just going out there and doing my job.
The Boot Accident
The moment I put my toe on the ice in my quad take off, I knew that the screw in the ankle of my left boot fell off. I checked right before the competition, why now...!?
There is a 3 minute rule for interruption, so I was frantically hoping for my boot to get fixed within those 3 minutes, telling myself over and over to stay calm.
I restarted my performance from right after the (planned) quad. Picking up from the middle of the program is difficult, but since I've been doing it in practice all the time, I don't think it affected my performance. More than that, I was worried whether my left boot would hold...it was damaged badly and a bit crooked already. I regret that I didn't take off at full power on the jumps and fell in the latter part of the program. My commitment to the program was not fazed though, and I think I was able to put my emotion into it till the very end.
Stepping Up to the Game
This competition made me realize my lack of competence. The World Championships was first scheduled to take place in Tokyo during March, but it had to be moved to Moscow in April due to the East Japan Great Earthquake. It was once announced to be canceled, so I had to restart my practice and get my spirits up again. But since every skater had to face the same problem, I don't want to make a connection between the earthquake and the result. I feel that I was able to re-adjust my self surprisingly well in April, because I took my mind off skating and had a week off (right after the earthquake).
I also felt that I'm a step behind, compared to everyone else who stepped up to the game. I wasn't able to do a good spin in competition, and the success rate of my jump (quad) was not enough. Now you need to land your quad, once in you short and twice in the free to win.
My Mind is Clear
"I will compete till Sochi." Those were the words that popped out of my mouth at the press conference right after the competition. I didn't foresee myself saying this at that moment in that situation, but maybe I had it in the back of my mind all along. This season was hard for me mentally, not being able to make up my mind on whether to continue competing or not. Now my mind is clear.
I fully understand the hard reality that awaits me by staying in the competition. Maybe there will be more young talented skaters. Maybe I won't be able to get good results. There is no telling whether I could really "go" to the Sochi Olympics. However, I now feel that there must be a meaning in the struggle itself.
I truly hope that there's a meaning in the very fact that I was able to feel this way in Russia, in the land where Sochi Olympics will be held.
Source (translated by me)