Japan’s skiing and snowboarding hopefuls look to soar in Beijing

The Ski Affiliation of Japan on Tuesday vowed so as to add to the 4 snowboarding and snowboarding medals received on the 2018 Winter Video games through the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

Heading the record of athletes with excessive hopes is Ryoyu Kobayashi, who grew to become the primary non-European to win the boys’s ski leaping World Cup title within the 2018-19 season and is seeking to enhance on his seventh place end in his Video games debut in Pyeongchang.

Whereas securing a win and a runner-up end in two Ski Leaping Grand Prix occasions over the summer season, Kobayashi has additionally received all of the home competitions to date this time period as he heads into the Nov. 20 World Cup opener in good type.

“I’m feeling nicely forward of the winter and searching ahead to Beijing,” the 24-year-old advised a Ski Affiliation of Japan information convention.

Japanese athletes are set to skip check occasions for Beijing scheduled for December, having been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kobayashi mentioned he’s involved about not having the ability to get a really feel for the temperature and wind circumstances, however added it’s not one thing he’s dwelling on.

Akito Watabe has received two silver medals in his 4 Winter Video games appearances in males’s Nordic mixed and has his sights set on going one higher in China.

“Ideally I wish to get a medal that shines even brighter. I’m heading in decided to get a gold,” mentioned the 33-year-old after returning to Japan late final month following a monthlong coaching camp in Europe.

“From my expertise, check occasions aren’t one thing to depend on. I’m excited to go in chilly,” he mentioned.

Medal predictions launched final week by Nielsen’s Gracenote had Japan successful three golds and so they have been all in both snowboarding or snowboarding. Sara Takanashi was picked to win in ladies’s ski leaping and she or he was joined by two snowboarders: Miyabi Onitsuka in ladies’s huge air and Yuto Totsuka within the males’s halfpipe.

The SAJ handed Totsuka its high award for the 2020-21 season after the 20-year-old swept all main titles, together with the world championships in March.

“I’ll roll my sleeves up as a way to win all of the tournaments,” Totsuka, who completed eleventh in 2018 in his Video games debut following a heavy fall within the remaining, mentioned of the brand new season. He attended the award ceremony on-line.

“I do really feel the stress (being the world champion). However I even have nice confidence and placing in my ordinary efficiency would lead me to gold.”