The “Next Generation New Stars” of the Beijing Winter Olympics, who are the most likely to win medals, are introduced at a glance!

Akane Shiga(20) Ice Hockey

The Beijing Winter Olympics are just around the corner, starting on February 4, and this year’s games will feature the next generation of new stars.

Ryoyu Kobayashi(25), Men’s Ski Jumping

The first of these is ski jumper Ryoyu Kobayashi. He came to prominence after the PyeongChang Olympics, and in the ’18-’19 season, he won 13 races, becoming the first Japanese to win the World Cup overall. He also won the opening three jumps of this year’s New Year’s holiday jumping week, and has won a total of six World Cup races this season (as of January 18). He is the man closest to the gold medal.

Yoichi Nagai, an advisor to the ski club at Matsuo Junior High School in Hachimantai City (Iwate Prefecture), where Kobayashi attended school, recalls Kobayashi’s extraordinary performance.

When he first entered the school, Kobayashi was small in size. But his athleticism, especially his balance, was outstanding. What impressed me was that he could immediately put into practice what I taught him. I would give him a little advice about his jumping and posture in the air, and he would immediately improve on the next jump.

Yoshimi Oriyama, a sports writer, said.

There are some unknowns in this competition, such as the fact that no one except the Chinese has ever flown on the jumps. But if he can give it his all, he’ll win the gold medal.

Kobayashi has his eyes only on the top.

Akane Shiga (20), ice hockey

My strength is that I am greedy for goals. I want to go for the goal and score, even if it’s from far away or in bad conditions. （I don’t have a specific goal in mind, I just want to score as many goals as I can!

That’s what Benine Shiga of Smile Japan, the women’s ice hockey team, said. The “Shiga sisters,” Benion and her sister Aoi (22), lead the team.

Women’s ice hockey has been an Olympic sport since the Nagano Olympics in 1998. The Japanese national team won its first victory at the last Olympics in Pyeongchang. Currently, Japan is ranked 6th in the world. Japan is currently ranked 6th in the world, and is aiming for its first podium finish with the high-scoring Benion and others.

I’ve been working hard for the Olympics for four years, so I’m really looking forward to it. I want to contribute to the team’s victory by aggressively aiming for the goal.

Rocco Solare Curling

The “Rocco Solare” team led by May Fujisawa (30) will return to the Olympic stage. The team won the bronze medal at the PyeongChang Olympics, creating a “curling whirlwind”. Takeshi Yamaguchi, who was a member of the Japanese men’s curling team at the PyeongChang Olympics and also paired up with Fujisawa in the mixed doubles qualifying round for the Beijing Olympics, said, “Their strength is communication.

Their strength is their outstanding communication. The ice in curling changes rapidly during a game. The ice changes rapidly during a game, and each of them can predict the stone’s slide based on their past experience. I think we have a good chance of winning a second consecutive medal, or even better than the last Olympics. I think we have a good chance of winning a second consecutive medal, or even more than the last Olympics.

Miho TAKAGI (27) Speed Skating

Miho Takagi won three medals at the last Olympics in PyeongChang, including a gold in the team pursuit. However, the “Queen of the Ice” is not satisfied yet. At the Beijing Olympics, she will compete in five events, aiming to win medals in all of them. Her mentor at Obihiro Minami Commercial High School, Mr. Shunichi Higashide, gives his approval of her performance.

He said, “She has always been a child who never neglected her efforts to win. In February of my junior year of high school, I was about to go to Italy to compete in the World Junior Championships after finishing the tournament in Norway. I happened to wake up at 5:00 a.m., and when I looked out from my dormitory, I saw Takagi running by himself. I was impressed to see him running silently in the early morning in the dark, breathing out white breath, despite the fact that he was overseas and tired from a series of races. Of course, I won the World Junior Championships. He never neglects to do everything to win. I think that’s why he is able to challenge himself in multiple events, which is unthinkable under normal circumstances.

With her tireless efforts, she aims to achieve this accomplishment.

Sumire Kikuchi(26), Yuki Kikuchi(31) Short Track
Individual, Mixed Relay

Yuki is the best of the sisters when it comes to inner guts. There were times in high school when she couldn’t skate as well as she wanted due to injuries and changes in her body shape, but she never gave up. Junrei, despite her appearance, has a strong will to fight, and no one can beat her in spirit.

Both of them are aiming for their first medal, which they failed to achieve at the PyeongChang Olympics.

If I can use my strength of will to keep up with the top runners, I think I can win a medal! (Same as above)

NAO KOHIRA (35) Speed Skating

The absolute queen of the short distance speed skating world, who is expected to win the 500m again. In the fourth round of the World Cup in December 2009, she clocked 36.81 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 36.94 set in the PyeongChang Olympics. The next day, she also recorded 36.76 seconds, and her condition is improving.

Tatsuya NIIHAMA (25) Speed Skating
Men’s 500m
Men’s 1000m

He is a new ace who broke Jouji Kato’s Japanese record in ’19. He is 183cm tall, 89kg, and has a powerful skating style. If she doesn’t get overwhelmed by the pressure of competing in the Olympics for the first time, she has a great chance to win a gold medal.

Yuto Totsuka (20) Snowboard
Men’s Halfpipe

I’m not sure what to make of it, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it. He missed his landing and hit his body hard. He was carried away on a stretcher. He has been practicing hard and the trauma seems to have disappeared, and he will use the frustration of the past four years as a springboard to fight on.

Ayumu Hirano(23) Snowboard
Men’s Halfpipe

Ayumu Hirano, the silver medalist in the last competition, is in great shape. In December last year, he became the first person in the world to pull off the Triple Cork 1440. He also won the last two World Cups in a row,” said Mr. Yanai. There are no blind spots for her to reach the top.

Sara Takanashi (25) Ski Jumping
Women’s Individual Normal Hill
Mixed team (to be entered)

This will be Sara Takanashi’s third Olympics. She won a bronze medal at the PyeongChang Olympics in 2006, the first time in Japan’s women’s history that she had achieved such a feat. However, she was not satisfied with the result, and since the PyeongChang Olympics, she has been reviewing her start, run-up, and takeoff from scratch, and has been making steady efforts. Seiji Ikeda, vice principal of Grace Mountain International School, where Takanashi went to school, said, “When she was at school, she was a very good student.

Ever since she was at school, she has been a student who repeats the basics and does what she needs to do. I think that’s why she is able to keep doing the basics in practice and training without neglecting them. She is not the type of person who reacts loudly when she gets a result, but at the PyeongChang Olympics, she gave a small gut-punch after her flight. I’ll be happy if she can give a satisfactory performance this time too, and give me a smile and a gut-pose.

The only thing Takanashi is aiming for is the gold medal.

Yuma Kagiyama(18) Figure Skating
Men’s Single
Team

Yuma Kagiyama is going to compete in his first Olympics as a candidate for the next ace. His mentor, Seisa International High School skating coach Seiki Matsushita, said, “His certainty in his skating is very good. He is as sure as Hanyu in his technique. I hope he can show his competitive spirit and get on the podium.

Kaori Sakamoto (21) Figure Skating
Women’s Single
Team

Kaori Sakamoto has been on a roll since she won NHK Cup and All-Japan Championships last year. Her strong point is her powerful skating. Her steps using her body as much as possible, and her jumps with speed and height are attractive. She will try to win her first medal with her momentum.

Yuzuru Hanyu (27) Figure Skating
Men’s Single
Team

Yuzuru Hanyu, the absolute ace of Japanese figure skating, is trying to win the Olympics for the third time in a row. In November last year, he announced that he had injured his right foot during training and had to miss the entire Grand Prix series, but his condition seems to be improving. Hanyu’s former coach, Mami Yamada, who coached him until he was in the second grade of elementary school, said, “At the end of last year, he won the All-Japan Championships.

At the All-Japan Championships at the end of last year, he was careful to distribute his energy in the free skate, and it looked like he was holding back his power rather than giving 100%. With more practice in the future, she could get better. I think we will see the finished product at the Olympics.”

The quadruple jump, which he is so eager to do, needs to be 17cm higher than the triple jump, according to the experts. Yamada continues.

Yamada continues, “It’s an uncharted territory for human beings, which we can’t reach unless we have a variety of conditions, such as ice conditions, in addition to technical and mental strength. Of course, it depends on whether you succeed or not, but first of all, I hope you skate well and without regrets.

The Beijing Olympics will be the culmination of the champion’s career.

From “FRIDAY” February 4, 2022 issue