Kaori Sakamoto: Born in Hyogo, Japan.’ She won the All-Japan Championships in December 2009 for the first time in three years, and was selected to represent Japan. She is aiming for a medal at the Beijing Olympics, her second Olympics after Pyeongchang.Shinha Higuchi: Born in Tokyo. At the last Olympics in PyeongChang, she narrowly missed out on the national team due to a jumping error in the final round. She will try her best to make it to her first Olympics.Mana Kawabe: 17 years old, from Aichi prefecture. At the All-Japan Championships, she placed 3rd with a triple axel (3 1/2 jumps). She got a ticket to the Olympics. She is attracting attention as a next generation skater.Kamila Waliyeva: The 15-year-old supernova who represents Russia and is considered to be the most promising candidate for the gold medal. She holds the world record in the short program (SP), free skate, and overall score.Her quadruple jumps and her ability to express herself using her long arms and legs are her weapons. She is regarded as one of the most talented Russian skaters.Anna Sherbakova: Anna Sherbakova is a fan-service fan on Instagram (from her Instagram)Anna Scherbakova: 17 years old, representing Russia. She became the first senior female athlete to successfully complete a quadruple Lutz.Alexandra Trusova: 17 years old, representing Russia. She became the first female athlete to successfully perform a quadruple toeloop, flip and lutz, ushering in the quadruple era for women.
Curling
The curling team “Rocco Solare” was selected to represent Japan following the PyeongChang Olympics. In the last Olympics, the team’s rapid progress and “Mogu Mogu Time” drew attention.From left to right: May Fujisawa, Chinami Yoshida, Yumi Suzuki, Yurika Yoshida, Kotomi Ishizaki of Roco Solare.
Ski Jumping
Sara Takanashi: Born in Hokkaido. She is a bronze medalist at the PyeongChang Olympics, and this will be her third Olympics. Expectations are high for her to win the gold medal.Marita Krammer: Takanashi’s closest rival is Austria’s Krammer. In 2009, she won her 13th World Cup title and four consecutive games, and is considered to be a candidate for the gold medal in Beijing.
Speed Skating
Miho Takagi: Born in Hokkaido, Japan. She will compete in five events and is expected to win gold in the women’s team pursuit, women’s 1000m and women’s 1500m.Nao Kodaira (left): Born in Nagano Prefecture. She won the women’s 500m speed skating event at the PyeongChang Olympics, becoming the first Japanese woman to win a gold medal. She will try for a second consecutive victory in Beijing.
Snowboarding
Sena Tomita: Born in Niigata Prefecture. In January 2010, she won her first championship at XGAMES, the world’s premier extreme sports festival. Her younger sister, Ruki Tomita, has also been selected for the national snowboarding team and is aiming for the podium as a sister.Mitsuki Ono: 17 years old from Saitama Prefecture. She won the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games when she was just 15 years old, and has performed well in other competitions as well.
Freestyle Skiing
Anri Kawamura: 17 years old from Niigata Prefecture. She has won three World Cup races this season and is expected to win a medal as a rising star in the women’s mogul world.Kawamura (right) won her first World Cup freestyle skiing title at the World Cup in Sweden (Idle). Next to him is Yukima Horishima, a member of the Beijing Olympic freestyle skiing team (Photo: Reuters/Afro)Perrine Lafont (right): representing France. A gold medalist at the PyeongChang Olympics, she has won four consecutive World Cup titles in her discipline and also won the 2009 World Championships. She is the strongest queen in the world, having won all four world titles.
