<p>The curtain has finally risen on the Beijing Winter Olympics. The highlight of this year&#8217;s games is the medal rush by the &#8220;strongest&#8221; Hinomaru athletes. Sports writer Yumiko Yanauchi has high hopes for a new record.</p>
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<p><strong> Almost all of the medalists from the 2006 PyeongChang Olympics, where they won 13 medals, the most ever in a winter event, will be participating. Only Ayaka Kikuchi (34) of the women&#8217;s speed skating team pursuit and Mari Motohashi (35) of the women&#8217;s curling team will not be competing this time. I&#8217;m looking forward to seeing how far the medal count will go.</strong></p>
<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at the athletes and their events.</p>
<h3>Kokomo Murase (17)</h3>
<p><strong> Snowboarding Women&#8217;s Slopestyle</strong><br>
Final: February 6, 10:30-11:49 (NHK General, NHK E TV, NHK BS4K)</p>
<p>After winning the first round of the World Cup, which started in January, she kept up her good form with a 3rd place finish in the second round. Will she be able to break the record of the youngest Japanese woman to win a medal (19 years and 153 days) set by Mao Asada (31) at the Vancouver Olympics?</p>
<figure id="attachment_228184" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1485px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228184"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="88530ca2"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-1236788031.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228184" class="wp-caption-text">Kokomo Murase (17) Women&#8217;s Snowboard Slopestyle</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Ryoyu Kobayashi (25)</h3>
<p><strong> Ski Jumping Men&#8217;s Normal Hill</strong><br>
Final: Feb. 6, 20:00-21:33 (TBS, NHK BS1)<br>
<strong> Ski Jumping Mixed Team</strong><br>
Final: Feb. 7, 20:45-22:27 (NTV, NHK BS1)</p>
<p>He won the World Cup Individual on January 29. Kobayashi won the World Cup Individual on January 29th, his 7th win of the season and his 26th World Cup win. The &#8220;absolute ace,&#8221; who continues to break the record for the most victories by a Japanese male athlete, has only the gold medal in his sights.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228180" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 678px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228180"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8d755c18"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-1197868680.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228180" class="wp-caption-text">RYO-YU KOBAYASHI (25), Men&#8217;s Normal Hill Ski Jumping / Mixed Ski Jumping Team</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Kazutaka Yoshinaga (22)</h3>
<p><strong> Short Track Men&#8217;s 1000m</strong><br>
Quarterfinals &#8211; Final Feb. 7, 20:44 &#8211; 22:04 (NHK BS8K)<br>
<strong> Short Track Men&#8217;s 1500m</strong><br>
Quarterfinals &#8211; Final February 9, 20:00 &#8211; 22:28 (Fuji Television Network, NHK BS1, NHK BS8K)</p>
<p>In his third year of high school, he competed in the last Olympics and was disqualified in the 1500m, which he says he is the best at. Will he be able to bring Japan its first medal in 24 years on the big stage for the second time?</p>
<figure id="attachment_228172" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1397px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228172"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f2de1e3f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/aflo_146310653.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228172" class="wp-caption-text">Kazuki YOSHINAGA (22) Men&#8217;s Short Track 1000m and 1500m / Short Track Mixed Team Relay</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Miho Takagi (27)</h3>
<p><strong> Speed Skating Women 1500m</strong><br>
Final: February 7, 17:30-18:50 (NTV, NHK BS1, BS NTV 4K)</p>
<p>Miho Takagi will compete in 5 events, the most in this year&#8217;s Games, with the world record 1500m starting on the 7th. The captain of the Japanese team, who won three medals in the last Games, will aim to medal in an unprecedented five events.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228181" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1416px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228181"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="08aa3320"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-1209458593.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228181" class="wp-caption-text">Miho Takagi (27) Speed Skating Women&#8217;s 1500m and 3000m</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Yuzuru Hanyu (27)<br>
Yuma Kagiyama (18)<br>
Masama Uno (24)</h3>
<p><strong> Figure Skating Men</strong><br>
Single Short Program Feb. 8, 10:22 &#8211; 14:30 (NTV, NHK BS1, BS NTV 4K, NHK BS8K)<br>
Single Free Feb. 10, 10:38-14:27 (NHK General, NHK E-TV, NHK BS4K, NHK BS8K)<br>
<strong>Figure Skating Team</strong><br>
Men&#8217;s Single Free Feb. 6, 10:37- (Fuji TV, NHK BS1, BS Fuji 4K, NHK BS8K)</p>
<p>Hanyu scored the highest score in the world this season at the All-Japan Championships at the end of last year, where he competed despite his injured right foot. In Beijing, he won three consecutive Olympic titles. In Beijing, he will try to achieve two feats: a third consecutive Olympic victory and a successful quadruple jump.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228183" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2855px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228183"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4dfb59ff"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-1232321701.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228183" class="wp-caption-text">Yuzuru Hanyu (27) Men&#8217;s Figure Skating</figcaption></figure>
<p>Kagiyama and his father, a former member of the Japanese national figure skating team, have been working together to reach their dream stage. He is said to be as accurate as Hanyu in his techniques. Will she be the eye of the typhoon in her first appearance in the Olympics?</p>
<figure id="attachment_228186" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 786px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228186"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="16006cf4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-1351871378.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228186" class="wp-caption-text">Yuma Kagiyama (18) Men&#8217;s Figure Skating</figcaption></figure>
<p>Uno won the silver medal at the PyeongChang Olympics, second only to Hanyu. This season, he has challenged to jump five quadruple jumps in free skate, which is a very difficult program. This season, he will challenge a high level program with five quadruple jumps in the free skate.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228169" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 806px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228169"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8038bde4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/2020050300599.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228169" class="wp-caption-text">Masama Uno (24), Men&#8217;s Figure Skating</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Yuto Totsuka (20)<br>
Ayumu Hirano (23)</h3>
<p><strong> Men&#8217;s Snowboard Halfpipe</strong><br>
Qualifying Feb. 9, 13:30-15:10 (TBS, NHK BS1, BS-TBS 4K)<br>
Final February 11, 10:30 &#8211; 11:49 (NHK General, NHK BS4K)</p>
<p>Totsuka became the second Japanese champion in the history of the World Championships in 2009 with his air, which is said to be the highest in the world. He will be looking for revenge for the last time he was forced to withdraw due to a fall.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228171" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 937px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228171"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6fc3f885"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/aflo_120664085.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228171" class="wp-caption-text">Yuto Totsuka (20) Snowboard Men&#8217;s Halfpipe</figcaption></figure>
<p>Japan&#8217;s ace snowboarder, who has won silver medals in the past two competitions and is having a great time, including the first ever triple cork 1440 in an official competition in January, will attempt to win the coveted gold medal.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228170" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 934px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228170"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="59acfb77"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/aflo_102968367.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228170" class="wp-caption-text">Ayumu Hirano (23) snowboarding men&#8217;s halfpipe</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Akito Watanabe (33)</h3>
<p><strong> Nordic combined</strong><br>
Individual Normal Hill/10km Jump Feb. 9, 17:00-17:51 (NHK General, NHK BS4K)<br>
Individual Normal Hill/10km Cross Country February 9, 20:00 &#8211; 20:35 (NHK General, NHK BS4K)</p>
<p>Not satisfied with his second consecutive silver medal, the veteran will not hide his desire to win a gold medal, saying, &#8220;I want to win a gold medal in Beijing.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228174" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 907px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228174"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5849c4c6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/aflo_152678558.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228174" class="wp-caption-text">Akito Watanabe (33) Nordic combined</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Sena Tomita (22) and Ruki Tomita (20), sisters</h3>
<p><strong> Snowboarding women&#8217;s halfpipe</strong><br>
Qualifying Feb. 9, 10:30-12:10 (NHK General, NHK BS4K)<br>
Final: February 10, 10:30 &#8211; 11:49 (NTV)</p>
<p>In the second round of the World Cup on January 8, Ruki won for the first time and Sena came in third, both on the podium. Will the sisters win medals together in Beijing?</p>
<figure id="attachment_228187" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1409px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228187"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="bce52c70"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-1363567564.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228187" class="wp-caption-text">Sena Tomita (22), right, and Ruki (20), left, snowboarding women&#8217;s halfpipe</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Curling Women<br>
Preliminary Rounds February 10, 10:05～</h3>
<p>At the PyeongChang Olympics, phrases such as &#8220;Mogumogu Time&#8221; and &#8220;Sodane&#8221; became the talk of the town. Although Mari Motohashi (35), the mental pillar of the team, is no longer with them, they are aiming to win a medal with their new team led by May Fujisawa (30, center photo).</p>
<figure id="attachment_228178" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1456px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228178"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d2821a1e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-827213726.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228178" class="wp-caption-text">Women&#8217;s Curling</figcaption></figure>
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<h2>The first half of the season, these are the six players to watch!</h2>
<h3>Mikaela Shiffrin (26) USA<br>
Events: Alpine skiing, women&#8217;s slalom, etc.</h3>
<p>The queen of the slalom is aiming for her third consecutive victory. She has 1,090,000 followers on Instagram, thanks to her cute looks!</p>
<figure id="attachment_228182" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 770px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228182"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c03078a6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-1231279998.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228182" class="wp-caption-text">Mikaela Shiffrin (26) USA, Alpine skiing, women&#8217;s slalom, etc.</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Harotte Kalla (34) Sweden<br>
Event: Women&#8217;s cross-country skiing, etc.</h3>
<p>She has won three gold medals and six silver medals in the past three Games. In Beijing, she will be aiming for her tenth medal.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228177" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 752px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228177"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8cb4a5e5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-646187394.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228177" class="wp-caption-text">Harotte Kalla (34), Sweden, Women&#8217;s cross-country skiing, etc.</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Ester Ledecka (26) Czech Republic<br>
Events: Alpine skiing women&#8217;s super giant slalom, snowboarding women&#8217;s parallel giant slalom, etc.</h3>
<p>Snowboarding and skiing are two different things. In PyeongChang, she became the first woman to win gold medals in two different events at the Winter Olympics.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228176" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 759px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228176"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0919551d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/aflo_175651359.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228176" class="wp-caption-text">Ester Ledecka (26) Czech Republic: Alpine skiing women&#8217;s super giant slalom, snowboarding women&#8217;s parallel giant slalom, etc.</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Chloe Kim (21) USA<br>
Snowboarding women&#8217;s halfpipe</h3>
<p>Chloe Kim (21) won the gold medal in her first appearance at the last Olympics, breaking the record for the youngest person in the event (17 years, 296 days). Her strength is her high air skills.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228185" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 767px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228185"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4d92b8ca"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-1308326924.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228185" class="wp-caption-text">Chloe Kim (21) USA, Snowboard Women&#8217;s Halfpipe</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Natalie Geisenberger (33) Germany<br>
Competes in: Luge Women</h3>
<p>The absolute queen of Germany, a country with a tradition of sledding, she will try to win the title for the third time in a row with her blessed body of 183cm and 78kg.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228173" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 760px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228173"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="98aa94de"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/aflo_152172693.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228173" class="wp-caption-text">Nathalie Geisenberger (33) Germany, Luge Women</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Shaun White (35) USA<br>
Event: Men&#8217;s Halfpipe Snowboard</h3>
<p>He has won three gold medals in the past four competitions. He is active in many fields as a musician and game producer.</p>
<figure id="attachment_228179" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 745px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228179"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="35130bd2"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/GettyImages-917979658.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228179" class="wp-caption-text">Shaun White (35) USA Snowboarding Men&#8217;s Halfpipe</figcaption></figure>
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<p>From the February 18, 2022 issue of FRIDAY</p>


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