Sara Takanashi cries over suit violation… but Japan still finishes 4th in special circumstances

It was a cruel decision.

On the fourth day of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games (February 7), the mixed ski jumping team was held. In the first round, Sara Takanashi (25) was the top performer for Japan, and she made a huge jump of 103 meters, just 3 meters short of the hill size. It’s a good result.

But …….

In an unannounced inspection shortly after, Takanashi’s suit was found to be in violation of regulations. A jumping suit is required to fit the body so as not to expand the surface area and make it susceptible to lift force.

However, it was judged that both thighs of Takanashi’s suit were 2cm larger than the regulation. Due to the violation of the regulations, Takanashi’s score was invalidated even though he had made a great jump. Takanashi is not the only one who is trying to improve his record by wearing a suit that is just under the regulation. ……

Takanashi flew the women’s normal hill two days ago in the same suit. Naturally, there was no violation. Normally, just before a competition, athletes do muscle training to increase their muscle mass and make their body fit the suit as well as possible. However, the mixed team event was held at an altitude of 1,600 meters, and it was 15 degrees below zero on the day of the event, which may have caused the muscles to atrophy.

It’s a farce!”

When Takanashi found out about the violation, she broke down in tears.

Takanashi wasn’t the only one who was found to have violated the rules; five athletes from four teams were found to have violated the rules, and there were many more who were disqualified.

The harsh punishment was met with outrage from many countries, including Germany’s Stefan Horngacher, whose teammate Katarina Althouse was disqualified in the first round.

It’s like a manipulated stage. I’m mad as hell. I can’t understand it. It was a super jump!

Austrian coach Mario Steckert, whose silver medalist Daniela Irashko was disqualified at the Sochi Olympics in 2002, was furious: “This is a travesty! Norway’s Silje Orset, whose second jump was deemed illegal, also complained to the press.

It’s a travesty! I was told to stand (on the jump) in a different way than before.

After being judged to be in violation one after another without any detailed explanation, the athletes of each country exploded with frustration, and their motivation dropped drastically. Austria was disqualified in 5th place, Norway in 8th, and Germany in 9th.

But Japan was different. Head coach Asaji Yokokawa, instead of complaining, apologized to the press, saying, “It was a mistake on the part of my staff. RYO-YU KOBAYASHI, who won the gold medal in the men’s individual normal hill, inspired himself by saying, “I can still give my best performance. Then, Takanashi, who had been crying because of his disqualification, wiped away his tears and said, “I’m going to jump until the end,” changing his suit for his second jump.

She wiped away her tears and said, “I’m going to jump until the end. Before the jump, Kobayashi hugged Takanashi, who was exhausted, and comforted her many times, saying, ‘Don’t worry. Nevertheless, in the second jump, she marked 98.5m, over K-point. After the landing, Takanashi couldn’t stop crying, and she covered her face with her hands and sank into a crouch.

She covered her face with her hands and sneezed, and her teammates must have felt her enthusiasm. In the end, Kobayashi made a huge jump of 106m to take 4th place. When Takanashi saw Kobayashi’s jump, she held her chest with her hand and cried again. If Takanashi’s first jump hadn’t been invalidated due to a severe penalty, he would have won the silver medal. I think I can be proud of it. You can be proud of your jumping to the world.

Japan never gave up, even in the face of unexpected adversity. At the end, the foreign athletes hugged Takanashi, who couldn’t stop crying.