Sayaka Yoshimura and Sara Takanashi, Two Dignified Heroines from Hokkaido

The Burden of Two Heroines and Their Future

The pressure of competing for the first time weighed heavily on Sayaka Yoshimura (34), a commanding presence in the team.

Fortius, ranked fifth in the world in women’s curling at the Milan Cortina Olympics, lost five of their first six games in the first round of the 10-team round-robin competition, and were eliminated.

As evidenced by their victory over Switzerland, the world’s top-ranked team, they have the ability to reach the medals if they perform as well as they did in the domestic competition. However, at this year’s tournament, there were many missed shots in the match that we do not usually see. The lack of experience on the big stage showed itself in the form. It is unfortunate that he is compared to Rocco Solare, who has won medals in the past two Olympics, but at least Fortius did not show his true potential,” said a sports journalist covering the event.

When the next Olympics in the Alps will be held in France in 1930, Yoshimura will be 38 years old and will be a veteran as an athlete. There are calls for a generational change. ……

The director of Fortius, Ayumu Ogasawara, 47, also remained active until he was 41. Yoshimura has long said, ‘I want my child (now 2 years old) to see me competing. I don’t think he would give up the chance to show his grown child his heroics at the Olympics in Alps, France.

Ski jumper Sara Takanashi, 29, who is from Hokkaido and was competing in her fourth Olympics, shed tears as she won the bronze medal in the mixed team event for the first time in two events.

Takanashi cried tears of frustration after being disqualified from the mixed team at the last Beijing Olympics due to a suit regulation violation. At one point, she considered retiring, but decided to continue, saying, ‘I can’t make up for it by quitting. He contributed to a medal in this competition, turning his tears of regret into tears of joy. It was the moment when her determination and hard work paid off after leading the Japanese ski jumping world for so long,” said a sports journalist covering the event.

On the other hand, her individual results were not so good, placing 13th in the Normal Hill and 16th in the Large Hill. She is positive about continuing her athletic career, saying, “I still want to keep working hard,” but an executive at a key station in charge of sports programming assures her, “Her career after retirement is guaranteed.

A key station executive in charge of sports programming assures us that “Takanashi’s career after retirement is assured. Her track record as an athlete is impeccable. She also has a flair backed by her makeup skills, which she describes as “a motivator for me,” and she has influence with over 400,000 followers on her Instagram page. She has the potential to become a “second Keijun Ishikawa.
She has already been very active outside of competition, serving as an ambassador for several companies, including the camera brand Insta360, and signing a sponsorship contract with Shiseido’s sunscreen brand Anessa. He will be even more sought after after he retires,” said a key station insider.

The two heroines, who have fought through the once-every-four-years mortal combat, have bright futures ahead of them.

From the March 6, 2026 issue of FRIDAY