Medal Rush at Winter Olympics Reflects Strength of Japanese Team

Japanese athletes are seemingly "minting" medals at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

In the men's big air snowboarding event, Kira Kimura won gold while Ryoma Kimata took silver. This was a remarkable achievement, considering that the Japanese ace who placed first in the qualifying round, Hiroto Ogiwara, ended up in last place in the finals after failing in his landings.

Showing the strength of Team Japan, Kokomo Murase captured gold two days later in the women's big air snowboarding event.

Looking exhilarated as he stood on the award's podium, the shaven-headed Kimura observed, "The middle of the podium is really high."

Kimura explained that he shaved his head because he admires Mookie Betts of the two-time reigning MLB champion Los Angeles Dodgers. He also follows Shohei Ohtani's example in his daily life and makes sure to get at least eight hours of sleep every night. It is amusing to hear such anecdotes by way of the Olympics.

Winter Olympics — *Nozomi Maruyama competes in the women's ski jumping normal hill individual event on February 7. (©KYODO)*

The Thrill of the Spectacle

Indeed, the Olympics are exciting to watch. It's not just because of the color of the medals won, but also the thrill of the spectacle itself.

In the women's ski jumping normal hill individual event, Nozomi Maruyama won the bronze medal in her Olympic debut. She returned to competition after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during the 2021-22 season.

Teammates Sara Takanashi and Yuki Ito seemed even more excited than Maruyama was when she successfully completed her second jump. And the sight of the veteran competitors jumping, screaming, and hugging Maruyama was truly heartwarming.

It is precisely to savor moments like this that so many fans get up before sunrise to watch live Olympic broadcasts.

Spirited Support for Teammates at Winter Olympics

Japan captured the silver medal in the figure skating team event for the second consecutive Winter Olympics.

Kaori Sakamoto, who has announced her retirement at the end of this season, received the top scores in both the short program and the free skate, contributing to the team's silver medal. But the way in which she was totally engrossed in following the performances of her teammates was even more impressive.

Pair Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita's performance and the cheers they received from the crowd brought tears to our eyes during the ice dance preliminaries. In the final of the men's free skate event, Shun Sato continued to shed tears throughout his performance without wiping them away. He was on his way to winning a silver medal.

Asked for her thoughts about the team competition, Sakamoto said, "I loved how everyone gathered at the side of the rink as if to watch over me."

The Value of Sports

Snowboarding, ski jumping, and figure skating are all sports involving individual competitors. However, Japanese athletes generally perform at their best when competing in team sports. Every time we witness such a scene, we are reminded of the merit of the Olympics and sports in general.

The images coming to us from these Winter Olympics are beautiful. And that is true not just for the Japanese athletes. No doubt it is because the games are quite literally a "festival of snow and ice."

International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry has suggested that some summer sports could be moved to winter. We cannot support any plan that so easily plays loose with tradition.

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun