Japan's Hiroatsu Takahashi is seen during a men's skeleton official training session at the Cortina Sliding Centre on February 9, 2026, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. (©Athit Perawongmetha/REUTERS)
Wondering if you're as sleep-deprived as the typical on-the-scene reporter at the Milan Cortina Olympics (or one penning articles from afar)…
Will skeleton ever attain mass appeal as a participatory sport?
I think you already know the answer (it rhymes with go).
While watching it, you witness a unique blend of a super-charged adrenaline rush and danger. Sliding down the track face down, skeleton athletes reach speeds in the range of 130-140 kph (about 81-87 mph).
Riding head-first on the sled, skeleton Olympians have vied for gold at the Winter Games continuously since 2002. Its on-again, off-again history also included being held at the Olympics in 1928 and '48.
Japan's Hiroatsu Takahashi is participating in his third Olympics.
At age 41, he's the oldest competitor in the men's skeleton event, which features a 1,745-meter track in Italy. The Miyagi Prefecture native placed 12th at the 2014 Sochi Games. Four years later, he was 22nd in South Korea.
Takahashi had his fastest time (57.83 seconds in the second heat during a practice session in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on Monday, February 9. In the other heats, he clocked 59.32, 58.45, 58.47 and 59.49.
"Every day, I feel refreshed," Takahashi said, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun. "I want to get my condition right and deliver my best performance."
Retirement After the Olympics
With Olympic medals up for grabs in the 25-man skeleton event, the first of four skeleton heats is set to start on Thursday at the Cortina Sliding Centre.
Takahashi has announced that he'll retire after the 2026 Olympics.
But before he hangs up his helmet and sets aside his sled, he has a throng of Miyagi Prefecture residents rooting for him, including at a local institute of higher learning.
Kahoku Shimpo newspaper reported that Takahashi received a national flag decorated with words of encouragement from roughly 50 Sendai University staff and alumni.
"Do your best!" read one of the messages, the newspaper reported. "Give it your all in that one moment."
Another message stated, "Enjoy your last run, Hiroatsu! That's just like you."
Pain of Losing at the Olympics Fuels Motivation for the Future
After its 4-0 defeat to Sweden in a women's ice hockey preliminary round match on Tuesday, Smile Japan was eliminated from the tournament.
Coach Yuji Iizuka's squad finished with a disappointing 1-3 record, dropping its three final games in Milan.
Three-time Olympian Akane Hosoyamada, who was born in the Canadian province of Alberta, summed up the Japanese team's disappointment after its exit from the tourney.
"It's a tough loss," Hosoyamada told reporters. "I guess our Olympic journey ends here. It's heartbreaking, but I'm really proud of this group."
Japan reached the quarterfinals and placed seventh in the 10-team event at the 2022 Beijing Games.
This time, four-time Olympian Rui Ukita and teammates have taken a step back performance-wise (placing ninth in Milan).
Perhaps it was a necessary experience to help build the future of the national team.
"I don't want to be satisfied with this; I want to keep pushing myself further," Ukita, a forward, said, according to Kyodo News.
She added, "Some of the younger players may not have had many shifts, but I hope they channel that frustration and use it as motivation to keep driving forward."
Hosoyamada echoed Ukita's hopes about the future for Smile Japan.
"We got better, but the other countries are getting better, too," Hosoyamada told reporters. "So we need to step up our game even harder."
Horishima Shines in Moguls Qualifying
Freestyle skier Ikuma Horishima has a story that countless Olympians can relate to.
He experienced the excitement of collecting a medal four years ago. And now he's back at the Olympics with a chance to stand at a more prominent place on the podium during the medal ceremony.
Horishima, the 2022 bronze medalist in men's moguls, sat in first place at the end of qualifying on Tuesday at Livigno Snow Park. And now, he has a sizable lead heading into Thursday's final (8:15 PM JST), with 85.42 points next to his name on the points chart. Canada's Julien Viel is in second place with 79.56.
In other words, Horishima, 28, is right where he wants to be.
"I thought it was a score that would put me in a position to aim for a medal," Horishima said after qualifying, according to Kyodo News.
The Gifu native added, "I took a bit of a risk, but I was able to take on the challenge with ease. It also served as a simulation for the final."
To better understand Horishima's specialty event and (dual moguls), the International Ski and Snowboard Federation published a helpful explainer.
"In moguls, athletes complete one run down a steep, heavily moguled course featuring two jumps," read a portion of the primer on moguls. "Judging is based on technical turns, speed, and aerial maneuvers."
Horishima, a two-time world moguls champion (2017, '25), looked sharp on the snow and in the air. He also impressed the judges with his array of tricks, which included "two full twists and a backflip, followed by a 1080 to cap off a statement run in Livigno," Olympics.org reported.
Kagiyama Finds Himself in a Familiar Position
Three-time world silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama will probably need a Superman-like performance in his figure skating free skate routine to have a shot at securing the gold medal.
In addition, Kagiyama will also need two-time defending world champion Ilia Malinin of the United States to have a subpar performance during his free skate routine.
Both scenarios seem unlikely.
So we'll have to wait and see what happens in Friday's free skate (starting at 3 AM JST on Saturday).
Kagiyama was mostly brilliant in his short program on Tuesday en route to receiving 103.07 points. He did, however, have points docked from his total score for an overrotation on a triple axel. That put him in second place.
"I enjoyed it out there," Kagiyama, the final skater in the short program, was quoted as saying by Kydo News.
He then said, "I was a bit disappointed about the [mistake on the] axel but the positives of my performance outweighed that."
Malinin, who is unbeaten in individual skating competitions for two-plus years, was even better, showcasing his exceptional jumping ability. The "Quad God" amassed 108.16 points.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
