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Akinomaki

Kyokutenho of ski-jumping

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The veteran of ski-jumping, my second most favourite sport, Noriaki Kasai has made it – a world cup win at the age 41 – a record (other than Kyokutenho he already had 15 wins in his youth).

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Remarkable victory, for sure. Did I hear rumors that Takanobu Okabe is also planning to make a comeback?

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Okabe was there, 35th in the qualification on Friday, only up to the 29th qualified: http://data.fis-ski.com/pdf/2014/JP/3796/2014JP3796RLQ.pdf

Maybe to be there when the record as the eldest winner was taken away from him?

I was waiting the whole season to post this off-topic, expecting Kasai to win one.

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Another strong podium by Kasai today. I guess he'll take aim at a couple Olympic medals next...

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Okabe (43) is now 27th in the Continental cup (ski-jump juryo) after finishing joint 2nd in Sapporo (normal hill). He basically was in all international class events which were held in Japan.

And Takanashi (17) has surpassed Kasai's 16 world cup wins and is the sole best Japanese ski-jumping athlete, with 17 wins international top in the women's World cup – but will she get the gold medal ?

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Kasai appears in the sumo related news: For his 7th Olympics he is the captain of Team Japan. At the team-start ceremony yesterday he made a Waka/Taka like acceptance speech with 4-kanji phrase(s) like at ozeki/yokozuna promotions:
using first futou-fukutsu 不撓不屈: indomitable (spirit in training by each),
then: ichii-senshin 一意専心: wholeheartedly (challenging at the Games).
http://www.daily.co.jp/general/2014/01/21/1p_0006651399.shtml
06651400.jpg
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/winter/news/20140120-OHT1T00151.htm

New darling of the masses Takanashi (looks like she's succeeding table tennis’s Ai-chan) is of course number 1 hope for a gold medal.

Edited by Akinomaki

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Perhaps not so coincidentally, Kasai was born the same year as Taka.

...and also in the same country as Taka!!! ;-)

sorry, just being in a silly mood now

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I'll be hugely disappointed if Sara doesn't win gold in Sochi. The Japanese team with Yuki Ito et al. should also take the team gold, especially with the Austrians weakened by our best lady jumper out with injury.

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After Kasai pulled another Kyokutenho with becoming the oldest Olympic individual medal winner in ski-jumping - and his first this time – many rikishi are deeply moved, especially those who had to overcome injury and kyujo like him to then deliver a result.

He always talked about going for gold and actually missed it only like in a photo finish – last year that sounded just like Jokoryu announcing to go for yokozuna, but now he really has become a legend.

The joy about his success soothed my feeling of “zannen” about Takanashi and Asada failing to win a medal.

Tochinowaka gets inspired to promise to go for a kinboshi instead kin(gold)-medal.

www.nikkansports.com/sports/sumo/news/p-sp-tp3-20140221-1260570.html

Harumafuji said he received vigour: “I thought that it's not appropriate now to say the leg hurts.”

www.nikkansports.com/sports/sumo/news/f-sp-tp3-20140219-1259913.html

Edited by Akinomaki
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On 11/01/2014 at 16:02, Akinomaki said:

The veteran of ski-jumping, my second most favourite sport, Noriaki Kasai has made it – a world cup win at the age 41 – a record (other than Kyokutenho he already had 15 wins in his youth).

A bit old a thread, but a new would be nuisance. At age 52, Kasai is still active. At the world-cup home (Hokkaido) in Sapporo he made a jump of 105m, which only brought him to 45th place and not into the final round. He just got past the qualification with 108m as 47th. - We won't see him again in Europe, but his career may go on.

20250216-OHT1I51072-N.jpgo

And now the big question - I think I'll start a quiz thread of that: What is the sumo connection that brought this article into my Sumo News list?

Spoiler

Kasai is born the same year as Takanohana

Edit: his deshi Kobayashi won the event

Edited by Akinomaki
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On 16/02/2025 at 09:06, Akinomaki said:

At age 52, Kasai is still active. At the world-cup home (Hokkaido) in Sapporo he made a jump of 105m, which only brought him to 45th place and not into the final round.

his deshi Kobayashi won the event

Sapporo TV digest of the event, focus the local heroes, shisho and deshi, especially the "legend", who joined the commentators for the final round and got interviewed  - Kasai with this extended his own Guinness world record of most FIS world-cup appearances to 579 - he was qualified because he regularly wins domestic tournaments.

VOD for longer https://tver.jp/episodes/epzifhp2o2

epzifhp2o2.jpg

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One of my clients used to be the guy who made jumpsuits to Kasai. (Long story.)

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Somewhere there's a Japanese ski jumping forum where ex-Kyokutenho is known as the Kasai of Sumo.

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