The NHK Trophy, which doubles as the All Japan Ski Jumping Championship.
Noriaki Kasai, a 49-year-old veteran, finished in 22nd place and was not selected to represent Japan in this season's World Cup, making his participation in the Beijing Olympics extremely difficult.
"I want to aim without giving up"
Kasai was aiming to break his own record for the most appearances in the history of the Winter Olympic Games at the Beijing Games.
Kasai was in the large hill on the 24th, the first time was 115 meters, the second time was 110 meters, and he couldn't extend the flight distance in any of the jumps, so he stayed in 22nd place.
After the tournament, Masahiko Harada, director of the Ski Association of Japan, revealed the six people who were selected to represent Japan in the World Cup for jumping men starting next month, and then these six people and the Continental Cup in the lower part of the World Cup. A total of 10 athletes, 4 of whom will participate in the competition, will compete for 5 slots in the Beijing Olympics.
Kasai's participation in the World Cup has become extremely difficult because he has achieved stable results and is limited to cases where there are a series of injured people.
After the tournament, Kasai said, "I'm a little stronger, I'm not rushing, I'm thinking of aiming for the top slowly. I have a strong feeling for the Olympics, and only I can challenge for the 9th time, so I'm still giving up. I want to aim without it. "
On top of that, "I have no intention of quitting. I have a lot of people supporting me, and I want to respond to that. I feel like I can go if I feel better, so I can go to the point where I can go. I want to keep going, "he said, and revealed his intention to continue working and aim for the next Olympic Games in Beijing.