At the Beijing Paralympics, Momoka Muraoka, a girl, won three gold medals and one silver medal, and Taiki Morii, a boy, won two bronze medals.

On the other hand, the medalists' faces are the same as in the previous tournament, and especially in the boys' sitting and sliding classes, all of them are in their 30s or older, and the issue of nurturing the next generation is highlighted.

Alpine representative from Japan 4 out of 14 in their 20s

The Japanese national team of alpine skiing won this tournament with 3 gold medals, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals, 2 more gold medals than last time, but the total number is the same and won the medals. There were only two players, Muraoka and Morii, as in the previous tournament.



There are no teenage players among the 14 representatives of this tournament, and the girls in their 20s are 25-year-old Muraoka and Ammi Hondo who won a prize in all the events in the standing and sliding class in the same year.


All the boys were in a standing and sliding class, with a total of four players, 21-year-old Kohei Takahashi and 28-year-old Yamato Aoki.



In particular, in the men's sitting and sliding class, 33-year-old Takeshi Suzuki, who has participated in five consecutive tournaments, is the youngest and has not changed generations.

“Do not leave it as it is”

On the other hand, overseas players are in the men's sitting and sliding class, where Norwegian 22-year-old Jesper Pedersen showed overwhelming strength with four gold medals and one silver medal, and in a giant slalom, China's 17-year-old Ryoko. The rise of young players was remarkable, with Michi winning a bronze medal.



Akira Kano, who has won three gold medals in the past, said, "I felt that the men's team was in a difficult situation in the world. "I can't do it," he said with a sense of crisis.



The Japan Ski Federation for the Disabled is actively going to the physical fitness test for those who are aiming for the Paralympics, which is open by the JSC = Japan Sports Promotion Center, etc., in order to raise the level of the team and find talents that have not been seen yet. However, it is said that it is difficult to get people interested in areas where there is little snow.



Kenji Natsume, chairman of the federation, said, "There are talents who seem to have high abilities at the measurement meeting, but even if you talk, you may be far away from" a little snow "," said the high hurdle to the winter competition. Was revealed.



In the future, it will be asked how to increase the name of the competition through the activities of Muraoka and Morii to discover young people and expand the skirt.



Kuniko Obinata, the team leader of the Japanese national team, who has also won 10 medals including two gold medals, said, "Now, the Japanese team has an environment where they can compete with players who know the world and be taught. It is necessary to challenge the world from generations, and I want to find young players as soon as possible and build a team. "