Ski jumper Noriaki Kasai won two silver medals and one bronze medal at the Winter Olympics.
Even now, at the age of 50, he says, "I still want to climb up" to achieve his big dream of winning a gold medal.
The driving force behind this was the Nagano Olympics, which left a deep impression on him, and the words of his late mother.
(Interviewer Daisuke Kasai, Sapporo station announcer Interviewer Daigo Takayama, Sapporo station announcer)
"Origin" is Okurayama
Kasai was interviewed at the Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium in Sapporo.
Kasai has used this facility, which hosts international competitions, as a base for training since he was a teenager.
(Kasai)
When was the first time you flew over Okurayama?
(Kasai)
You are in the third year of junior high school.
I flew for the first time when I was 15.
It's a jumping platform that you can't fly without considerable guts and courage.
Back then it wasn't as safe as it is now.
There were no grooves on the runway.
It was a time when junior high school students were told not to fly because it was dangerous, and not to fly because it would hurt them.
It was like I was allowed to fly it at the age of 15, or rather, I was blown away.
(Kasai)
I heard that Kasai participated in the test jumper at that time and flew a big jump that exceeded the distance of the winning athlete.
How did that experience affect you later?
(Kasai)
It was precisely because I was flying there that I got the guts, and that jump was a really good jump.
It was at that time that I decided to aim for the world because of that jump.
(Kasai)
It's been 35 years since I flew Mt. Okura for the first time.
(Kasai)
It doesn't feel like 35 years have passed.
feels short.
(Kasai)
Short!
What was the driving force that allowed you to continue for so long?
(Kasai)
One is my family.
Ever since I was poor when I was little, he always supported my jumps.
When I was young, I really did it for my family, and I had a mother who supported me when I was poor. As I grew older, I gradually felt that I was being watched over with that kind of feeling.
(Kasai)
What was your life like when you were a child?
(Kasai)
At that time, I really didn't have the money to buy rice, and even if I had to borrow money from the supermarket, I would borrow food on credit.
I didn't even have a phone at home, and when I first said I wanted to do jumps, there was a lot of opposition.
(Kasai)
How did you manage to keep competing?
(Kasai)
Just when the townspeople ski tournament was held in Shimokawa-cho, Hokkaido, I entered the tournament, came in second, and received a silver medal.
That makes me happy.
If you get on the podium, you get a medal.
It was a pleasure, and it led to me wanting to do more jumps.
After that, the boys' coach came to my house and said, "I have a hand-me-down from my senior, so why don't you use it to jump?"
The Nagano Olympics, a place of frustration in my heart
Kasai was selected to represent Japan in his teens and made his Olympic debut at the age of 19.
At the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, which was his second consecutive appearance, he was one of the members of the team and contributed to winning the silver medal.
Looking back, Mr. Kasai said, "I thought it was my destiny to work harder and win the gold medal, so I decided to work hard for another four years."
However, while aiming for the gold medal in Nagano, her mother Sachiko was caught in a fire, and she died in 1997 after a long battle with illness.
She was less than a year away from the Olympics.
(Kasai)
I had a strong desire to win a gold medal at the Nagano Olympics, which was held in my home country, because of the death of my girlfriend's mother.
I did a ridiculous amount of body building for the Olympics, and the Nagano Olympics were filled with my thoughts.
Welcome to the Nagano Olympics.
Kasai injured his ankle just before the tournament.
Although she was able to compete in the individual competition, she was not selected as a team member.
(Kasai)
Where did you watch the team competition?
(Kasai)
I watched the first one on TV in the hotel, and the second one I walked to the venue and watched it on the stairs of the landing barn (landing point) of Normal Hill.
(Kasai)
I heard that Harada shouted something while flying. What words did he shout?
(Kasai)
Yes.
You said, "Fall down."
(Kasai)
Did you say it out loud, not in your heart?
(Kasai)
I said it out loud.
(Kasai)
Were the people around you surprised?
(Kasai)
I don't think you can hear the cheers anymore, but it was like "Wow" and "Go for it".
Maybe I was the only one who said, "Get off."
I had a frustrating feeling that I didn't want them to win the gold medal, so I didn't really want to support the team event that I couldn't participate in.
In the first run, Japan came in 4th place, and I went to the venue with this strange feeling thinking that I would not be able to win a medal.
Then I saw the gold medal in front of me.
I was overwhelmed with frustration and cried a lot.
"Come on..." Letter from my late mother
After the Nagano Olympics, my team was abolished, and I experienced two transfers in four years.
At the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, he was not selected as a member of the team, and even in individual competitions, he finished in the 40s on both normal and large hills.
It is said that the letter she received from her mother, Sachiko, was what she depended on during her difficult times.
(Kasai)
Before the Nagano tournament, I received a letter from her mother before she passed away.
I still cherish it.
When I go to a big game, I carry it with me, look at the letter, cry, and say, "OK, I'll do my best from tomorrow."
Shedding tears, I was doing my best at the games and at the Olympics.
(Kasai)
Are there any words in the letter that left an impression on you?
(Kasai)
I think her mother always used to say, "I'm counting on my child who has climbed up from the depths of the abyss."
When I was having a hard time or when I wasn't feeling well, he often said those words to me, so those words left the biggest impression on me.
(Kasai)
What did you mean by crawling up?
(Kasai)
I think it's a word that says don't stay at the bottom forever, and use your own strength to climb to the top.
I don't know if it's a gold medal, getting married and having a family, or becoming wealthy because I was poor, but I think that's what comes first.
Right now, the gold medal I don't have is the number one thing in my heart, so I'm working hard with the hope that someday I'll be able to go there again.
Invite a coach from a powerful country to go up
After the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Kasai sought coaching from a ski jumping powerhouse, Finland.
At that time, it was unusual for a company's team to invite a coach from overseas.
He says he modified his jumps by recreating them from scratch.
(Kasai)
I think that starting from scratch with all the things you've built up up to that point requires a big change of heart. How did you change your mind?
(Kasai)
I'm a particularly stubborn person, and the Finnish coach was younger than me.
So, if that coach were to look at me from above, I might have stubbornly said, "No, no, no, no." He's been here for 10 years and has more experience than us. I was devastated at the Olympics, so no, please, I'm in trouble because I don't have anything to gain. You've become flexible.
(Kasai)
At that time, what kind of specific opinions left an impression on you?
(Kasai)
First, I realized that I was practicing too much.
Before I changed to a Finnish coach, I was doing about five times as much training as the Finnish coach taught me.
Well, it was so little training that I was worried that this kind of training was good.
Mix refreshment in it.
I'm the type who wants to move my body early in the morning every day.
Even now, I don't like sitting still at home, so I don't have days of the week to sleep.
even now.
So I really want to move my body.
I was advised that I have to rest for the time being, as well as my body, but I also have to give my mind a rest because it won't lead to good jumps.
I realized that this was my weak point.
As for the jumps, they had meetings every time while watching the videos with great enthusiasm.
At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, at the age of 41, she won a silver medal in the individual event and a bronze medal in the team
event.
Since then, Kasai has been receiving guidance from coaches from powerhouse nations.
This year, we have invited a new coach from Slovenia, who won two gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.
(Kasai)
Do you still feel that you have to adopt new things?
(Kasai)
I want to challenge myself to new and better things, and let go of the bad things.
(Kasai)
Is receiving and absorbing advice from various people a factor in your ability to continue even after reaching the age of 50?
(Kasai)
It's a factor.
Adaptability, responsiveness, judgment, I think I'm much stronger than other players, so it may be one of the reasons why I'm doing so well.
(Kasai)
Is it possible to grow regardless of age by absorbing new things?
(Kasai)
Yes, definitely.
still go up
Kasai will also participate in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, but after that he was removed from the overseas expedition.
I just turned 50.
Aiming to compete on the international stage again, Kasai is participating in matches.
In August, the tournament was held at Okurayama, where he started, and he finished 5th among top class players in Japan such as Ryoyu Kobayashi.
(Kasai)
Is it important to keep thinking about trying to climb?
(Kasai)
It may be that giving up is bad for me.
(Kasai)
Is giving up bad?
(Kasai)
I think that many people saw the 2014 Sochi Olympics and won silver and bronze medals. I think it would be nice to have such a player, so I can't stop here now that I've been able to follow this path.
Even at this age, I still think that I want to achieve my big dream of winning a gold medal after climbing the ladder.
(Kasai)
From our point of view, I think we've risen enough to reach the top, but do you think that's not the case?
(Kasai)
Yes.
(Kasai)
What does Kasai see when he climbs up?
(Kasai)
I think I'm in top shape and I've never competed at any Olympics. I did well at the Sochi Olympics and got good results, but if I fly, I win. I want to go to that kind of area.
If you go to that level and win a medal at the Olympics or win another international competition, you might feel like you've made it.
I don't feel my body is declining, and even if I compete this year, I'll be on the podium.
It gives me confidence that I can still do it.
However, young people are coming out more and more, and I think that it is also necessary to challenge the selection by showing results so as not to lose to the young people, and to be recognized by those around you.
I don't want to make people think they're no good because they're old, but I think it's not good to have strong players selected regardless of age.
“Interview with his ski jumper Noriaki Kasai”
[General] 3rd (Thursday) 7:30 am
Broadcast program HP
on NHK Plus
https://www.nhk.jp/p/a-holiday/ts/M29X69KZ1G/ episode/te/MZ3KVRX8G4/