Waseda University Alumni Hiroyuki Miyazawa (affiliated with JR East Japan Sports Co., Ltd., graduated from the School of Sports Sciences in 2014), Haruki Yamashita (affiliated with Physical Training School JSDF, graduated from the School of Sports Sciences in 2021) and Chika Kobayashi (affiliated with Nagano Hino Motors, Ltd., graduated from the School of Sports Sciences in 2021), and third-year student Ryo Hirose (School of Sports Sciences) have been informally selected to represent Japan in the cross-country skiing at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Miyazawa participated in the Cross-Country Skiing All Japan Championships, which was held until December 23, 2021, and won the men’s Combined Score. Thanks to this, he was deemed to have met the dispatch requirements set by the Ski Association of Japan, and thus was informally chosen to participate.
This will be his second Olympic Winter Games, after participating in the Sochi 2014 Games whilst enrolled in the School of Sports Sciences.
Hiroyuki Miyazawa, overjoyed at winning the men’s Combined Score, at the All Japan Championships award ceremony (Kyodo News)
Yamashita came in second in the All Japan Ski Championships held at the end of last year, and earn the right to represent Japan based on the points of other Japanese athletes at the World Championships. All world championships, where selections for Beijing 2022 take place, were completed by January 4, and as no other athletes met the requirements, Yamashita was informally chosen.
Haruki Yamashita (front) sprinting on the last day of the All Japan Ski Championships (Kyodo News)
Kobayashi participated in the Women’s Ito Cup Champion Ski Race, held on January 9, and came in third place. Thanks to this and the fact that she met all the requirements based on her combined results by that date, she was chosen to participate in the Winter Games.
Chika Kobayashi beaming upon learning she will be going to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games (January 9, Sapporo) (Kyodo News)
Hirose was informally chosen after additional selections were made by the Ski Association of Japan on January 21, as a result of the redistribution of participation quotas.
Ryo Hirose sprinting on the last day of the Short Distance All Japan Championships (Kyodo News)
This will be Yamashita’s, Kobayashi’s and Hirose’s first time participating in the Winter Games.
Profiles:
Hiroyuki Miyazawa
Born in Niigata Prefecture in 1991. Graduated from the Waseda University School of Sports Sciences in 2014. Participated in five world championships. Participated in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Haruki Yamashita
Born in Toyama Prefecture in 1999. Graduated from the Waseda University School of Sports Sciences in 2021. Participated in the 2017 and 2019 Junior World Ski Championships, and the U-23 World Ski Championships in 2021.
Chika Kobayashi
Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1998. Graduated from the Waseda University School of Sports Sciences in 2021. Came in first place in the Sprint and third place in the Combined events of the All Japan Ski Championships 2021.
Ryo Hirose
Born in Toyama Prefecture in 2000. Third year of Waseda University School of Sports Sciences. Won the Ito Cup Champion Race in January 2022, despite being up against Miyazawa and Yamashita, who were previously nominated as representatives.
