In the Nordic combined relay held on February 17 at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, a team composed entirely of Waseda University alumni, Akito Watabe (graduated from the School of Sport Sciences in 2011 and former member of the Waseda University Skiing Club), Yoshito Watabe (graduated from the School of Sport Sciences in 2014 and former member of the Waseda University Skiing Club), Hideaki Nagai (graduated from the School of Human Sciences in 2006 and former member of the Waseda University Skiing Club), and Ryota Yamamoto (graduated from the School of Sport Sciences in 2020 and former member of the Waseda University Skiing Club), secured the bronze medal.
From left: Yoshito Watabe (1st skier), Akito Watabe (2nd skier), Ryota Yamamoto (3rd skier), and Hideaki Nagai (anchor), skiing hard in the cross-country race in the second half of the men’s Nordic combined relay. (Kyodo News)
During the ski jump in the first half of the event (hill size = HS140m, 125-meter K point), the team went to fourth place and started 12 seconds behind the leader, Austria. Then, during the cross-country race in the second half of the event (20 km relay), each of the team members skied tenaciously and the team moved up one place to finish in 3rd.
The team’s bronze medal this year is the first time in 28 years that Japan has medaled in the Nordic combined relay, with the last time being in 1994 at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Olympics when Waseda University alumni Takanori Kono (graduated from the School of Human Sciences in 1991 and former member of the Waseda University Skiing Club), who is also serving as a coach for the Nordic combined at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, teamed with Kenji Ogiwara (graduated from the School of Human Sciences in 1992 and former member of the Waseda University Skiing Club) and Masashi Abe to win the gold medal.
For Akito Watabe, who served as the flag-bearer for the Japanese national team at the opening ceremony, this was his second medal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
From left: Yoshito Watabe, Hideaki Nagai, Akito Watabe, and Ryota Yamamoto winning the bronze medal in the men’s Nordic combined relay and delightedly holding aloft the Japanese flag. (Kyodo News)
From left: Yoshito Watabe, Hideaki Nagai, Akito Watabe, and Ryota Yamamoto jumping with joy on the podium as they win the bronze medal in the men’s Nordic combined relay. (Kyodo News)
Congratulatory Address from Waseda University President Aiji Tanaka
Congratulations to the Nordic combined team for winning a bronze medal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The head coach and the athletes on this Nordic combined team are all Waseda University graduates, making it truly an “All Waseda” team, and together, they secured the bronze medal. They are an outstanding embodiment of the “Waseda that shines on the world stage” goal that Waseda University advocates for.
Everyone at Waseda University is delighted with this achievement. The team fully demonstrated their abilities on the world stage, winning the bronze medal, and I think that they have been a great beacon of hope for Waseda University students, alumni, and faculty members.
We look forward to their continued success in the future.
Waseda University President Aiji Tanaka
