Thelegacy of Waseda spirit and the revival of Japan’s combined team
Japan team celebrates after winning the bronze medal. Pictured second from front left are Yoshito Watabe, Nagai, Akito Watabe, Yamamoto, Yachi, and, in the back right, coach Kono. It was awinners podium full of Waseda Skiing Club members. (Kyod
On Feb. 17, as the Beijing Olympics neared its final stretch, a team comprised entirely of Waseda School of Sport Sciences alumni and former members of the Waseda Skiing Club —Watabe Akito (2011 alumnus); Yoshito Watabe (2014 alumnus); Hideaki Nagai (2006 alumnus); and Ryota Yamamoto (2020 alumnus) —competed in the Nordic combined relay event. In the large-hill jump in the first half of the event, the team was in fourth place, but they advanced to third in the cross-country race in the latter half to overtake Austria. The bronze medal victory marks the first medal for Japan in this event in 28 years and seven Olympics. 28 years ago, Japan won the gold medal at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Olympics. Two members of that team, Takanori Kono (1991 alumnus of School of Human Sciences), who is now head coach of the current Japan team, and Kenji Ogawara (1992 alumnus of School of Human Sciences) are former members of the Waseda Skiing Club. This year’s team, comprised of veteran, seasoned, and up-and-coming athletes, in addition to third-year-student and current member of the Waseda Skiing Club Sora Yachi (30thin the normal hill event) —who served as a sub member —
marks the return of the formidable Japan combined team that has been powered by the Skiing Club.
Yoshito Watabe makes big jump of 133.5 meters, reaches third place in cross-country
Yoshito Watabe performed exceptionally, jumping far and reaching third place during the cross-country portion of the event. (Kyodo Ne
In the large hill jump in the first half of the event, in which the four members of all 10 teams jumped once and competed based on points, Akito Watabe jumped first and reached the K-point at 125 meters. Yoshito Watabe jumped second for 133.5 meters, placing the team at the top. Next was Nagai, who jumped for 128.5 meters, and last was Yamamoto, who marked for 135 meters, placing the team in fourth, just behind the top three: Austria, Germany, and Norway. The team hadn’t made any major mistakes, but, as a team with less racing prowess than the other countries, they had hoped to break into the top three in the first-half jump. They fell short of doing so, however, so they looked towards the latter-half cross-country race.
38-year-old veteran Nagai races tenaciously as second runner
First runner Yoshito Watabe touches Nagai (right) (Kyodo News)
In the cross-country race in the latter half, each of the four members raced for 5 km, for a total of 20 km in a relay format. Japan started 12 seconds behind Austria, who started at the front based on their jump performance. From the start of the race, first runner Yoshito Watabe caught up to Germany and Norway, entering the now three-person second-place group, and set their sights on Austria. Subsequently, Japan, along with Germany, caught up to Austria, forming the first-place group. Norway was lagging behind at this point. However, as second runner Nagai took over, Norway put on a remarkable racing performance, pushing Japan back to fourth place.
Third runner Akito Watabe fights in front
Second runner Nagai touches Akito Watabe (right) (Kyodo News)
Japan was only 0.4 seconds behind third-place Germany. Taking on the next leg of the race, Akito Watabe, who had just come off his third consecutive medal in the individual large hill event, overtook Germany, moving towards the front group with Austria and Norway. However, while vying amid the front group, he recalled, “Unfortunately, I was considerably behind Oftebro (Norway) when I passed on to Ryota.” The team was already lagging behind Norway just before the relay, where Yamamoto took over in second place.
“Go Ryota!”: Ace passes off to next-generation hope
Akito Watabe (pictured in back) reaches final runner Yamamoto to commence the relay (Kyodo News)
As Norway continued to open up its lead, Japan was vying in the second-place group with Austria and Germany. Austria lost momentum in the latter half, and a struggle for second place with Germany before the finish line ensued. Yamamoto gave it his all, racing with tenacity, but in the end finished 0.3 seconds behind Germany. Japan’s third-place finish marked the team’s first medal victory since the Lillehammer 1994 Olympics.
Yamamoto leaps towards the finish line where his teammates await
Yamamoto raises his arms as he jumps towards the finish line where his teammates await (Kyodo News)
In addition to the youngest member of the team, Yamamoto, whose performance reflected his strong desire to “raise his teammates to the winners podium”, the entire team raced tenaciously at this Olympic event. Akito Watabe commented on the “All Waseda” medal win in the Nordic combined team event: “Winning in the team event and celebrating withteammates brings me more joy than winning a medal on my own.” Japan has had a history of strong performances in the combined team event, with two consecutive gold-medal wins in the 1992 and 1994 Olympics, as well as a gold-medal win at the 2009 World Ski Championship. However, Norway, Germany, and Austria have dominated the winners podium since the 2014 Sochi Olympics. That trend has now been broken, portending a revival for Japan. Commenting on the team’s accomplishment, Yachi, who supported the team, said, “Congratulations on the bronze-medal win in the Nordic combined event. It was incredible to watch. I’ve learned a lot watching my mentors perform. Of course, it was also frustrating. I will work hard so that I can materialize my dreams four years from now.” Yachi, continued, asserting his commitment for the future: “Today marks a new start for the next four years. I won’t forget the frustration I feel now, and I won’t give up. I won’t stop. I will materialize my dream. These are the things my teammates taught me. It will be a tough road ahead, but I will give it my all. I can feel the fire inside me.” It will be exciting to witness the breathtaking performance of Waseda alumni and students as they push the Japan team forward.
Original Article: Mashiro Miyajima (student staff)
English Translation: Joe Muntal
ノルディック複合、銅メダル🥉
本当におめでとうございます🔥🔥凄いものを見ました。
先輩たちの姿から多くの事を学びました。もちろん、めちゃくちゃ悔しいです。
4年後は私も夢を叶えられるように、頑張ります‼️@Japan_Olympic #ノルディック複合 @wtbyst @WTBAKT
— 谷地宙/ Sora Yachi (@sora_yachi) February 17, 2022
Celebrating with the Japan national flag are (from left) Yoshito Watabe, Akito Watabe, Nagai, and Yamamoto (Kyodo News)
Post-event interview
Yoshito Watabe: “We’ve been pursuing a medal for a long time, but we finally made it.”
—How does it feel to have won a medal?
It feels like we’ve waited a long time for this. We’ve been pursuing a medal for long time, and it took time, but we finally made it.
—Your sliding was great and it seemed the wax was working very well for the whole team.
Absolutely. I think today’s real MVP is the wax man. The skis slid very well.
Nagai: “I never expected such a great prize to be waiting for me at the end.”
—Amid talks of how this event may be your last, how does it feel to have won a medal?
I never expected such a great prize to be waiting for me at the end. I’m incredibly grateful to my teammates who fought alongside me as well as the Japan team staff and coach. This is amazing! Thank you.
Akito Watabe: “Winning in the team event and being able celebrate with teammates brings me more joy than winning a medal on my own.”
—How did it feel when you greeted Yamamoto at the finish line?
Today I wasn’t able to jump well and, unfortunately, I was considerably behind Oftebro (Norway) when I passed on to Ryota. My team really helped me out. At the end, I just placed my trust in my teammate and screamed, “Go Ryota!”
—What does it mean to celebrate a medal with your team?
Winning in the team event and being able to celebrate with teammates brings me more joy than winning a medal on my own. At the 2009 World Ski Championship in Liberec, I was the only one to experience that feeling. It took a long time, but I’m so happyto be able to share this moment with my teammates. I also think this medal represents something really great for the future of Japan’s combined team.
Yamamoto: “I really wanted to raise my teammates to the winners podium.”
—I’m sure you were under pressure, but what was your mindset going into the event?
When it was decided that I would be the fourth runner, I thought to myself, “Oh wow, the pressure is on.” I tried not to show it, but I suspected it would be my toughest race yet, so I imagined various scenarios. With that said, the task remained the same, so I just focused on skiing to the best of my ability. However, I didn’t expect to be vying for a position at the winners podium, so that was great. —How did you feel right before the finish line? Honestly, I just thought to myself, “Stay away, Austria.” Germany was also close behind, so there were a lot of things going through my mind, but in the end, I really just wanted to raise my teammates to the winners podium. That’s the feeling that pushed me.
English Translation: Joe Muntal
https://twitter.com/gorinjp/status/1494336448241487873
