Waseda alumni Akito Watabe (who graduated with a degree in sports sciences in 2011 and is now affiliated with the Kitano Construction team) won third place in the 11th race of the men’s individual Nordic combined ski race at the Nordic Combined World Cup in Seefeld, Austria, held on January 31. It marked the fourth time in as many races that Watabe has made the podium in the individual event.
First, Watabe claimed second place in the jump. Then, in the cross-country, he started 38 seconds behind the leader, yet ended up battling it out with the frontrunners from Norway and Finland to cross the finish line third.
On January 24, he won his first race of the season in the 8th individual race held in Lahti, Finland, making him even with Kenji Ogiwara (who also graduated with a degree in sports sciences from Waseda in 1992) for 19 World Cup wins. Watabe then came second in the 9th race on January 29 and the 10th race on January 30. That made his third place win in the 11th race his fourth consecutive win as an individual competitor.
In addition to his individual accomplishments, Watabe teamed up with Ryota Yamamoto (Nagano Hino Motors Ski Team, graduate of Waseda School of Sports Sciences in 2020) to win third place in the Team Sprint held on January 23. It is the first time a Japanese team has achieved a podium finish in the event.
Please continue to cheer for Watabe.
