Vancouver Olympic is looming.  I don’t think Japan team would take a lot of medals as they did in Nagano Olympic games.  Some players on ski games and skating games are expected, but not such a big possibility for medals.

Although we know as above, I can’t help hoping that NORIAKI KASAI would take a medal on the ski jump games.  I really like him.

NORIAKI KASAI is a tragic player with genius ability of ski jump. He is now 27 years old, but his first peak was at Lillehammer Olympic.  He joined the Japan team with other 3 members.  Japan team including him succeeded big jumps and expected gold medal until the last jumper, Harada, tried it.

If Harada made so-so jump around 100 meters long, Japan team was supposed to win the gold medal because the rest of 3 members did all OK. Of course, NORIAKI KASAI made a fantastic jump for the team medal.

But Harada made a desperate jump, consequently Japan team could not take gold medal then.

Harada was lucky because he again tried the gold medal at Nagano Olympic and got it.  But Noriaki Kasai could not join the team at Nagano, so all he got was silver medal at Lillehammer.

Noriaki Kasai is called Kamikaze jumper because his shape is like a sharp airplane. He actually won some world cup games, but he never got gold medal of Olympic games.

His n everlasting challenging attitude is more than amazing. He is 37 now, and his career is the longest among any ski jumpers. That should be admired first of all.

He promised with his sister that he someday gets gold medal.  His sister had leukemia when he got silver medal. If Harada did average jump then, he could show the gold medal to his sister then. What a sad story.

I don’t know his sister is still alive, but I really hope Noriaki Kasai would get the gold medal for his sister wherever she is now.