That cheer makes the athletes who challenge the world stronger and shines more.
“Furisake”, a platform that connects athletes and supporters with crowdfunding, kicked off in November 2021. Among the 7 top athletes related to Nagano Prefecture who are the target, I would like to approach Kokone Kondo, an 18-year-old free skier from Hakuba Village, who suddenly caught my attention in terms of [STEEP].
Kokone KONDO
Kokone Kondo is a free skier competing in the world competition scene, competing in the FIS W-Cup in "Slopestyle" and "Big Air". She is 18 years old, born on February 19, 2003.
Slopestyle, as the name suggests, is an event in which you compete in "style" on a slope. While performing tricks on rails, boxes, air platforms, etc. installed on a slope of about 1000m, you can slide from top to bottom and slide all the way to the bottom. The score is evaluated on the impression of the air, the smoothness of the flow, the difficulty and perfection of the trick, the size of the air, the unique style, etc. As a freestyle skiing event in Japan, compared to big air and halfpipe , which may not be very familiar to you yet.
Kokone Kondo, who has been good at this slopestyle since her junior days, won the W-Cup Switzerland tournament in 2021 with a good result of 2nd in qualifying and 7th in the final. climbed up to 9th place. As an athlete, Kokone Kondo has always had her sights set on the world. Now that she is 18 years old, she is undeniably the ace of the Japanese women, and this winter she is going to be on the stage of her dream of the Beijing Olympics.
*The video is the run when he finished 2nd in the World Cup qualifiers.
Free skier until the heart beats
Kokone Kondo was born and raised in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture, overlooking the Japanese Alps and the Hakuba mountain range. Ever since I was little, snowy mountains have been a part of my life, and the sport of skiing was familiar to me, but why freestyle skiing?
That's because his father was a top free skier. Kokone's father, Makoto Kondo, was one of the leading riders in the Japanese scene around the year 2000 when freeskiing became a global phenomenon. With his unique style of riding, he has been active in big air competitions and free ski movies both in Japan and overseas, and has earned a reputation as a skater with the nickname "Captain." His ability as a coach is well-known, and he has a strong arm that has been involved in teaching children in Hakuba and training athletes for many years. By the way, Kokone's mother was also a mogul player and coach when she was active.
Born and raised in Hakuba Village with such parents, Kokone probably didn't need a reason to fall in love with freeskiing.
Shinne first tried skiing when she was 3 years old. He had already been flying on his father's back before that. Plastic attachments are often used when small children learn to ski for the first time. The sound of the heart was no exception, and I made my debut on the snow with this rubber band. A strap that looks like a dog's leash is attached to the waist, and Mr. Shin supports him from behind and controls the chokkari (straight downhill).
“When I pulled the strap from behind, it would turn left and right with a squeak, and it looked like a puppet, which was fun. One time, I thought it was moving a bit strangely, and then I fell asleep! (laughs) Sleeping! I was surprised by this, but since I was little, I always seemed to enjoy myself on the snow,” says Shin. Kokone always accompanied Shin when he was a ski coach. For Kokone, who grew up in such an environment, spending time on the snow must have been very natural.
Turning point to become an athlete
It was when I was in the fifth grade of elementary school that such a big change occurred in the heartbeat.
There is a player development and support program called "Swan Project" sponsored by Nagano Prefecture, and I applied when I was in the fifth grade of elementary school. Kokone passed the selection test and began participating with her parent and child.
In the Swan Project, I had the children clarify their goals about how they wanted to be in a few years, and let the children present them. Then Kokone said, "I want to go to the Olympics! ’ was declared.
From there.
The image of skiing changed, and the switch entered athlete mode.
After that, the parents and children went to Swan every week, and Kokone enthusiastically learned physical training, and Shin thoroughly learned about athlete nutrition. She made the dishes that put it into practice, and her mother supervised her nutrition. Expertise in nutrition is essential for building an athlete's body. This was based on the idea that an athlete cannot grow up alone, and that environmental support from parents is essential.
In addition to the swan, every Saturday and Sunday, I went up to the mountain with my parent and child. When Shin couldn't go because of work, his mother coached him instead. Since there were quite a few competitions that children in the upper grades of elementary school could participate in, parents and children practiced repeatedly aiming for the podium.
The Hakuba area does not have a halfpipe practice area with world-standard specs. By practicing mainly at HAKUBA47, which inevitably has a large park, I naturally learned how to skate slopestyle. Kokone improved his overall skiing skills by skiing in the park while increasing his free-running potential on Hakuba's Big Mountain.
in regret
“I was originally not a very athletic person and I was scared, so there were many times when I fought against fear in this competition, and there were times when I practiced while crying. However, I will never forget the feeling of accomplishment when I completed a technique that I had never been able to do before, and it became my own skill. says the heartbeat.
In fact, I got the chance to participate in the Olympics in PyeongChang 2018. Technically, he should have arrived, but he missed the Olympic ticket because he was only two months short of the age at which he could compete at the age of 14 at the time, and swallowed his frustration.
I have struggled with injuries on numerous occasions. Injury and return and repeat. He cut his anterior cruciate ligament two seasons ago in the W-Cup in Italy. Such a big injury takes time to recover, and not only tenacious rehabilitation but also strong mental strength are required to return. He played in the World Championships and the World Cup last season, but it was his comeback from an injury the previous year. He finished 9th in the World Championships and 7th in the W-Cup, thanks to Kokone's athleticism and hard work.
On the other hand, there was a problem called corona that I couldn't do with my own power. He has been very frustrated while he is stirred by the corona misfortune. Normally, I would be able to train in New Zealand during the summer, but I can't go abroad due to restrictions. Just when I couldn't stand my frustration and impatience, SNS flooded me with videos and photos of people from overseas training on glaciers. This was emotionally exhausting.
It was late October when Kokone was finally able to leave Japan. Currently, he is training in Europe and adjusting his conditions, and he is gradually getting used to the feeling on the snow. Since then, she has competed in W-Cups and big air competitions in Switzerland, Austria, and the United States, and will finally reach the Beijing Olympics in February. How to match the max of the condition at this time is the game.
Kokone has already won the 2021 Swiss Cup with the result of "W-Cup top 8", which is the selection criteria for participating in the Olympics. She is the only Japanese female skater who meets the entry criteria in the freeski event.
the driving force
Despite all the difficulties, I finally reached the stage of the Olympics that I dreamed of in the Olympic year. Kokone Kondo, what is the driving force behind it?
“Slopestyle is a highly entertaining sport that gives courage and excitement to those who watch it. My challenge is to spread awareness of the slopestyle competition, which is still not well known in Japan, and to convey a lot of its appeal through my activities. I want to!” are the words of the heartbeat before the season begins.
“Kokone is always passionate about it. She just loves slopestyle so much. She wants people to see it and know about it. There is a free ski training program that I started three years ago, and since I have skated a lot with elementary and junior high school children, everyone has set Kokone as their goal, and I am very supportive of them. Kokone has a 12-year-old sister, Kanon, who also competes in this sport. It seems that he is also thinking about wanting to appear in the movie.” (Shin).
Uncompromising commitment to style
Since childhood, Kokone has worked hard with the goal of competing in the Olympics, and has grown into a strong athlete with an eye on the world. I have no obsession with that style. She's always told those around her that she 'never wants to do girly skating that you can tell at a glance that it's a girl'. She has a natural movement and a powerful outline when performing tricks, yet she has a unique style that is supple.
The first 3D trick that Kokane learned was Misty. I was surprised to learn that he had perfected his make-up in his own style when he was in elementary school. And there are actually two double tricks that have not yet been officially demonstrated on the snow. It is a double trick from a switch and a regular that no one in the world has yet done. I don't know if he'll pull off that trick at the Beijing Olympics, but I think Kokone wants to show it somewhere this season.
Challenge the top of the world with undisclosed high-level tricks. However, the interesting thing about slopestyle is that it's not just flashy tricks, but the overall flow.
Slopestyle is similar to figure skating because it has a flowing competition. Judges are also evaluated based on technical and artistic points, not time. The essence of the skateboarding street that attracted attention at the Tokyo Olympics is also fused. From that point of view, the sport of slopestyle is even more interesting. Kokone Kondo is outstandingly good at that part of the flow. I would like to pay attention to the heart sound style throughout the slope.
Slopestyle is the star event of competitions such as the X-Games around the world. This winter, let's support Kokone Kondo, who is active on the world stage!
Kokone Kondo -Kondo Kokone-
■Official HP: http://kokonekondo.com/
■Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coco.freeskier/
■Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cocone_kondo /
Special thanks to Makoto KONDO
On the official website of "Furisake", reports of activities are posted live from athletes running around the world during the season. n't you share the athletes' hot battles and the thoughts of betting on sports?
