The Beijing Olympics have finally begun. Moguls was the first to kick off on February 3rd. With Japanese athletes showing great performances in the World Cup on the global stage this season, men's and women's moguls are considered a strong contender for gold medals. It is also the most televised ski and snowboard event, showing how much attention it receives. To make watching the events even more enjoyable, we will introduce the key points of moguls. Be sure to gain some basic knowledge and support Team JAPAN!
Mogul
Horishima Yukimasa and Kawamura Anri won the World Cup just before this,
so this is an event that Japan could monopolize the gold medals in!
■ Beijing Olympics Mogul Competition Schedule
The moguls will begin the day before the opening ceremony (February 4th). Also noteworthy is that all races will be held as night games. As this is the first event in which high expectations are high for medals, live broadcasting by various TV stations is planned, starting with the qualifying rounds. In addition, the much-anticipated finals will be held on the night of Saturday and Sunday, February 5th and 6th. It will be great to be able to watch the action on TV at your leisure!
(The schedule may change due to weather or other factors.)
| Date and time | venue | Broadcast schedule | |
| February 3rd (Thurs) 18:00-18:45 (19:00-19:45 Japan time) | Women's Moguls Qualifying Round 1 | Yunding Snow Park | Live broadcast on Thursday, February 3rd from 18:45 to 19:45 (TV Asahi network) Live broadcast on Thursday, February 3rd from 18:50 (NHK BS1) gorin.jp is here |
| February 3rd (Thurs) 19:45-20:30 (20:45-21:30 Japan time) | Men's Moguls Qualifying Round 1 | Yunding Snow Park | Live broadcast on Thursday, February 3rd from 20:45 to 21:54 (TV Asahi network) Live broadcast on Thursday, February 3rd from 20:35 (NHK BS1) gorin.jp is here |
| February 5th (Sat) 18:00-18:30 (19:00-19:30 Japan time) | Men's Moguls Qualifying Round 2 | Yunding Snow Park | Recorded on Saturday, February 5th from 8:05 PM to 9:55 PM (NHK BS1) gorin.jp is here |
| February 5th (Sat) 19:30-20:55 (20:30-21:55 Japan time) | Men's Moguls Finals 1-3 | Yunding Snow Park | Live broadcast on Saturday, February 5th from 8:30 PM to 10:10 PM (TV Tokyo affiliates) and 8:25 PM to 10:10 PM (BS TV Tokyo 4K). Click here for gorin.jp. |
| Sunday, February 6th, 18:00-20:55 (18:55-21:55 Japan time) | Women's Moguls Qualifying Round 2, Final Rounds 1-3 | Yunding Snow Park | February 6th (Sun) Live terrestrial broadcast (NHK Educational TV/ General) & live internet streaming (NHK) |
First qualifying run: Ended on Thursday, February 3rd! Check out the video and see the results!
The first men's and women's mogul qualifying round took place at 6:00 PM on Thursday, February 3rd, prior to the Olympic Opening Ceremony. At the Yunding Snow Park competition venue, 30 men and women selected from around the world kicked off the competition in extremely cold conditions, with temperatures of minus 18.5 degrees Celsius and snow temperatures of minus 27.5 degrees Celsius
This is a video of the first qualifying round for both men and women, which was released on the NHK Beijing Olympics website and lasts just under three hours. Starting with an introduction to the specs of the mogul course, you can watch many of the skaters' skating. Various camera angles allow you to watch the airs and turns in slow motion. Although the commentary is in English, you'll (probably) be able to hear the two different types of airs, and enjoy the expressions on the skaters' faces. It's such a blessing to be able to watch the competition from the comfort of your own home in Japan! This makes me even more excited for the second qualifying round and the final on February 5th and 6th. Be sure to check it out
Japanese men's skiing! | Freestyle Skiing Men's Moguls Qualifiers 1st Round
Hara Daichi emerged as the top Japanese athlete. This season, he has shown an improvement in his airs, both of which were cork 720s. The landing spot for his first air had a 28-degree slope, but he landed perfectly. He skated with his signature sharp turns, and made it to the quarterfinals without any trouble. At 27 years old and making his debut, Sugimoto Kosuke said that if he could keep his turns, air, and speed at a high level from start to finish, he would be able to make a breakthrough. He saved his cork 1080 for later, but put together a performance of sufficient quality. He is now in the quarterfinals
An unexpected result was achieved by gold medal candidate Yukimasa Horishima. His first air was a big full twist and he landed perfectly, but he overshot his second air cork 720 and landed poorly. This affected his turn score and he surprisingly finished in 16th place, meaning he will be skating in the second qualifying round on the 5th. "All that's left is to make adjustments, and I can't make any mistakes next time," he said, feeling determined. Matsuda Hayate, making his Olympic debut, will also be competing in the second qualifying round. He is aiming for revenge, saying, "I'll skate better and do my best."
Japanese female skiers ski! | Freestyle Skiing Women's Moguls Qualifiers 1st Round
Kawamura Anri, who has the attention of the whole of Japan, had an unexpected backflip as her first air. She landed smoothly but didn't grab it. There's no denying that she made a slight mistake, but her second air, a cork 720, went smoothly and she finished in 4th place with outstanding upper body stability. "It turned out to be a run that wasn't quite what I had planned, but I'm glad I was able to come down in a reasonable order. It was a lot of fun," she commented positively
32-year-old veteran Hoshino Junko also showed stable skating, landing her second air cork 720 smoothly and advancing to the quarterfinals in 6th place. "I skated comfortably," she said with a satisfied smile. Unfortunately, Tomitaka Hinako and Sumiyoshi Kisara failed to advance to the preliminaries. Tomitaka is known for her speed, but she lost her balance after landing her first air cork 720, causing her turn to become unstable. Sumiyoshi was longing for her first Olympic Games, and went into the preliminaries with great enthusiasm, but her turn was a little unstable and her time did not improve. We look forward to the second preliminaries on the 6th
■Highlights of the Beijing Olympic Moguls
Moguls, the first freestyle skiing event to be included in the Olympics (at the 1992 Albertville Olympics), is a hybrid event in which points are determined by combining time points with turn and air points given by judges
From a Japanese perspective, the biggest focus of attention this time is whether or not a Japanese athlete will win the gold medal. For the past four seasons, the PyeongChang gold medalists, Mickael Kingsbury (Canada) in the men's and Perrine Lafont (France) in the women's moguls, have been on a winning streak. These two would normally have been the heavy favorites for the gold medal. However, this season, Horishima Yukimasa in the men's and Kawamura Anri in the women's have either matched or surpassed the perennial champions, and both won the final World Cup before the Olympics
Of the seven World Cup races (excluding dual moguls), Kingsbury has four wins in the men's category, while Horishima Yukimasa has three. In the women's category, Kawamura has three wins, and Lafont has two. Horishima is currently ranked second overall, while Kawamura is ranked first. They have already won the World Cup together, so a double gold medal in Beijing is very possible. Even if that doesn't happen, there is still a strong possibility of them winning medals. They are definitely not to be missed
▼Video of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Moguls
■ Beijing Olympics Moguls Competition Format
The competition will proceed in this order from the preliminaries to the finals
- <Qualifying 1> All skaters will skate once each, and the top 10 will advance to the Final 1
- <Qualifying 2> All skaters who placed 11th or lower in Qualifying 1 will skate one run each, and the top 10 will advance to Final 1
Scores in Qualifying 1 will not be reflected in the rankings (same below)
- <Final 1> 20 skaters who passed the preliminary rounds 1 and 2 will each skate one run, and the top 12 will advance to the final 2
- <Final 2> The 12 skaters who passed Final 1 will each skate one run, and the top 6 will advance to Final 3
- <Final 3> The six competitors who passed Final 2 will each skate one run to determine the final ranking
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day
Unlike the regular World Cup, the Olympics have an unusual system in which 10 skaters from the first qualifying round and 10 skaters from the second qualifying round each qualify to advance to the first final. Even if you fail once, you still have a chance, so all talented skaters make it to the finals. The final round then narrows the field down to 20 skaters in the first final, 12 skaters in the second final, and 6 skaters in the third final. To win, skaters need to skate at least one more time in the Olympics than in the regular World Cup
Mogul skiing is judged heavily on turns. Most Olympic courses are long and steep, and the middle section after the first air is often the deciding factor in the competition. To win, a skier must perform at least four high-speed, mistake-free turns. When watching mogul skiing, the middle section is arguably the most suspenseful part
Scoring Method
The three elements that are scored are "turns," "air," and "time." Of the total score of 100 points, turns have the highest weighting at 60%, while air and time (speed) each account for 20%
Turns are evaluated based on "line selection" - whether the skier is skating along a straight line, "the quality of the skating," "the way the lower body is used to absorb the bumps," and "the balance of the upper body."
The two airs are evaluated on both the "difficulty" and "degree of completion" of the technique. Even if an air trick has technical rotations and axes, it will not receive a high score unless it is completed with a high level of completion, including the grabs in the air, style, and landing. Time is the only objective numerical data, and it is evaluated on how quickly you slide down the course
The outcome of the match will depend on how well the three elements of turn, air time, and speed are coordinated. Paying attention to these aspects will make the match even more interesting
■The venue for the Beijing Olympic Mogul Skiing
Yunding Snow Park
This is the mogul competition course!
This is the mogul course, which was completed just before the opening. Looking around, there are bushes, but the course itself is in perfect condition, and it makes sense that 90% of the venue is made from artificial snow. Competitions take place at night, and temperatures can drop below -20°C. The heated battle for medals unfolding in the frigid cold is a must-see
Distance: 250m
Elevation difference: 115m
■ Japanese Mogul Skiers at the Beijing Olympics 
[Boys]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Horishima Ikuma | @ikuma1211 | December 11, 1997 | Ikeda Town, Gifu Prefecture | Toyota Motor Corporation Ski Club | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
| Kosuke Sugimoto | @b1ackcoffee | December 2, 1994 | Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture | Daily is Hashiya | First appearance |
| Daichi Hara | @d.h_mogul_keirin | March 4, 1997 | Shibuya Ward, Tokyo | Japan Ski Resort Development Club | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
| So Matsuda | @mogul_sou | September 24, 1999 | Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto Prefecture | Shimada Hospital Snow Team | First appearance |
In addition to Horishima Yukimasa and Kawamura Anri, who are in the running for the gold medal, the Japanese team also boasts other medal contenders. Hara Daichi, a bronze medalist at the Pyeongchang Olympics (the first Japanese male athlete to do so in a freestyle event), who excels in both keirin and moguls, returned to the World Cup this season and achieved his best result of second place. He appears to have decided that this tournament will be his final major stage as a moguls athlete, so he will likely be taking on a gamble. At 27 years old and competing in his first Olympics, Sugimoto Kosuke has made multiple appearances in the Super Final this season, achieving his first podium finish. He has now risen significantly in ranking, currently in fourth place overall in the World Cup
[Women]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Anri Kawamura | @anrikawamura | October 15, 2004 | Higashikurume City, Tokyo | Nippon Sport Science University Ouka High School | First appearance |
| Hinako Tomitaka | @hinako1753 | September 21, 2000 | Machida City, Tokyo | Tama University | First appearance |
| Kisara Sumiyoshi | @kisara.sumiyoshi | March 8, 2000 | Kutchan Town, Hokkaido | Nihon University | First appearance |
| Junko Hoshino | @junkohoshino0 | September 25, 1989 | Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture | Team Listel | 1 (Sochi) |
In the women's competition, both Hinako Tomitaka and Kisara Sumiyoshi are regulars in the top ranks at the World Cup, and are in a position where it would not be surprising to win a medal. With the team as a whole in a positive mood, we may even see Japan win three or more medals
Text/Daisuke Mizorogi
Edit/STEEP
Detailed profiles and interview videos of Japanese mogul skiers
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