The Japan Mogul Team, said to be "undoubtedly the strongest in history," is taking on the Beijing Olympics. What kind of skiing will they show on the Olympic stage? Let's introduce the Japanese men's and women's mogul skiers, who are considered very likely to win gold medals. Also, check out the 2021-2022 World Cup competition footage, which will give us a glimpse into the Olympic battle!
Daichi
Hara
At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he became the first Japanese man to win a bronze medal in the freestyle event, exciting the skiing world. He then made his debut as a professional keirin racer in May 2020, creating a unique "two-sword style." While he places an overwhelming emphasis on keirin, with a training balance of 90% keirin to 100% moguls, he placed second in the fourth World Cup this season, behind Yukimasa Horishima. He has made a spectacular return to the world's top scene, once again boasting speed and sharp turns
☟By the way, this is a Twitter post from FIS when they came in second place in the 4th World Cup (Alpe d'Huez/FRA) held on December 17, 2021
This is a post made by Daichi Hara himself on the same day
I came in second place at the World Cup!
— Daichi Hara (@DaichAsce) December 17, 2021
I still can't believe it!
I never thought I'd be on the podium again... (and it's my highest ranking ever, lol)
It's not certain, but I've qualified and I'm much closer to the Olympics!
But this is just the beginning! pic.twitter.com/RpZNqpqmEa
■ Profile
| date of birth | Born March 4, 1997 |
| Birthplace | Shibuya Ward, Tokyo |
| Affiliation | Japan Ski Resort Development Club |
| Major battles in recent years | '21-22 World Cup Alpe d'Huez 2nd place, '19 World Championships Moguls, Dual Moguls 3rd place, '18 Pyeongchang Olympics Bronze Medal |
| Gear used | Skis: ID one |
| @d.h_mogul_keirin |
■ Hara Daichi - Skating video
Here is a video of his satisfying run that earned him second place in the 4th World Cup (Alpe d'Huez/FRA) held on December 17, 2021
Hara Daichi won the bronze medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. Here's a slideshow of the event
■ Comments from the "Online Press Conference to Determine Representatives" just before the Beijing Olympics
With the Beijing Olympics just around the corner, the All Japan Ski Association held an online press conference to determine the Japanese representatives. We present an excerpt from a video of Daichi Hara's comments. "Q" is a question from a journalist
January 23rd (Sun) 19:00-19:30 From the online press conference to decide the representatives
Q. How do you feel now that you've qualified for your second Olympics
? — I'm really relieved. I've been through a lot in the last four years and I was almost ready to give up, but I'm happy that I've been able to come back, and I'm honestly relieved.
Q. Hara, you've really shown your competitive spirit by seizing this last chance of the season. Looking back, what are your thoughts?
— This training camp and overseas tour, which started with this trip to Switzerland, lasted about four or five months, and I feel like I spent a very intense time there.
Q. You spent the last four years juggling both keirin (bicycle racing) and mogul skiing. Looking back on these four years, now that you've secured your Olympic ticket, what are your thoughts?
— I can only think, "Wow, I really did a great job." I can only think, "I really worked hard..."
Q. I imagine the first and second Olympics will be different. What are your feelings right now, and how do you feel about the Olympics?
— Well, I'm very much more interested in having fun, and while I would like to achieve good results, the most important thing for me up to this point has been to enjoy what I do, so I really want to stick to that.
Q. What kind of image do you want to show to the whole of Japan?
— I want to show them that I'm having fun.
Q. Could you tell us your goals again
? — Of course I want to have fun, but I also really want to achieve good results, so since I'm competing, I'll do my best to aim for a gold medal.
Q. You've achieved good results this season, including a second-place finish in the World Cup. Do you still feel like continuing with moguls?
— Not at the moment. Right now I'm focused on Beijing, but if anything, my desire to do keirin (bicycle racing) has grown much stronger since I started doing keirin, so my feelings haven't really changed.
Q. You mentioned that when you switched from keirin (bicycle racing) to mogul skiing, your arms and legs became more flexible and you became faster. What kind of effect did that have on your turns?
— Well, my ability to change direction has definitely improved, and the chances of making a mistake in a turn have become extremely low, so I'm very confident in my turns now.
Q. Has it grown considerably compared to four years ago?
— It's grown quite a bit. I think it's a huge advantage that I can concentrate intensely on my weak point, jumps, and that I can dedicate more practice time to jumps.
Q. As you've competed in the opening matches, what aspects do you feel you've regained your feel for the sport, and what areas do you feel have improved?
— The biggest thing is getting used to competing and regaining my sense of the game. It's more about getting used to competing than about moguls itself.
Q. You mentioned that the quality of your aerials has improved significantly this season, including their overall execution. What was your training volume like while you were also doing keirin (bicycle racing)? Or is there any reason why you suddenly improved without doing any training at all?
— In terms of the proportion of training volume, when I was doing keirin, the proportion of my training volume for keirin was much higher. At one point, it was about a 9:1 ratio of keirin training to mogul skiing. Mogul skiing only accounts for about 10-20% of my total training volume, but I think that I focused intensely on that 20%, and I think the quality of that training was very high. I still have a long way to go, but it's true that my aerials are much better now than before I started keirin. I think that this improvement is because, although the amount of training volume was small, I was able to focus and do high-quality training.
Q. Your turns are incredibly sharp. What proportion of your training was on snow?
— I've always been pretty confident in my turns, so I think that physical training from track cycling really helped me improve my turns. I only practice turns on snow, but because it's one of my strengths, I've been able to improve a lot. I don't practice turns as much, but I feel even more confident now.
Q. Overall, is it correct to say that you've grown so much with a ratio of roughly 9:1 between keirin and mogul skiing?
— It varied depending on the period, sometimes 9:1 and sometimes 8:2, but there were times when I did 90% keirin, and on average it was about 8:2.