The Beijing Olympics kicked off on February 4, 2022, with heated competition unfolding every day. While Japan's men's team was unable to compete in the past two Olympics, two Japanese athletes have qualified for the Beijing Olympics. Their dynamic performance in ski cross is the talk of the town. Let's take a look at Ryu Sugai, a former alpine racer who has qualified for his first Olympic Games and is attracting attention and expectations for his impressive performance in the World Cup
SUGAI
Ryo
Up until the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Ryu Sugai competed in alpine skiing events, competing in World Cups and other competitions, with the aim of competing in the Olympics. He was the only Japanese racer based overseas competing at the forefront of high-speed events such as downhill, super-G, and alpine combined. Although he was at the top of Japan, winning three events at the All-Japan Championships, the barrier to competing on the world stage was too high, and unfortunately, he was unable to compete in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Believing he had the potential to shine on the world's top scene, he switched to ski cross. Behind this decision was the encouragement of former alpine skier Kentaro Minagawa
With the speed and gliding skills he developed in alpine skiing, he switched to ski cross and within a year placed 15th in his first World Cup race in the 2018 season. The following season, he gained confidence and made it into the top 10 twice, and in the 2021 season, with his sights set on the Beijing Olympics, he finally took second place and made it onto the podium. It was the first time in 14 years that a Japanese man had made it onto the podium in ski cross at the World Cup. He quickly became a player to watch and also secured a ticket to Beijing
In November's test competition, held on the Beijing course as a prelude to the Olympics, she placed fourth, a good result. She has demonstrated that she is well within her medal-winning potential, and her skating has suddenly drawn a lot of attention. We can't take our eyes off her dynamic performance as we wait to see what kind of performance she will show in the main event on February 18th
☟By the way, this is Ryu Sugai's Instagram. He posted his joy and determination after being selected as a representative for the Beijing Olympics.
@ryorioss
■ Profile
| Date of birth | Born December 11, 1991 |
| where one is from | Tainai City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Affiliation | Team Creb |
| Major history in recent years | '21 World Championship representative, 2nd place in the '21 World Cup Russia, '19 All Japan Championship winner |
| used gear | Skis: ATOMIC Ski boots: ATOMIC |
| @ryorioss |
■ Sugai Ryu - Skating video
Video of the race where he took second place on the podium at the 2021 World Cup in Russia (click the URL to view)
https://fb.watch/b1C7L_DpwQ/
This is an introductory video released by local Niigata media ahead of the Beijing Olympics finals on February 18th
■ Comment on the “online press conference to decide 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. Here are excerpts from comments by Ryu Sugai. "Q" is a question from a journalist
January 31st (Mon) 12:00-13:00 From the online press conference to decide the representatives
Q. Please tell us how you felt when you were selected for the Olympic team
- Of course, I was aiming to participate, but I also have an even higher goal, so I'm determined to do my best to achieve that. I was disappointed that I couldn't participate in the last PyeongChang Games, and now that I'm representing Japan at the Beijing Olympics, I'm using that disappointment as motivation, but I'm also excited about what the Olympics will be like, and I'm really looking forward to it
Q. I believe you also participated in a test tournament. What are your impressions of the Beijing Olympic course and how confident are you?
- There wasn't much snow in November, so there may be some changes to the details of the course, but the start and finish positions will remain the same, and the situation will remain the same, so I'm confident that I'll be number 7 in the pre-tournament. This isn't a course that previous competitors have skied, so it will be a competition where everyone will be welcomed on a flat, fair course, so I think that's a big advantage for me, and I have experience from skiing four runs in the previous pre-tournament, so I think the course feels really good to me
Q. Please tell us again what your goals are for the Beijing Olympics
-My first goal is to win the gold medal, and I hope that my family and everyone who supports me will see me achieve that
Q. This season, you started off in 7th place, but then had some tough races. Could you tell us about the challenges you faced and what you've gained from those races?
- You had a good feeling at first, but then you didn't get good results after that. It wasn't because the quality of your skating had dropped, but because you needed more flexibility or skill in ski cross. You weren't pulling back when you should have, and you had a lot of contact with the other skaters, so I think your ski cross skill ended up dragging down your results. You've been working on improving since the start of the new year as a reflection on this, and you're feeling great about it, but you're still one step away from your goal
Q. In your last World Cup, there were some scenes in the first round where you overtook others from the very back of the pack, but you also had a slow start. How did you feel about that?
-From the very beginning, most of the times I advanced, I was able to break away from the pack right from the start, so that meant that my chances of advancing were limited to that pattern. So at the start of the new year, I wanted to increase the number of patterns I could use, and I was able to increase the number of patterns little by little, moving up from 4th to 1st, and from 4th to 2nd, so I feel like I'm making progress, but there are still some areas where I've not been able to fully close the gap, such as making mistakes at the start, which is holding me back
Q. Mr. Furuno mentioned this, but has there been any talk within the team about wanting to popularize ski cross in Niigata Prefecture or build a course?
-There are four people on the team, and three of them are from Niigata Prefecture, so I do feel that way a little
Q. I asked you about what prompted you to start skiing, but what kind of support did your parents give you specifically, and how grateful are you for that?
-I started skiing because of my parents, and I'm grateful to them for teaching me such a fun sport. When I was in my third year of high school and had the opportunity to go to Europe to try skiing, I just couldn't do well there, and after my first year there I said I wanted to go back home right away, but my father stopped me, telling me to try a little harder, and I think that's why I'm where I am today
Q. You have been competing all over Europe. How do you want to express that experience on the Olympic stage, and how do you want to repay your parents for all they have done for you?
-Well, first of all, I think that I have grown as a person through skiing, and I think that having continued skiing for so long has helped me grow as a person, and I would like to convey to my parents the way I have grown as a person through skiing in that way
Q. Four years ago, you decided to switch from alpine skiing to ski cross, and this is your first Olympics. How is that decision still paying off now, and what does this stage mean to you?
- I'm now glad that I made the decision to switch from alpine skiing to ski cross four years ago. I've been selected to compete in the Olympics, and I've now had the opportunity to challenge myself on the world stage, which was something I'd always aspired to, so I feel like I made a really good decision
Q. Now that you are feeling glad that you made the switch, how do you want to approach the Olympics?
--As this will be my first time competing in the Olympics, I have anticipated many things, but I also think that unexpected things could happen, and even if something unexpected does happen, when I think about how to prevent that from turning into failure, I think it would be nice to simply enjoy the Olympics. This is a bit of an abstract way of putting it, but I have been using the word "enjoy" but I feel like I haven't been able to express it very well, so I hope I can find my own answer to that once again on the Olympic stage. The Olympics are a stage I have always aimed for, so I am really looking forward to seeing what kind of stage it will be, and it is a stage that I am interested in, so I would like to go in with the feeling that I can really enjoy it
Q. I believe you are on the national ski cross team and are under the guidance of Coach Takizawa. Please tell us what you learned from Coach Takizawa, who also competed in the Ski Cross World Cup
- What I learned from Coach Takizawa, of course, was technique, but what I think I learned the most from him, and what I think I need to learn, is the mental aspect. When we had a meeting in Italy for the last World Cup of the year, he told me that the Olympics is a bonus race, that there's absolutely no harm in participating, so just enjoy it and ski without feeling any pressure. I feel that he can say that because he's a pioneer of Olympia and ski cross, and that's what I've learned the most from him, and what I think I need to learn from him