The heated competition of the Beijing Olympics 2022 has reached its final stage, and there are only a few events left for freestyle skiing events. For freeski enthusiasts, the highlight of watching a race is the men's ski cross, which is also called "F1 on snow" or "white martial arts." Ryo Sugai, who is expected to be a "gold medal candidate", has been attracting a lot of attention as a Japanese who has qualified for the first time in the past two tournaments.
Switching from alpine to ski cross, the reason for determination
Up until the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Ryu Sugai was competing in alpine skiing competitions such as the World Cup with the aim of participating in the Olympics. He was the only Japanese racer who competed in the FIS World Cup while based overseas in Downhill, Super G, Alpine Combined, and high-speed events. Although he is by far the top player in Japan, winning three events at the All-Japan Championships, the wall on the front line of the world is thick, and unfortunately he was not able to participate in the Pyeongchang Olympics last time. Believing that he could shine on the world's top scene, he turned to ski cross with the aim of competing in the Beijing Olympics. It is said that one of the reasons for this was the recommendation of Kentaro Minagawa, a former famous alpine skier.
With the speed and skiing skills he cultivated in alpine skiing, he finished 15th in his first World Cup race in the 2018 season, less than a year after switching to ski cross. In the following season, when he got a feel for it, he made the top 10 twice and improved steadily. Looking ahead to the Beijing Olympics in the 2021 season, he jumped to 2nd place at the Russia Games in March and finally reached the podium for the first time. He suddenly became a player who was marked in the world's top scene, and got a ticket to the Beijing Olympics splendidly.
Ryu Sugai was born in Tainai City, Niigata Prefecture. This is a video compiled by a local Niigata TV station on the trajectory of Ryu Sugai, who is aiming for the Beijing Olympics. You can really understand the technical course and speed of ski cross, and the feeling of battle running with other skiers.
What made you decide to switch from alpine to ski cross? What kind of fun and difficulty does ski crossing bring to Ryu Sugai? Let's listen to what he has to say.
Four years aiming for the fastest line to the gold medal
Ryu Sugai's dream and goal as a skier was to win a gold medal at the Olympics. In order to run the board faster than anyone else on the snow and become the best in the world, how to use the limited time well to get closer to your dream. Taking the fastest line to the gold medal was the choice of ski cross for Ryu Sugai. And the reading was spot on.
Ski cross requires a strong body and physical strength in order to ski at the fastest speed and to compete with rivals who ski at the same time. After switching to ski cross, he focused on increasing muscle mass through careful weight training and mountain biking, and worked hard to build a strong and big body. Although he had a reputation for his skating technique, which allowed him to set fast times, there was a problem with his ski cross-specific strategic skating technique. Therefore, in the 2021-22 season, in order to raise the level of tactics in the race, we repeatedly studied course selection and strategic skiing through World Cup competitions.
I also worked on strengthening my mental side so that I could skate calmly and strategically even in the hot and intense dead heat. Through the accumulation of such efforts and ingenuity, Ryu Sugai steadily became stronger. He envisions himself rampaging on the white circuit of the Beijing Olympics.
Here is an interview that conveys such a situation.
And won a ticket to the Beijing Olympics
Ryu Sugai finally stood at the second highest place on the podium in the match against Russia in March of the 2021 season in anticipation of the Beijing Olympics.
The surrounding people couldn't hide their surprise and delight at this. Only two years after switching to ski cross, he has become one of the world's top skaters. After that, Sugai steadily accumulated achievements in the World Cup, cleared the FIS Olympic qualification criteria, and won a ticket to Beijing as determined. This is Ryu Sugai's Instagram. He conveyed the joy of being selected for the Beijing Olympics. If you follow the record of overseas expeditions, you can touch on the process of growth so far. It can be said that Ryu Sugai is truly an athlete who does what he says.
Coach Hiroomi Takizawa, who coached Sugai on the SAJ national team, had this to say about Ryu Sugai. Hiroomi Takizawa is a pioneer of ski cross in Japan. He was once the first Japanese athlete to tackle ski cross, and became the first overall champion of the FIS World Cup ski cross, which began in the 2002-03 season. He was also originally an alpine racer turned mogul and then ski cross.
Sugai
really kept up the numbers from the first year, and in the second year, he raised the level to the level of winning the World Cup. Having said that, since he is still inexperienced in ski cross, he will have to spend a little more time closing in on the career gap between him and the veterans who have been doing it for the past 10 years. A player who can produce explosive power that transcends such experience, and I would like to expect him in the actual event. (All Japan Freestyle Ski National Team / Coach Hiroomi Takizawa)
Everything is ready for the dream stage
Ryu Sugai, who has shown a good finish for the Beijing Olympics, which is finally approaching.
At the November 2021 test competition held on the Beijing course, which is said to be a prelude to the Olympics, he marked a good 7th place, demonstrating that he is in a position where he can aim for a medal. appealed to the world. This is a video of the press conference held after the Olympic team was officially decided. Sugai's thoughts on betting on the stage of his dreams are conveyed.
What is "Xraeb" (Kreb Sports) to which Ryu Sugai belongs?
The profile of Ryu Sugai, who has been announced as an Olympic representative, says that he is from Tainai City, Niigata Prefecture, and belongs to "Team Xraeb".
If you look closely, you can see the yellow "Xraeb" logo sticker on the clothing and gear that Sugai wears. Xraeb is a company based in Niigata Prefecture that develops various resort-related businesses nationwide, such as skiing, snowboarding, outdoor shops, cafes, event planning and PR production. He has been focusing on training and supporting athletes for some time, and has "Team Kreb". Sugai has been an athlete for this Team KLEVV since his days as an alpine racer. Kleb is like a foster parent for Sugai, who supports him financially and in the training environment.
This is the ski/snowboard/outdoor shop “Xraeb” which opened in November 2021 in Echigo Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture.
Kreb Sports https://www.xraeb.co.jp/xraebsport
The spacious store has a wide range of ski and snowboard gear from many brands, as well as clothing and accessories.
KLEV Sports, which also provides tune-up services, has introduced the latest tune-up robot "Jupiter" that can perform a full tune-up in as little as 1 minute.This can adjust the edge angle for each area of top, center, and tail, as well as the world's top players. The 3D structure adopted by is also the only monster machine that can be put in in Japan (the start of service provision is undecided).
Surprisingly, the second floor of the store also has a membership fitness gym "Eight Fit Studio". It is used for a variety of purposes, from full-scale training for top athletes, physical training for users who enjoy skiing and snowboarding in the snowy mountains, to maintaining the health of local residents. I'm also buying a role.
A training environment that supports Ryu Sugai's physical strength
Kreb Sports' Eight Fit Studio is a training environment that Sugai really appreciates. Ski cross uses different muscles than alpine racing. While absorbing the ups and downs of the waves on the course without slowing down, I used waves to accelerate, and even if my body collided with another player, I would crash and not lose the competition. It has to be.
Sugai said that he especially worked hard to strengthen the large, flexible muscles in his leg thighs and his upper arms, which are used when pushing through the gate at the start.
He used the gym regularly to train. Here is a video of me doing morning workouts at Eight Fit Studio posted on my Instagram. Sugai has been working on such a heavy training since early morning. (This will make your upper arm muscles tremble... wow...)
Spread your wings with the power of the hot support of the team and the region!
Daisuke Kishino, CEO of KLEV Co., Ltd., who founded Team KLEV, which Sugai belongs to, and has been supporting Sugai since his days as an alpine racer, said the following about Sugai.
"What's amazing about Sugai is that over the past four years, he's drawn a detailed roadmap to win the gold medal at the Olympics, and not only has he achieved each step without fail, but he's also exceeded the set goals at a high level. Also, Sugai is very caring about his family and friends and has a high level of humanity, and he's cool not only as an athlete, but as a person.Naturally, everyone wants to support him.I just support the environmental aspects of athlete activities. Not only that, but as Team KLEV, we are trying to show him that he is taking on new challenges.
This is a post Kishino posted on his Facebook
