Taku Hiraoka, Ayumu Hirano, Rana Okada Visiting and thinking about the Sochi Olympics send-off party

"I want to do my best and enjoy the Sochi Olympics!"

To the snowboarders who have challenged

"I want you to see a different view!"

I would like to support the Japanese snowboarder representatives.

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This is the fourth time since the Nagano Olympics were held in 12, 1998 years ago.

http://winter-olympic-memories.com/html/japanese_athletes/snowboad.htm

The 1998 Nagano Olympics, where the snowboarding event became the first Olympic event.
The year when problems such as ISF and FIS were not solved until just before, and there was a crack that divided not only the players but also the snowboarding industry into two.
It may be the year that the players who were influenced by it participated in the first international stage without any room to think about who they were for and what they were going to skate for.

Takashi Nishida was 28th in the Nagano Olympics Men's Harppipe, Yuri Yoshikawa was 20th in the Women's Halfpipe, and Shinobu Ueshima was 15th in the Giant Slalom.

Second 2 Salt Lake Olympics
At that time, 17-year-old Takaharu Nakai won the 5th place. (First appearance in the same year as Taku Hiraoka now)
After all, the high performance in the first Olympics of the snowboarding competition held in the home country of snowboarding in the United States and the battle against American mens was directly linked to the great increase in the potential of snowboarding in Japan today.
In addition, the environment for learning while sliding with Rio Tahara, who was a half-pipe video star at the time, was set up, and it may have been supporting the environment of pushing each other with friends who are active as seven samurai in Makomanai.
For girls, Yoko Miyake won the 8th place.

The third 3 Torino Olympics
This year, Yuka Fujimori won the 7th place on the snowboard cross, which was the highest, and Takaharu Nakai was the 14th place for boys.
Among the girls, Shiho Nakashima was 9th, Soko Yamaoka was 10th, and Tomoka Takeuchi was 9th in the parallel slalom.
In general, it is natural to see a snowboarder as a snowboarder, and it was also a year when the behaviors of a snowboarder and a snowboarder were contradictory.

4th 2010 Vancouver Olympics
Kazuhiro Kokubo won the 8th place and Ryo Aono came in 9th place, but in fact, this Olympics was also aiming for a medal.
The best snowboarder in the half-pipe snowboard competition will be the representative of Japan.
Obviously, the pinnacle of the Japanese was Kazuhiro Kokubo this year, and he had a track record in the X-Game, where the world's most selected strong men appeared.

What we Japanese society wanted was far from the taste of snowboarding.
It wasn't about supporting the No. 1 snowboarder representing the country, but about supporting the "Olympic athletes."
The noise shouldn't have been a pressure and would have had a big negative effect.
However, even among them, he slipped as a Japanese snowboarder recognized by everyone in the world and won the 8th place.
What would have happened if there was an environment where it could slide naturally ...
Looking at the US OPEN victory that year, I think it was a natural result.

And this Sochi Olympics
What kind of message should I support to reach them?
The very calm and smiling faces I showed at their send-off party were wonderful.

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Left: Yoshina Okada (FIS World Cup 2009 / NZ Cardrona) Middle: Taku Hiraoka (US OPEN 2013 / Colorado Vail) Right: Ayumu Hirano (US OPEN 2013 / Colorado Vail)

-Rana Okada-
I felt different from four years ago, and started thinking from a rush.
This time I want to slide firmly from top to bottom!I think the results will come later.
I want to slip firmly and return to Japan with a smile so that I won't have any regrets like I did in Vancouver.

-Taku Hiraoka-
I want you to see your own slip, I want to do a cool slip
The goal is a gold medal goal.
I want to meet the expectations of people who support me and make the best slides.

-Ayumu Hirano-
What I had been aiming for came true because I had been here since I was little.
I want to show off my personality and make my own slip.
I want to enjoy my best skiing.

However, I think it goes without saying that there are many opinions saying, "I want you to get a medal!"
But did you know that medals are actually the 1st to 3rd place in the prize?
The 4th to 8th places are also masters of the world who are listed in the "winner list" stipulated in the International Olympic Charter.
Athletes who ranked 1st to 8th in each competition will be awarded a certificate from the IOC and recorded in the "winner list", and those who ranked 1st to 3rd will be awarded medals and will be "medalists".
It is said that the 4th to 8th place players are to be called "Honor".
So, I think the Japanese snowboarders who won the prize have left a wonderful gift that is irreplaceable.


[WE RIDE TOGETHER performers]

● Ayumu Hirano Part
・ Father, mother, younger brother
・ Students at Nihonkai Skate Park
・ Otaki, Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture? Mayor Heimasa City Hall
・ Murakami City Kikawa and other shopping streets Citizens
・ Murakami Daiichi Junior High School students and teachers
・ Everyone at Yokone Ski Resort
・ BIG JOE (hip hop artist)

● Taku Hiraoka part
・ Father, mother, younger brother, grandmother
・ Uenomiya High School Hiroshi Tanaka School principal, students and teachers
・ Gose Junior High School teachers, former classmates
・ HOOD
・ Mayor Yutaka Higashigawa, Gose City, Nara Prefecture, Gosen-chan, and everyone at the city hall
・ Gose City Shopping Street Citizens
・ Takasu Snow Park
・ BASI (Hip Hop Artist)

● Rana Okada Part
・ Father, mother
・ Friends
・ Shop owner's couple
・ Shop customers and friends
・ HOOD
・ Takasu Snow Park

● Burton Japan staff


So, not all medals, but first

"I want to do my best and enjoy the Sochi Olympics!"
"I want you to see a different view!"

I would like to send an ale to the Japanese snowboarder representatives.

And I want to support the athletes who express their dreams while watching over them so that they can show their full potential as a representative athlete of the snowboarding competition!

keep it up!And good luck!

 

Interviewed by

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