Ayumu Hirano and Mr. Sakai visited the Aizu Kogen Nango Ski Resort after the Sochi Olympics on March 13, 2014.
“I had a routine with three difficult quads, so I thought it was strange. I was frustrated, or I reached the third one without my anger subsided, but I was able to concentrate with my anger.”
Men’s Halfpipe Final on February 11th,Ayumu HiranoThe second performance of (23) was ranked second with an unexpectedly low evaluation, and the world put a question mark on the low score.
As the opening words, Hirano turned his anger into a fighting spirit, and in the third time he decided the same routine with even higher air and three quadruple feats, reversing with the highest difficulty in history. Hirano, who won the silver medal in two consecutive Winter Olympic Games, finally reached the gold he had longed for.
Such a plainsnow boardI started when I was 4 years old. It was due to the influence of his eldest brother, Hideki, who was three years older than him. Hidenori Hoshi (60), the manager of the Aizu Kogen Nango Ski Resort in Fukushima Prefecture, where Hirano attended elementary school, looks back.
“I think Hirano came to our ski resort when he was in the third grade of elementary school. A person from the ski resort said,” A great elementary school student is practicing half-pipe, so come to see it. I was told.
The first impression is, “It’s small for a small 3, is it okay for such a small child to do it? It was that. After all, when I was mixed with adults, I couldn’t see them (laughs). “
However, when I saw the slip …
“Eh !? I was surprised. It’s smaller than anyone, but it’s taller than anyone, and it flies round and round. It’s more than an adult. At that time, it was rare for elementary school students to enter the pipe, so I was surprised anyway. . Good without complaint.
But at that time, I couldn’t imagine becoming a gold medalist in the future. When I think about it now, I feel that a child who becomes a gold medalist has something to shine from an early age. “
And it was Yoshinori Sakai (75), who ran a construction company, who created the half-pipe of the ski resort, which was the stage for the practice. About 25 years ago, Mr. Sakai bought two power shovels (equivalent to a total of 15 million yen) on his own and made a half pipe. Sakai talks.
“Twenty-five years ago, when Ayumu wasn’t born yet, there was only one halfpipe at Yokone Ski Resort in Yamagata Prefecture. But there was also a child snowboarder at Aizu Kogen Nango Ski Resort. Because there isn’t, everyone was flying by hand.
So, when I talked to them, they all said, “I’m going to the Olympics in the future.gold medalI want to catch it. ” I thought I had to do something about this, so I decided to make it myself. I also went to the Yokone ski resort and used it as a model to learn how to make it. “
I even bought a power shovel when I was in debt. Everything was to make the children’s dreams come true.
And Hirano visited the ski resort when he was 3rd grade. Mr. Sakai was impressed by Hirano’s hard work, and during the season, he and his brother Hideki welcomed Hirano to his home and undertook transportation to and from the ski resort.
“Ayumu was a kid with a lot of guts. He had a strong sense of defeat. Because it is a ski resort, there are days of bad weather such as snowstorms. But Ayumu did the practice he decided on every day regardless of the weather. It’s every day. It’s hard to find such an elementary school student. By the time I was in elementary school 5, I had already set the goal of becoming a professional and continued to work hard.
Shohei Ohtani is playing a big role in the major leagues, but I heard that he also worked hard by making a goal achievement sheet when he was in high school. After all, you can become the top of the world because you set goals from an early age and work hard toward them. I feel that Otani and Ayumu have something in common. “
PlainsBeijing five roundsAlthough he returned to Japan before the closing, Mr. Sakai has not yet met again.
Mr. Sakai said, “I think there are a lot of appearances on TV and greetings. It’s okay to calm down, I’ll meet you. What do you say? I can’t speak to you, it’s too amazing (laughs). Congratulations and thank you very much. “
Hirano once said about the Snoodboard, “The difficulty is getting higher and the skill is reaching its limit. That’s the state of flying with all one’s might.” And Mr. Sakai’s motto is, “Because the players fly with all their might, I’ll do my best to make half pipes.”
It was also a gold medal where the two thoughts overlapped.
Photo courtesy of Aizu Kogen Nango Ski Resort
(SmartFLASH)