|
|
| 2006.1.6 Column Series by Ken Odashima No.03 “Nagano Olympics 1998” |
 |
I would like to introduce to you the first time I realized the presence of Akira, going back a few years.
At that time, I was participating in the Nagano Olympics as the translator for Gunter Fuyara, the FIS Men’s World Cup Director. The speedy ski races in Hakuba was met with heavy snow and harsh winds, and I felt indebted to the staff working until late hours trying to make the race work. I had wondered why the weather was always bad when big events, such as the 1993 Morioka Shizukuishi Alpine Ski World Competitions, take place in Japan. |
|
| But the indomitable spirit of the Japanese becomes great power in times like this, as it enabled the speedy races to take place in a perfected course and after its finish immediately switched over to the technical races to take place in Shiga Kogen. Some of these races, if taken place in Europe, would probably be cancelled. Though it seemed the course preparation for the technical races were easier, the weather went wild and the day before the Men’s GS race, snow had fallen by 1 meter and the race was postponed one day. The remaining race was Men’s SL, and a 16 year old Akira was one of the members participating in the Olympics as a forerunner. |
|
During the GS race, Gunter pointed out to the tall, and skinny Akira skiing as the forerunner and said
“I see Japan has an energetic junior skier. I wonder how old he is”.
Honestly, he was a skier I saw for the first time so I asked the other staffs about him. The reply was that he was Akira Sasaki, an 8th grader at Hokusho High School and was popular with his speed. He skis straight through the poles, bending his body like rubber in a pinch situation. I can still imagine him skiing then in my mind. On the day of the SL race, the racers had a hard time with the hard bahn. But under that situation, unlike the other forerunners who only shifted their skis, Akira carved out the hard snow in a very relaxed state. Within the tension before the race, Gunter murmured, “He’s going to be something”. |
|
|
I had the chance to talk with Akira about this incident, and he recalled that time and said:
“I skied thinking why I wasn’t able to participate in the Olympics. My conditions were great that season and I was confident I was faster than any other Japanese. But I was the forerunner which meant the course was scarless and beautiful, which made me feel good. That’s all that I remember.” |
|
| It seems his tough heart was present in high school, maybe even before then. Being able to act and enjoy the forerunner in a big stage like the Olympics, where most junior skiers would most probably become nervous and tense, he sure wasn’t just an ordinary boy from that time. |
|
To be continued...
|
|
|
