At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Japanese speed skating ranked second in the medal table with 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze. In another month, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will open. In recent years, Japan's women's speed skating has remained strong, and as men's speed skating catches up, world-class athletes such as Niigata Hayashi have emerged in the short distance event, and their prospects for the Beijing Winter Olympics look bright. Recently, the official website of the International Skating Federation published an analysis and outlook on the Japanese speed skating team.
The Japanese team consisted of Miho Takagi, Kana Takagi and Ayano Sato
The Mystery of Japan's Rise of Speed Skating: The Power of The Team
At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Japan did not win a medal in speed skating, but the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang bucked the trend. In fact, the success of the Japanese team is not sudden. In the years leading up to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Japan's Dutch coach John de Witt carefully formed a team around the Takagi miho and Takagi Sisters, along with Ayano Sato and Ayaka Kikuchi.
After winning the 2016 and 2017 Speed Skating World Cup Women's Team Pursuit, they won gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang and won the World Cup for the third time in a row, marking the Japanese team's dominance in the event.
The success of the team is inseparable from the progress of the individual. "In the team chase, we train with other speed skaters. If we focus on individual projects, we will become stronger and the group chase projects will become stronger. This season, at the Speed Skating World Cup in Calgary, Takagi said after winning the silver medal in the women's 1500m.
As early as the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Takagi won gold in the women's group start competition, while her sister Miho Takagi won the bronze medal in the women's 1000 meters and the silver medal in the women's 1500 meters.
Miho Takagi
Miki Takagi: One of the greatest speed skaters
While Takagi won the Individual and Team Pursuit Championships at the Winter Olympics, Mifan Takagi won more medals at the World Cup and World Championships.
In 2018, 27-year-old Miki Takagi won the World All-Around Speed Skating Championships, the 2020 Sprint Speed Skating World Championships and the 11 World Cup individual competitions. "I think she (Miho Takagi) is the greatest skater now, but she's more humble herself." Coach De Witt said after the 2020 Short Distance Speed Skating World Championships.
Miho Takagi prefers to speak with strength, and this season she is preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics. At the Speed Skating World Cup, Miho Takagi won all three women's 1500m races and won one gold and two silver medals in the women's 1000m, while also competing in the 5000m and 3000m Group B competitions.
Ayano Sato and Nana Takagi highlighted the strength of the Japanese women's team, both of whom won their first World Cup medal this season. In the women's 1500m, Sato won two bronze medals and a silver medal, and Takagi Also won a silver medal in the 1500m.
Miho Takagi and Ayano Sato at the award ceremony
Group chase: The Japanese women's team is in a slump
Despite the success of the Japanese women's speed skating in individual events, the team chase event has been in a slump this season. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the Japanese team is no longer the invincible team at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics four years ago.
After missing last season's World Cup in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, the team had a bad start to the season, with Takagi not having a positive COVID-19 test at the first World Cup in Poland. The Japanese team, composed of Miho Takagi, Misaki Oshiki and Ayano Sato, finished second after Canada.
In the second World Cup, the Takagi sisters and Sato created the fastest interval, only to collide in the last lap, giving the championship to Canada. A week later in Calgary, the same squad had to bow its head to Canada again.
Natsu Kodaira
Natsu Kodaira: "Angry cat" expects to be threatening
With the blessing of de Witt's all-round team, Nao Kodaira won the gold medal in the women's 500 meters and the silver medal in the 1000 meters in the short distance event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. In 2014 and 2015, while training in the Netherlands, she was affectionately known as the "Angry Cat" for her skating posture. For now, Nao Kodaira is still one of the fastest women in the world to run on the ice, but she is no longer as strong as before, and she is also preparing to return to the glory of 2018.
The women's 500m is one of the most competitive distances in speed skating. At this season's World Cup, Nao Kodaira has won one gold medal and four silver medals, ranking third in the Women's 500m of the World Cup, behind Jackson of the United States and Golikova of Russia. In the women's 1,000m event, Nao Kodaira ranked second, behind American Bowie.
Shin Hamanachiya
Japanese Men's Speed Skating: Recreating 1998 Glory?
Twenty years ago, former Japanese men's speed skater Koho Shimizu was hailed as the "King of Short Distances", winning the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and five world titles. Today, Japanese men's speed skater Nihamari has also inherited the mantle of Hiroho Shimizu, who won the 2020 World Sprint Championships.
Like the 25-year-old Shinhamari, a new generation of Japanese sprinters is conquering the world. Mori Shigeharu, 21, Yamato Matsui (24), 24, and Murakami, 29, have all won medals in the men's 500m at this season's World Cup.
In the current top five in the men's 500m of the World Cup, Japan has three players, behind Canada's Dubreuil, who ranked first. On December 3, 2021, Yamato Matsui won his first World Cup title of his career at the World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA, while he won his first World Cup medal of his career at the World Cup in Poland a month ago.
Yamato Matsui said: "He [Koho Shimizu] is still a source of inspiration for our Japanese distance skaters." Similar to the situation of the women's team, the Number of Japanese Men's Teams is greater than the number of Women's Teams. Matsui said: "Since The retirement of Hiroho Shimizu, the Japanese men's speed skating has been at a low ebb, but we have reunited the national team and made each other stronger."
On December 29, 2021, at the Beijing Winter Olympics Trials in Nagano, Japan, Shigehiro Mori, Ritsuya Shinhama and Yamato Matsui finished first, second and third respectively, all of whom slid 34 seconds in the men's 500m. At the 1998 Winter Olympics, Hiroho Shimizu won the championship for the Japanese men's speed skating for the first time, and the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, the Japanese men's team is expected to regain the glory of the championship won 24 years ago. (Huang Kai)