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Meeting a Ski Jumping Legend (February 15)
On February 15 a group of us got to go to the Olympic Village to meet with Takanori Kono. All of us were anxious to meet the skier, who had won three Olympic medals for Japan in the Nordic combined events. Mr. Kono is now serving as Deputy Mayor of the Olympic Village, where visiting athletes and coaches stay during the Games.As Deputy Mayor, he spent the days leading up to the Nagano Games at receptions and ceremonies to welcome the participating teams as they entered the village. He also spent time entertaining members of the Japanese Olympic Committee.
One goal of the Nagano Games is the participation of children. Mr. Kono talked about how children have played a part in the Olympic Village: "Kids from Nagano City have sung the national anthems of the teams at their village-entrance ceremonies and the receptions. The athletes have really enjoyed that. I think the children are participating quite a lot here at the village."
As we talked, the topic moved on to ski jumping and Mr. Kono's own Olympic record. It was interesting to hear how nervous the jumpers get, and how their legs shake, when they jump before a crowd of thousands of cheering people. The Deputy Mayor predicted Japan would win 12 medals at the Nagano Games: 4 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze. It'll be interesting to see how close his guess comes to the actual results! (Report from Shinonoi Nishi Middle School: Kotaro Higuma)
The reporters with three-time medalist Takanori Kono