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苦難を乗り越えた日本のジャンプチームが金メダルを獲得
1998年の長野オリンピックで、日本がスキージャンプ団体競技で金メダルを獲
得したときの記事です。まさに長野オリンピックのクライマックスといえる瞬間でし
たが、当日は吹雪で競技が中断するほどの悪天候。取材する側は大変な思いをしたも
のでした。
長野オリンピックで最も金メダルの期待が大きかった日本ジャンプ陣。しかし、そ
れは大きなプレッシャーとの戦いでもあった。4年前のリレハンメル大会で、原田雅
彦がまさかの失速。ほぼ手中にしていた金メダルを逃してしまっていたからだ。
そして、この日も原田は大事なジャンプでミスを犯してしまう。1度目のジャンプで原田はわずか79.5メートルに終わり、得点はわずかに35.6点。4年前の悪夢がよみがえった。
日本の金メダルの望みはアンカーの船木和喜に託される。トップのドイツとの差は90.4ポイント。パーフェクトに近いパフォーマンスをしなければ逆転優勝はないという状況で、しかし、運は日本に味方した。風に乗った船木は125メートルを記録し、日本に劇的な逆転勝利をもたらしたのだった。
(編集部注:この記事は2010年3月18日に加筆・修正いたしました)
Stress forges gold for Japan jumpers
The Japan Times, Feb. 18, 1998
HAKUBA, Nagano Pref. - With 33,200 spectators cheering it on with "banzai" calls, Japan's ski jumping team finally grabbed what it left behind in Lillehammer four years ago - the Olympic gold.
Final jumper Kazuyoshi Funaki leaped 125 meters for 126 points, giving the "Rising Sun" squad a victory-clinching 933 points in the 120-meter team event Tuesday at Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium.
It was Japan's first title in this event and 100th Olympic gold medal.
Germany took the silver with 897.4 points and Austria clinched the bronze with 881.5 points.
The stadium erupted with joy and excitement the moment Funaki's last leap surpassed the K-point and secured Japan's victory. The members of the Japanese squad rushed toward Funaki and everyone then hugged.
"We did it, we did it!!" said Masahiko Harada, who equaled the day's best jump of 137 meters in his second attempt but also had the day's worst jump in the first round. He was too excited to answer reporters' questionsright after the event.
It was a dramatic event-ending comeback. Japan was 90.4 points behind Germany when Funaki was waiting for his final jump of the day. With the wind against him, Funaki soared high and far.
"I felt a lot of pressure on me, and I understand how Harada was feeling as the anchor at Lillehammer," said Funaki, the first Japanese to win three medals in a single Winter Games. "I knew we had some points to overcome. All I had to do was jump without being afraid of failure."
Despite little attention before the competition, Japan's leadoff jumper, Takanobu Okabe, was the scorer of the day. Okabe, a member of the silver-medal team at the Lillehammer Games, had successful jumps of 121.5 and Olympic record 137 meters for a team-best 259.3 points.
"I can't forget my regrettable performance in the individual event, but my jumps were great today," said Hiroya Saito, who failed to advance to the second round in Sunday's competitions. Saito jumped 130 and 124 meters, notching 256.2 points.
Japan was a strong favorite Tuesday as it featured two large-hill medalists. Finland had Jani Soininen, who captured the normal hill gold and the large hill silver. But he can't jump four times by himself in the four-man team event, in which each athlete makes two jumps.
Japanese fans may have been optimistic, but they knew better than to feel confident. Even with Funaki, the 120-meter gold medalist and normal-hill runnerup, and Harada, who took the 120-meter bronze, there was ample precedent for Japan to worry.
In the Lillehammer Games, the gold medal slipped away from Japan as anchor Harada, who only needed a modest 105 meters to wrap up the gold, committed a crucial mistake in his second leap. Harada had jumped 122 meters in the first leg in '94 but finished with only 97.5 meters in the second, a distance which he often surpasses even on the normal hill.
Since the Lillehammer nightmare, the second jump has repeatedly tripped Harada in the Olympics. In his three Games, Harada made four second-leap failures before he at last took his first individual medal in the 120 meters Sunday.
Bad weather made it that much harder for Harada on Tuesday. Heavy snowfall delayed the start of the first round for 30 minutes and the second heat for 20 minutes.
When Harada got ready at the starting point, the fog became too thick to see the landing area. Harada fell to a poor 79.5 meter jump, gaining only 35.6 points.
"It was really tough. The failure at Lillehammer was in the back of my mind all over again," Harada said.
Harada's jump pulled Japan down to fourth place, 13.6 points behind then-leading Germany, at the conclusion of the first round.
In the second jump, Harada took advantage of the wind and equaled Okabe's mark of 137 meters for 141.6 points, lifting Japan back to the top position.
Japan's title hopes, however, were at stake when Austria's Andreas Widhoelzl, the normal-hill bronze medalist, scored 142.7 on a 136.5 meter jump, followed by German Dieter Thoma's 114.9-point performance.
But Funaki, 22, managed to overcome the deficit to wrap up the victory.
Shukan ST: May 11, 2004
(C) All rights reserved
- cheering it on
- 応援する
- banzai
- 万歳
- ski jumping team
- スキージャンプ競技のチーム
- grabbed what it left behind in Lillehammer
- リレハンメル五輪でとり損ねたものを勝ち取った
- Olympic gold
- 五輪の金メダル
- Final jumper
- 最終ジャンパー
- leaped
- 飛んだ、跳んだ
- 125 meters for 126 points
- 125メートルで126得点
- "Rising Sun" squad
- 「日の丸隊」
- victory-clinching 933 points
- 優勝を勝ち取る933得点
- 120-meter team event
- K120ジャンプ団体競技
- first title in this event
- この種目での初優勝
- 100th Olympic gold medal
- (日本の)100個目の五輪金
- erupted with joy and excitement
- 歓喜と興奮の大歓声に包まれた
- Funaki's last leap
- 船木の最後のジャンプ
- surpassed the K-point
- K点を超えた
- secured Japan's victory
- 日本の勝利を確実なものとした
- rushed toward Funaki
- 船木のほうへ走り寄って
- hugged
- 抱き合った
- We did it, we did it!
- やった!
- equaled the day's best jump
- その日の最高記録に並んだ
- in his second attempt
- 二回目のジャンプで
- the day's worst jump
- その日の最低記録
- first round
- 一巡目
- too excited to answer reporters' questions
- 興奮しすぎていて記者の質問に答えられない
- dramatic
- 劇的な
- event-ending comeback
- 競技に決着を付ける逆転
- 90.4 points behind Germany
- ドイツより90.4点少ない
- wind against him
- 向かい風の中
- soared high and far
- 空高く長い距離を跳んだ
- felt a lot of pressure
- すごいプレッシャーを感じた
- as the anchor at Lillehammer
- リレハンメル五輪のアンカーとして
- the first Japanese to win three medals in a single Winter Games
- 冬季五輪の一大会中に三つメダルを獲得した初めての日本人選手
- some points to overcome
- 追いつかなくてはいけない得点
- jump without being afraid of failure
- 失敗を恐れずに跳ぶこと
- little attention
- 低い注目度
- leadoff jumper
- 先頭ジャンパー
- the scorer of the day
- その日一番の活躍をした人
- a member of the silver-medal team at the Lillehammer Games
- リレハンメル五輪で銀メダルを獲得したチームの一員
- Olympic record
- 五輪記録
- team-best
- チームベストの
- regrettable performance
- 後悔するようなジャンプ
- individual event
- 個人ジャンプ種目
- failed to advance to the second round
- 2回戦に進むことが出来なかった
- notching
- 記録する
- a strong favorite
- 大本命
- featured two large-hill medalists
- 2人のラージヒル競技のメダル獲得者を含む
- jump four times by himself
- 4回とも自分一人で跳ぶ
- each athlete makes two jumps
- 各選手が二度ずつ跳ぶ
- optimistic
- 楽観的
- knew better than to feel confident
- 自信を持つほどではない
- ample precedent for Japan to porry
- 日本人が心配するに十分すぎる前例
- the gold medal slipped away from Japan
- 日本チームの手から金メダルがするりと落ちた
- modest
- 平均的な
- wrap up the gold
- 金メダルを獲得する
- committed a crucial mistake
- 致命的なミスを犯す
- a distance which he often surpasses even on the normal hill
- 普段の彼ならノーマルヒルでさえ超えられる飛距離
- Since the Lillehammer nightmare
- リレハンメルでの悪夢以来
- repeatedly tripped Harada in the Olympics
- 五輪で何度も痛い目にあわされた
- three Games
- 三度の五輪出場
- four second-leap failures
- 四回もの二度目の失敗ジャンプ
- at last
- とうとう
- Bad weather made it that much harder
- 悪天候によってさらに難しくなった
- delayed the start
- 開始時刻を遅らせた
- starting point
- スタート地点
- fog became too thick
- 霧が濃くなりすぎた
- landing area
- 着地地点
- poor
- 悪い、不十分な
- really tough
- 本当に辛い
- in the back of my mind all over again
- 再び脳裏によみがえった
- pulled Japan down to fourth place
- 日本を四位に引きずり落とした
- then-leading
- そのとき一位の
- conclusion of the first round
- 第一ラウンド終了時
- took advantage of the wind
- 風を利用して
- lifting Japan back to the top position
- 日本を一位に押し上げた
- title hopes
- 金メダル獲得の悲願
- at stake
- 脅かされる
- overcome the deficit
- 勝ち越す