Ski Jumper Sara Takanashi Overcomes Nightmare from 4 Years Ago

Milan, Feb. 11 (Jiji Press)--Sara Takanashi held back her tears. But when she saw her teammates' smiles, she couldn't contain her emotions.

At the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Tuesday, Takanashi, 29, contributed to Japan's bronze medal win in the ski jumping mixed team event.

This Olympic medal was Takanashi's first since winning individual bronze eight years ago at the PyeongChang Games. "This medal feels heavier," Takanashi said. "I feel the beauty of the Olympics far more than I did back in PyeongChang."

As the third jumper for Japan, she flew 96.5 meters in the first round and 97 meters in the second. Competing against top female jumpers from other nations, she placed third and fourth, respectively.

After finishing 13th in Saturday's individual normal hill event, she was informed by coach Yoshiki Kinjo, 31, that she had been selected for the mixed team event. However, she couldn't immediately accept it.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]