Olympics: Japan comes 6th in ski jumping team event
February 20, 2006(EDS: ADDING QUOTES, DETAILS) Noriaki Kasai and anchor Takanobu Okabe both made impressive leaps on Monday but Japan's ski jumping team failed to find their way to the medals podium with a sixth-place finish at the Turin Olympics on Monday.
Olympics: Japan comes 6th in ski jumping team event
February 20, 2006Noriaki Kasai and anchor Takanobu Okabe both made impressive leaps on Monday but Japan's ski jumping team to find their way to the medals podium with a sixth-place finish at the Turin Olympics on Monday. Kasai got a solid takeoff to travel 130.5 meters as Japan's third jumper of the night followed by Okabe's 132-meter effort under the floodlights in the final round, but the deficit proved too large against an ultra-strong field on the K-125 large hill.
Olympics: Slump in Turin leaves many back home perplexed
February 20, 2006The struggles of Japanese athletes at the Turin Olympic Games have bewildered many back in their country, particularly those who banked on rosy pre-Games medal predictions. The phones at the Japanese Olympic Committee office have kept ringing with calls from frustrating fans, low TV ratings have given a headache to broadcasters and sales are well behind the targets at ski shops and sport bars.
Olympics: Japan down Italy to keep semifinal hopes alive
February 20, 2006Japan kept alive its hopes of reaching the semifinals of the Turin Olympic women's curling tournament with a dramatic 6-4 win over hosts Italy on Monday. Skip Ayumi Onodera delivered perfectly weighted shot in the 10th end and Japan claimed a come-from-behind victory when Italian skip Diana Gaspari's last stone of the end came up short.
Soccer: Brazilian striker Araujo wins press award
February 20, 2006Brazilian striker Araujo, whose 33 goals helped Gamba Osaka win their first J-League title last season, on Monday was named the 2005 Footballer of the Year in a poll of Japanese soccer writers. Araujo, the 2005 J-League Player of the Year and golden boot winner, won the award after collecting 86 of the 245 votes cast nationwide. Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura placed second with 39 while Araujo's former strike partner Masashi Oguro of Grenoble was third with 35.
Olympics: Japan down Italy to keep semifinal hopes alive
February 20, 2006Japan kept alive its hopes of reaching the semifinals of the Turin Olympic women's curling tournament with a dramatic 6-4 win over hosts Italy on Monday. Skip Ayumi Onodera delivered perfectly weighted shot in the 10th end and Japan claimed a come-from-behind victory when Italian skip Diana Gaspari's last stone of the end came up short.