Post-Olympics Thoughts on Team Japan
The Olympics are officially over, and I've written up my highlights. Even though the U.S. and Canada "owned the podium", Japan has been slowly but surely gaining ground. They may not have gotten as many medals as they predicted, but they win for keeping a positive attitude (unlike some other countries).
Before the Games began, I wrote a post about Japanese (and Japanese-American) athletes to watch.
Did any members of Team Japan catch your eye?
While I plan on making a separate post about the Japanese snowboarders, I will tell you that they will be a force to be reckoned with in Sochi.
The figure skaters were equally exciting. Bronze medalist Daisuke Takahashi's emotive performances and fighting spirit turned me into a fan. Check out this video of him skating in a more relaxed setting: champion's gala. Japan did well in figure skating overall, and although Mao Asada didn't come close to toppling Yu-na Kim's reign, she more than earned the silver for her triple axels and coolness under the pressure. U.S. skater Mirai Nagasu also gets props for completing her short program with a bloody nose. It's not as bad as a broken lace, but it's hard to not get distracted (trust me, I took my PSATs with a bloody nose).
Chris and Cathy Reed, the half-Japanese ice dancing siblings (who live in New Jersey but compete for Japan due to dual citizenship), are my choices for athletes I didn't mention before but deserve recognition. They may not exhibit the skills to have a medal-winning routing, but their original dance was unique and their free dance full of energy. Plus they had some of the best outfits, utilizing modified kimonos for their Japanese folk-inspired original dance. Hopefully we'll see more of them in the next four years.
Before the Games began, I wrote a post about Japanese (and Japanese-American) athletes to watch.
Did any members of Team Japan catch your eye?
While I plan on making a separate post about the Japanese snowboarders, I will tell you that they will be a force to be reckoned with in Sochi.
The figure skaters were equally exciting. Bronze medalist Daisuke Takahashi's emotive performances and fighting spirit turned me into a fan. Check out this video of him skating in a more relaxed setting: champion's gala. Japan did well in figure skating overall, and although Mao Asada didn't come close to toppling Yu-na Kim's reign, she more than earned the silver for her triple axels and coolness under the pressure. U.S. skater Mirai Nagasu also gets props for completing her short program with a bloody nose. It's not as bad as a broken lace, but it's hard to not get distracted (trust me, I took my PSATs with a bloody nose).
Chris and Cathy Reed, the half-Japanese ice dancing siblings (who live in New Jersey but compete for Japan due to dual citizenship), are my choices for athletes I didn't mention before but deserve recognition. They may not exhibit the skills to have a medal-winning routing, but their original dance was unique and their free dance full of energy. Plus they had some of the best outfits, utilizing modified kimonos for their Japanese folk-inspired original dance. Hopefully we'll see more of them in the next four years.