“40, fat and done” is a so-called expression. This does not apply to skateboarder Noriaki Kasai.
The Japanese is 51 years old – he will turn 52 on Thursday, June 6 – but he is as thin as he was in his glory days. Over the weekend, he took first place in the Japan National Show Jumping Race. He was 3.1 points ahead of Keiichi Sato. Third place went to Reruhi Shimizu.
Once again, Kasai sends shock waves through the world of Jump!
Watch X's winning jump below:
Kasai won the TVh Cup with jumps of 125 meters and 130 metres. This achievement comes in addition to ninth place, 11th place and 21st place at the Confederations Cup (COC) in Sapporo in January.
The appointment means the 51-year-old will skip the national quota when the World Cup is held in Sapporo from February 16-18.
If he qualifies for one of the two races on the Big Hill, he will set a world record.
Kasai will then be the first to jump in a World Cup at the age of 51. Here's what we mentioned: Naturally, the Japanese also hold the current record.
The last time he jumped to the World Cup was in February 2020, and he was 47 years old at the time. Today – four years later – he is still cooking.
The Japanese break all the laws of gravity for what can be done in human years. Now he confirms how he is back at his peak:
– I lost five kilos in a month. It gives me confidence. “I ran 15 miles,” he says, according to the Japanese newspaper hochi.news.
Like: Noriaki Kasai is a show jumping icon. This photo was taken from Engelberg, Switzerland in 2018. Image: NTB
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Kasai has competed in 569 World Cup races. Now it could be 570. He has stood on the podium 63 times and won 17 races. He participated in eight Olympic Games and 14 World Championships.
Norwegian sports president Klaas Brede Braathen, 55, made a statement about Kasai last fall. He told Dagbladet:
– It has been many years since I thought his era was over. He is only 3.5 years younger than me. I very much admire what he did, and continues to do. The fact that he should be jumping so well at 51 years old is absolutely sick.
Pointing clutches:
– I remember when I was 17 years old and I myself joined the show jumping team. I thought Ole Gunnar Vidgestul was old. He was 27 years old.
– Kasai did not say the last word, Polish broadcaster TVP reported.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
