Japanese U-23 team trains in Hakuba

After Covid-19 prevention measures had not allowed common training camps in Japan earlier, six athletes from the Japanese U-23 team met up for a 4-week-long training camp in Hakuba, starting at the beginning of August. Three women and three men, Anju Nakamura, Sana Azegami, Ayane Miyazaki, Sora Yachi, Kodai Kimura and Shogo Azegami took part in the camp.

While the coaches were able to meet with the athletes individually before the camp, this marked the first occasion at which common ski jumping, roller ski, strength and endurance training sessions were possible.

With Japanese superstar Akito Watabe also on location in Hakuba, the young athletes were able to benefit from his experiences and insights. Next to the sportive aspects, the camp also focussed on athlete development in their career and afterwards with digital sessions on the importance of learning English and interviewing skills.

National team head coach Takanori Kohno: “The U-23 camp went very well so far and is still coming along nicely. Of course, the level of performance went a bit up and down but we have a feeling that having the athletes in one place is an important way to improve their performance. As we do not have an elite sports school in Japan as it is common in other countries, we are thinking of developing such a system here in Hakuba. The long-term camp was a bit of a test run for this and some of the boys and girls have already decided to stay in our dorm in Hakuba and continue to train in our training centre here after the camp has ended.”