Hideharu Miyahira new Japanese head coach

Many Ski Jumping national teams will start the next season with new coaches: After Andreas Mitter, Finland, Goran Janus, Slovenia, Heinz Kuttin, Austria and Gerard Colin, France, a fifth head coach is ending his job after the last season.

Tomoharu Yokokawa will end his job as Japanese head coach after eight years. Hideharu Miyahira, who was previously working as Yokokawa's assistant, will be his successor. Yokokawa will become the assistant of Chiharu Saito, who will be the new sports director for Nordic Skiing of the Japanese Ski Association.

Hideharu Miyahira started working with the Japanese team together with Tomoharu Yokokawa in 2010. "Mia" was a successful ski jumper himself and was always widely known for his style of jumping. The 44-year-old took one win in the World Cup (Planica 1999), in the same year he finished fifth in the overall World Cup and third in the 4-Hills-Tournament. At the Nordic Ski World Championships 1999 in Ramsau, Miyahira won two individual and one team medal. In Willingen 2003, the calm Japanese became a member of the elite club of athletes, who got 5 x 20 in style marks in a World Cup event.

"Last winter, especially Junshiro and Ryoyu were able to show what they are capable of, but we have more young athletes with similar potential. And we also have good, young coaches who are highly motivated. Now is a good time to bring new dynamics to the team with new, young guys", explains Miyahira.

"And with Noriaki Kasai, who will take an important position within our team and help the young athletes with his enormous amount of experience, we will have a really good mix", Hideharu Miyahira told FIS Ski Jumping.

After a bit of a dry spell, the Japanese team, and especially the Kobayashi brothers, could show a positive trend last winter. Junshiro Kobayashi won the World Cup opening in Wisla (POL) and ended the season in 11th in the overall World Cup, his younger brother Ryoyu was 24th.