Latest news with #Ogiwara
Yomiuri Shimbun
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Olympians-Turned-Mayors Go to Australia to Promote Nagano Ski Resorts; Prefecture Hopes Ex-Athletes Will Help Attract More Tourists
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Nagano Mayor Kenji Ogiwara speaks at the Nagano municipal government building in Nagano City in November 2024. NAGANO — Nagano Mayor Kenji Ogiwara, a two-time Winter Olympic gold medalist, and Gaku Hirasawa, a former Olympic athlete and mayor of Yamanouchi, Nagano Prefecture, are working together to promote ski resorts in the prefecture to attract more overseas tourists. Ogiwara, 55, won gold in the Nordic combined team event at two consecutive Olympics, and Hirasawa, 52, competed in Alpine skiing at two Winter Games, including at the Nagano Olympics. The two former Olympians went to Australia on Thursday to promote the prefecture's snow quality and various tourist attractions, including Zenkoji temple in Nagano City. Ogiwara and Hirasawa have known each other since they were athletes, and it was Hirasawa who called Ogiwara about the initiative. Mayor Yoshinao Gaun, 62, who is the mayor of Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, joined the two for their trip to Australia, where they are expected to meet with local media and speak with tourism authorities. In Sydney on Sunday, they are also expected to participate in Snow Travel Expo, where they are set to hold a speaking event. The powdery snow in Nagano Prefecture is a major draw, and the number of foreign tourists visiting the prefecture is rapidly increasing. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, an initial estimate showed that about 2.18 million tourists stayed overnight in the prefecture in 2024, about 1.4 times more than the 1.57 million in 2019. However, the problem is that the tourists coming to ski generally do not visit the prefecture's other tourist destinations. Apparently, Australian tourists to ski tend to extend their stay in the country. '[The mayors] know about snow quality because they were top athletes,' said an official of the Nagano municipal government's tourism promotion department. 'We hope that they'll make the most of their expert knowledge, as well as their fame, to increase tourism [in Nagano Prefecture].'
USA Today
27-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Japanese snowboarder, Italian skier land historic 2340s to win X Games
Japanese snowboarder, Italian skier land historic 2340s to win X Games Until Friday, no big-air snowboarder or skier had ever landed a 2340 − which is a whopping six and a half rotations − in competition. By Saturday night, it had happened twice. Japanese snowboarder Hiroto Ogiwara and Italian skier Miro Tabanelli became the first men in their respective sports to land 2340s, breaking barriers en route to victories in big air snowboard and big air ski, respectively, at the 2025 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. Ogiwara, 19, achieved the feat first on Friday night, stunning the crowd at Buttermilk Mountain with his first run in the finals to earn a score of 97.33 and edge compatriot Taiga Hasegawa, who finished second after landing a six-revolution trick, known as a 2160. The feat was all the more remarkable given that, according to organizers, Ogiwara had fractured his forearm earlier in the day. "I am the first in the world to do that. I've never been as happy as this," Ogiwara told reporters after landing the 2340, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo News. "It was really the greatest moment. It felt as if I used every ounce of energy I had." It wasn't the first time Ogiwara had made snowboarding history, either. A few years ago, at 16, he also became the first person in his sport to land the 2160. A six-and-a-half rotation trick once seemed unfathomable in winter sports, even in big air, where athletes launch themselves off a 75-foot jump. But less than 24 hours after Ogiwara achieved the feat with a snowboard, Tabanelli followed it up on skis to win his own big air discipline Saturday. He took gold with a score a 98.00. "The vibe of X Games is unreal, the conditions were crazy, the final was the craziest final I've ever experienced - just savage," Tabanelli told reporters, according to an X Games news release. :"I am just really stoked about it!' Contact Tom Schad at tschad@ or on social media @
CNN
26-01-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Teenage snowboarder Hiroto Ogiwara makes history by landing remarkable first ever 2340
Japanese snowboarder Hiroto Ogiwara made history at the X Games in Aspen on Friday by landing the first known 2340 in a competition, an incredible trick which consists of rotating six and a half times in the air. Taking part in the men's snowboard Big Air event, the 19-year-old took off from his jump and immediately began spinning, his hands gripping the board, before he landed perfectly, despite crashing into the crowd while celebrating. 🔥 World's First! 🔥 Hiroto Ogiwara just landed the first 2340 in HISTORY during Pacifico Men's Snowboard Big Air. That's six and a half rotations! @sonicdrivein He was still celebrating as he picked himself up off the snow, taking in the frenzied cheers of the fans watching. 'I am the first in the world to do that. I've never been as happy as this,' Ogiwara said afterwards, per 'It was really the greatest moment. It felt as if I used every ounce of energy I had.' For his history-making 2340 mute grab, the judges awarded Ogiwara an almost-perfect 97.33 to hand him the gold medal, almost three points ahead of his compatriot Taiga Hasegawa in second. New Zealand's Rocco Jamieson rounded out the podium another three points back in third. Then, on Saturday, Italy's Miro Tabanelli made history by landing the world's first known 2340 in a ski competition. Like Ogiwara, the trick secured him the gold medal with a score of 98.00 ahead of New Zealand's Luca Harrington and Austria's Matěj Švancer.
