Ski jumping: Evergreen Kasai to compete in overseas events

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Veteran ski jumper Noriaki Kasai will join Japan’s traveling squad for the remainder of the World Cup season, the Ski Association of Japan said Thursday.

The 51-year-old, who has competed in eight Olympics, is set to compete in an overseas World Cup event for the first time since December 2019, starting in Lahti, Finland, on March 1.

Kasai earned his first World Cup point in five seasons by finishing 30th at last Saturday’s meet in Sapporo. On Sunday, he was unable to advance to the second round but extended his record for most World Cup appearances to 571.

The single point put Kasai in 63rd place in the World Cup standings — the sixth among Japanese jumpers.

Traveling with Kasai will be Ryoyu Kobayashi, Ren Nikaido Junshiro Kobayashi and Taku Takeuchi.

Naoki Nakamura, the fourth-highest-ranked Japanese athlete at No. 51, will be absent from the squad due to lower back pain.