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From the Olympics Toward Tomorrow
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Nishitani caps best winter games for Japan
 Takafumi Nishitani |
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Nishitani posted a winning time of 42.862 seconds at the White Ring ice arena in Nagano to secure a fifth gold medal for Japan, which has never won more than one gold medal in a single winter games since 1928 when Japan first took part in the winter Olympics.
''I still can't believe I won the gold medal -- the same medal Hiroyasu Shimizu won in (long track) speed skating. I never thought I would,'' the 19-year-old student from Osaka said.
Along with Nishitani's gold, Hitoshi Uematsu won the bronze with a time of 43.713, bringing the host nation's medal haul to 10 and easily surpassing Japan's best-ever winter games performance of seven medals at the Albertville Olympics in 1992.
With only one day and two events remaining -- the men's 50-kilometer cross country skiing race and the men's ice hockey final between the Czech Republic and Russia -- Japan's hopes of securing a medal or place have largely ended.
Earlier Saturday, Japanese fans were hoping that Kiminobu Kimura would add to the medal haul by winning Japan's first medal in alpine skiing since 1956.
Kimura, who currently ranks fourth on the World Cup slalom circuit, was cautious in his first run down the Mt. Yakebitai slopes in Yamanouchi and placed in 10th place
The would-be medal hopeful was no better on his second run and finished 13th overall.
''Before my second run I realized I had no choice but to attack, but it might have been defensive skiing on the course,'' he said. ''I regret that I couldn't show what I had.''
Kimura started sixth on the second run and drew a huge sigh from spectators, which included Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, when he crossed the finish line and his total time of 1:52.15 was already fourth.
''I made mistakes in the first half of the course. I wish I'd been more aggressive,'' he said of his first run in dense fog and sleet, which proved decisive for his performance.
On the Spiral bobsleigh track in Nagano, Japanese bobsleigh teams were 15th and 16th in the four-man bob competition that was abbreviated to three runs because of a steady rainfall on Friday.
Japan I, piloted by Naomi Takewaki, finished in 2:41.55, 2.14 seconds adrift of the winner Germany II, while Japan II, with former Japanese sprint star Shinji Aoto aboard as one of the pushers, was another 0.41 second behind.
At Nozawa Onsen, the Japanese team of Kyoji Suga, Hironao Meguro, Shuichi Sekiya and Atsushi Kazama were 15th in the men's biathlon 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay -- 6 minutes, 19.5 seconds behind Germany, gold medal winner for a third straight Olympics. (Kyodo News)
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Copyright 1999 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun