Masahiko Harada
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese ski jumper. He is best remembered for a meltdown at the 1994 Winter Olympics
in Lillehammer
and his subsequent redemption at the 1998 Winter Olympics
in Nagano.
At the 1994 games
, the Japanese team had a nearly insurmountable lead heading into the last jump of the large hill. Harada, the team's anchor, had jumped 122 meters in his previous attempt and needed only 105 meters in his final jump to clinch gold for Japan. His jump was just shy of 98 meters and dropped Japan to second, with the gold going to the German
team.
Four years later Harada would again have his chance to deliver his team a gold, this time in his home country. His first jump of 79.5 meters knocked his team from first to fourth and brought back memories of Lillehammer. Then, on his second attempt he delivered an Olympic
-record tying 137 meter jump. His teammate Kazuyoshi Funaki
would then close out the event with a 125 meter jump, clinching the first Olympic ski jumping gold medal for Japan since the 1972 Winter Olympics
in Sapporo.
Along with the team gold, Harada also captured bronze in Nagano in the individual large hill after a 136 meter final jump that pushed up him from sixth to third.
Harada has competed in five Olympics. In addition to the Lillehammer and Nagano games, he competed in Albertville
in 1992, Salt Lake City in 2002 and Turin
in 2006.
He is a two-time FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
winner (1993: individual normal hill, 1997: individual large hill), and also won three silvers (1997: Individual normal hill, 1997, 1999: Team large hill) and one bronze (1999: Individual normal hill) as well.
Olympic normal hill individual competition in Pragelato on 11 February 2006 was the last hihgly ranked official event participated by Masahiko Harada - who won 2 Olympic medals in Nagano
and 1 in Lillehammer
- and it was after over 3 years break from participating in Ski jumping World Cup
. Unfortunately for him, he was disqualified in the qualifying and did not compete in the final. Later he started only in FIS Cup event in Sapporo.
On July 12, 2006, Harada was appointed Ambassador to the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
in Sapporo, Japan by the organizing committee. The 2007 Championships ran February 22-March 4, 2007.
For reasons unbeknownst to many ski-jumping fans, Harada is commonly remembered by casual Olympic viewers as Happy Hatsui.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ski jumper. He is best remembered for a meltdown at the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
and his subsequent redemption at the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano.
At the 1994 games
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
, the Japanese team had a nearly insurmountable lead heading into the last jump of the large hill. Harada, the team's anchor, had jumped 122 meters in his previous attempt and needed only 105 meters in his final jump to clinch gold for Japan. His jump was just shy of 98 meters and dropped Japan to second, with the gold going to the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
team.
Four years later Harada would again have his chance to deliver his team a gold, this time in his home country. His first jump of 79.5 meters knocked his team from first to fourth and brought back memories of Lillehammer. Then, on his second attempt he delivered an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
-record tying 137 meter jump. His teammate Kazuyoshi Funaki
Kazuyoshi Funaki
, born April 27, 1975 in Yoichi, Hokkaido) is a Japanese ski jumper.He ranked among the most successful sportsmen of its discipline, particularly in the 1990s. Funaki is known for his special variant of the V-style technique, where the body lies flat....
would then close out the event with a 125 meter jump, clinching the first Olympic ski jumping gold medal for Japan since the 1972 Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...
in Sapporo.
Along with the team gold, Harada also captured bronze in Nagano in the individual large hill after a 136 meter final jump that pushed up him from sixth to third.
Harada has competed in five Olympics. In addition to the Lillehammer and Nagano games, he competed in Albertville
Albertville
Albertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...
in 1992, Salt Lake City in 2002 and Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
in 2006.
He is a two-time FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...
winner (1993: individual normal hill, 1997: individual large hill), and also won three silvers (1997: Individual normal hill, 1997, 1999: Team large hill) and one bronze (1999: Individual normal hill) as well.
Olympic normal hill individual competition in Pragelato on 11 February 2006 was the last hihgly ranked official event participated by Masahiko Harada - who won 2 Olympic medals in Nagano
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
and 1 in Lillehammer
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
- and it was after over 3 years break from participating in Ski jumping World Cup
Ski jumping World Cup
The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup is a ski jumping tournament held yearly by the International Ski Federation since 1979–80 season.- World Cup points :...
. Unfortunately for him, he was disqualified in the qualifying and did not compete in the final. Later he started only in FIS Cup event in Sapporo.
On July 12, 2006, Harada was appointed Ambassador to the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 took place February 22 - March 4, 2007 in Sapporo, Japan. This was the second time this city has hosted these championships, doing so previously at the 1972 Winter Olympics, having been voted at the 43rd FIS World Congress in Portorož, Slovenia on June 6,...
in Sapporo, Japan by the organizing committee. The 2007 Championships ran February 22-March 4, 2007.
For reasons unbeknownst to many ski-jumping fans, Harada is commonly remembered by casual Olympic viewers as Happy Hatsui.
Victories
| Season | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | December 8, 1995 |  VillachVillach Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:... |
| February 18, 1996 |  Iron MountainIron Mountain -United States:Communities* Iron Mountain, Shasta County, California* Iron Mountain, Michigan, a city* Iron Mountain, Missouri, a community and historic mining area in St... |
|
| March 1, 1996 |  LahtiLahti Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki... |
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| March 3, 1996 | Lahti Lahti Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki... |
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| 1997-98 | December 8, 1997 | Villach Villach Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:... |
| December 12, 1997 |  HarrachovHarrachov Harrachov is a town on the Mumlava river in the northern Czech Republic, 300 m from the border with Poland. It is within the Krkonoše mountain range, about above sea level.-History:... |
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| December 21, 1997 |  EngelbergEngelberg Engelberg is a village in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. Engelberg has a population of . , 21.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.It is the leading mountain resort in central Switzerland... |
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| January 11, 1998 | Ramsau Ramsau Ramsau is the name of several municipalities and towns in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, as well as the traditional German name of the municipality of Ramzová in the Czech Republic.Municipalities named Ramsau include:*Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden, Germany... |
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| March 13, 1998 |  TrondheimTrondheim Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of... |