Noriaki Kasai
Encyclopedia
, born June 6, 1972 in Shimokawa
Shimokawa
-People:*Mikuni Shimokawa Japanese musician*Ōten Shimokawa*Kenichi Shimokawa*Seigo Shimokawa...

, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

, Japan
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...

, is a Japanese ski jumper.

Kasai holds a record for most performances in World Cup. To a date of March 23, 2011 he performed record 435 times in World Cup (396 individual & 39 team performances). He also holds a record for most seasons (22) with debut World Cup performance on December 3, 1989 in Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...

.

He won his first major championship at the FIS Ski-Flying World Championships 1992
FIS Ski-Flying World Championships 1992
The FIS Ski-Flying World Ski Championships 1992 took place on 22 March 1992 in Harrachov, Czechoslovakia for the second time. Harrachov hosted the championships previously in 1983. It is the first championships that Germany competed as a unified nation since their October 1990 reunificiation...

 in Harrachov
Harrachov
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:...

, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

. At that time he was among the world's top jumpers, known for his extraordinary style, holding his body between his skis. In 1994, he was in the Japan team that won a silver medal in the team large hill at the Winter Olympics 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...

. At the 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...

, he has a total of six medals in his collection. This includes two silvers (Team large hill: 1999, 2003) and four bronzes (Individual normal hill: 2003, Individual large hill: 2003, and Team large hill: 2007, 2009).

Kasai also won the ski jumping competition at the Holmenkollen ski festival
Holmenkollen ski festival
The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...

 in 1999.

Kasai has competed in six Olympics during his career - a record for a ski jumper - and earned his best individual finish of 5th in the individual large hill 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...

. In the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

, at age thirty eight, he finished 8th on the large hill
Ski jumping at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Large hill individual
The Men's large hill individual ski jumping competition for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada was held at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia. It started on 19 February and ended on 20 February. Austria's Thomas Morgenstern was the defending Olympic champion in this...

, having won the qualification with the second best jump overall, and 17th on the normal hill
Ski jumping at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Normal hill individual
The men's normal hill individual ski jumping competition for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada was held on 12 and 13 February, 2010 at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia. It was the first medal event of the 2010 Games....

.

He has fifteen additional individual victories at various jumping levels from 1993 to 2004.

Victories

Season Date Location
1991-92 March 22, 1992   Harrachov
Harrachov
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:...

* (SF)
1992-93 January 1, 1993   Ga-Pa
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...

January 23, 1993   Predazzo
Predazzo
Predazzo is a comune of c. 4,400 inhabitants in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 45 km northeast of Trento in the Val di Fiemme, at the confluence of the Travignolo stream with that Avisio River.The municipality of Predazzo contains the...

March 6, 1993   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...

1993-94 January 9, 1994   Murau
Murau
Murau is the capital of the district of the same name in Styria, located along the Mur river. It has a population of 2,331.-History:The area was already settled in the Bronze Age and Roman time, for the first time document which mentioned Murau was in the year 1250.During the Second World War a...

1997-98 March 22, 1998   Planica
Planica
Planica is an alpine valley in northwestern Slovenia, extending south from the border village of Rateče, not far from another well-known ski resort, Kranjska Gora. Further south, the valley extends into the Tamar Valley, a popular hiking destination in Triglav National Park.Planica is famous for...

1998-99 January 3, 1999   Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

January 29, 1999   Willingen
Willingen
Willingen is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany, some 80 km west of Kassel.Willingen is regularly advertised as Willingen Hochsauerland and Willingen .-Location:...

January 31, 1999   Willingen
Willingen
Willingen is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany, some 80 km west of Kassel.Willingen is regularly advertised as Willingen Hochsauerland and Willingen .-Location:...

March 9, 1999   Trondheim
Trondheim
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...

March 14, 1999   Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

March 21, 1999   Planica
Planica
Planica is an alpine valley in northwestern Slovenia, extending south from the border village of Rateče, not far from another well-known ski resort, Kranjska Gora. Further south, the valley extends into the Tamar Valley, a popular hiking destination in Triglav National Park.Planica is famous for...

 (SF)
2000-01 January 1, 2001   Ga-Pa
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...

January 21, 2001   Park City
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...

2002-03 February 9, 2003   Willingen
Willingen
Willingen is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany, some 80 km west of Kassel.Willingen is regularly advertised as Willingen Hochsauerland and Willingen .-Location:...

2003-04 February 28, 2004   Park City
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...

  • 1992 Harracov victory count both as Ski Flying World Championship title as well as World Cup victory; (SF - Ski Flying)
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK