Incredible: 53‑year‑old Noriaki Kasai finishes 4th at Japanese Nationals, targets Milan Olympics

Japan’s ski jumping legend Noriaki Kasai continues to defy age. At Sunday’s Japanese National Championships in Sapporo, the 53‑year‑old finished an outstanding fourth with jumps of 124 m and 129 m, placing him ahead of athletes such as Yuki Sato and Junshiro Kobayashi.

The podium was out of reach this time: Ren Nikaido won the national title with 137.5 m and 134 m, Sakutaro Kobayashi took silver with 138.5 m and 132.5 m, and Tomofumi Naito earned bronze after two jumps of 133 m. Japan’s top star Ryoyu Kobayashi did not start.

Kasai’s fourth place secures him a spot on Japan’s team for the opening phase of the Continental Cup season. He called it his first step toward the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics: “I’m very happy but also nervous. I told myself that if I wasn’t in the top group here, I wouldn’t be in the Continental Cup or the World Cup. I managed clean jumps, so I feel relieved,” he said (via hochi.news). “Only when I make the World Cup team will the Olympic vision become realistic. For now, it’s still a small and uncertain goal.”

Health remains a variable. Kasai admitted he has begun to feel pain in various parts of his body—lower back, knees, and neck—despite never having had major injuries, he told Aktio Note.

The winter Continental Cup is scheduled to open on 13 December in Ruka, while the World Cup is listed here as starting on 21 October in Lillehammer.