Noriaki Kasai

Noriaki Kasai, born on June 6, 1972, in Shimokawa, Hokkaido, Japan, began his ski jumping career at the age of 10. He quickly rose through the Japanese junior ranks in the late 1980s, joining the senior national team at the end of the 1988-89 season. His World Cup debut occurred on December 17, 1988, in Sapporo, where he placed 31st at 16 years old. Over his extensive career, Kasai has set multiple records for longevity in ski jumping, competing at the highest level across four different decades. He holds Guinness World Records for the most individual World Cup starts in ski jumping and across all FIS World Cup disciplines, with a total of 579 individual starts in 34 seasons.

Kasai achieved his first major championship title at the FIS Ski Flying World Championships in Harrachov, Czechoslovakia, in 1992, winning a gold medal. His Olympic career is particularly notable, having competed in a record eight Winter Olympics, starting with Albertville in 1992 through PyeongChang in 2018. He earned a silver medal in the team event at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics and further distinguished himself at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics by winning an individual silver medal on the large hill and a team bronze, becoming the oldest ski jumper to achieve an Olympic medal at 41 years and 254 days old.

Throughout his career, Kasai has accrued 17 individual World Cup victories and multiple medals at the World Championships, including silver medals in team large hill events in 1999 and 2003, and several bronze medals in individual and team events. He also claimed the Nordic Tournament overall title in 1999 and won at the prestigious Holmenkollen Ski Festival. Even at 52, Kasai continues to pursue competitive jumping, demonstrating exceptional dedication and maintaining a positive outlook on his future in the sport.