TOKYO (AP) — For a 17-year-old high school student, Japanese ski jumper Sara Takanashi is remarkably calm about carrying the gold medal aspirations of an entire nation at the Sochi Olympics.
With her dominance of World Cup events this season, Takanashi will be the favorite to take gold when women’s ski jumping makes its debut at Sochi.
Japan didn’t win any gold medals at the Vancouver Olympics so the heat is on the country’s athletes to improve at Sochi but Takanashi keeps the expectations in perspective.
The International Olympic Committee decided in April 2011 to add women’s jumping to the Sochi program.
