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“Turin [2006], when I was 17 years old, was a very good experience for me. I wasn’t able to challenge the top athletes, because I wasn’t as strong as them, but I was able to see how they performed and I was surprised how fast they were and how far they jumped. They were so strong and powerful; it was very impressive. I felt inspired to train harder than before and I became far more focused.”LEARNING CURVEFollow Akito on the IOC Olympic Athletes’ Hub PYEONGCHANG“I am very excited about PyeongChang. It is very close to Japan and it will feel like a ‘home’ Games for me because lots of my friends and family will be able to come to watch. I want to show them what I’m doing when I go away all the time and I really want to show them what I am capable of. But I still have many other events between now and the Games. Every competition is important, and I also want to be the overall World Cup champion. That’s what I’m focused on now.”“I’m always really nervous. If there’s no wind and it’s sunny, then I’m not too scared. But we compete outside and the wind can be a factor with every jump. The way I deal with it is to close my eyes and just say to myself, ‘I can do it’. I just believe in myself. I’m also learning about Zen at the moment. It’s very interesting and it is helping me keep calm in my mind and body. I think it will be good for my mental preparation.”NERVES“I was very happy to win a silver medal at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi; that has always been one of the main goals in my career. It was also a reward for my team, who worked very hard with me during those eight years between Turin and Sochi, and a turning point for Nordic combined in Japan. It had been 20 years since our last Olympic medal, but after Sochi we received more funding and greater support. That has really helped the whole team, so my medal was not only a happy thing for me; we are all able to benefit from it.”OLYMPIC SUCCESS“Ski jumping and cross-country are very different disciplines and you need different abilities, but I try to think very simply about it. I do a lot of ‘old school’ training, aimed at developing my body. I do sumo, yoga and karate – it’s not scientific, but there is knowledge to be learned from these traditional sports. I learn how to use my body and control it; I learn how to improve my concentration and focus; and it helps with my flexibility and body movements. Yoga, in particular, is very good for flexibility, but also for power. That’s the secret of my training.”TRAININGDESTINATION PYEONGCHANGOLYMPIC REVIEW 49