[Ski Jumping]A close look at the last day of glory and suffering…Olympic medalist Shimizu Reruhi’s last flight

Reihi Shimizu, ski jumping, team bronze medalist at the Sochi Olympics. She loved jumping and was loved by her family and friends during her 23-year career. What did you get in the end? She won the bronze medal in her first appearance at the age of 20. 10 years have passed since then. (Reruhi Shimizu) “(The reason for my retirement) was that I thought from the bottom of my heart that it would be too difficult for me to compete at this level in order to compete on the world stage.” The Olympic medalist’s final performance as an athlete Day. (Reruhi Shimizu) “I’ve been receiving messages from various people since this morning, and when I look at them, I feel like I’m about to burst into tears, and I really feel like I’m retiring.” This day is my last. Reruhi Shimizu, 30 years old, is putting an end to his 23-year career. (Reruhi Shimizu) “When I finally decided to retire, it was like a flashback to my old memories, and I realized that I would never jump on the front lines. (What do you remember?) My memories of the difficult times remain more vivid than the memories of the good times.” “I realized that the dreams I had as a child at the beginning cannot be surpassed. What was your childhood dream?) Gold medal” Born in Niigata Prefecture. Shimizu grew up in a mixed family. In her third year of high school, she focused solely on jumping. After graduation, she joined Megmilk Snow Brand and moved to Hokkaido. Became one of Japan’s leading jumpers while still a teenager. And then he rose to become a medalist. However… (Reruhi Shimizu) “After the Sochi Olympics, I thought that if I didn’t change my jumping style, I wouldn’t be able to take first place in the world, so I changed the way I jumped.In the end, I didn’t really fit in.” The “hell” he visited because he was aiming for the top. What supported me was my family. (Reruhi Shimizu) “After my daughter was born, it was the perfect catalyst, and I became energized to do my best to show my daughter and wife that I was cool and to be able to say I won.” The traditional Ito Cup is the final match of the season and marks the final stage of retirement for famous jumpers. (Snow Brand Megmilk, Koyasu Sato) “He never forgets his boyish heart, he really loves jumping, and he’s a very honest senior when it comes to jumping.” (Snow Brand Megmilk, coach Daiki Ito) “He never forgets to be aggressive no matter the conditions. One of the players I’ll never forget.” He wears a suit with messages from his teammates written on it and a helmet from his junior high school days. This is the real last flight. (Father, Hisayuki) “I always thought this day would come someday, but he said, “It feels good to be in the sky,” so I told him to fly like that.” (Wife, Shiho) “Finally. I feel sad thinking about it, and I still wanted to show it to my daughter, but I think it’s still in my memory and I won’t forget it for the rest of my life, so I want to watch over it for the last time.” (Reruhi Shimizu) “Fly with this feeling.” It’s my first time! Alright! Let’s go!” (Daughter Kiho) “Dad, you did your best!” 10 years have passed since the bronze medal in Sochi. Shimizu Reruhi bids farewell to the jumping hill. With the only gold medal in the world. #Ski jumping #Shimizu Reruhi #Okurayama Jump Stadium #Sochi Olympics