Akito Watabe

Akito Watabe
Watabe in 2018
CountryJapan
Born (1988-05-26) 26 May 1988 (age 36)
Hakuba, Japan
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Ski clubKitano Construction Corp.Ski Club
World Cup career
Seasons2005–
Indiv. podiums74
Indiv. wins19
Overall titles1 (2018)
Medal record
Men's nordic combined
Representing  Japan
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2014 Sochi Individual NH
Silver medal – second place 2018 Pyeongchang Individual NH
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Beijing Individual LH
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Beijing Team LH
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2009 Liberec 4 x 5 km team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Lahti Individual LH
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Lahti Team sprint
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Seefeld Individual NH
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Oberstdorf Individual LH

Akito Watabe (渡部 暁斗, Watabe Akito, born 26 May 1988) is a Japanese nordic combined skier who has been competing since 2005. He won a gold medal in the 4 × 5 km team event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec.

Career

Competing in two Winter Olympics, Watabe earned his best finish of sixth in the 4 x 5 team event at Vancouver in 2010 and had his best individual finish of ninth in the 10 km individual large hill event at those same games.

His best World Cup finish was third at a 10 km individual large hill event in Finland in March 2010, until the 2011/2012 season when he started to win World Cup competitions.

During the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Akito Watabe took home the silver medal in the Nordic Combined Individual Gundersen NH / 10 km, Cross-Country event.[1]

In the 2018 Olympics, Watabe won the silver medal in the normal hill/10 km Nordic combined competition.

In the 2022 Olympics, Akito Watabe won two bronze medals in the large hill/10 km and Team large hill Nordic combined competition.

Personal life

His wife, Yurie Watabe, is a Japanese freestyle skier, who specialises in halfpipe.[2] Akito's younger brother, Yoshito also competes in Nordic Combined World Cup.

World Cup wins

Season Date Location Hill
2011–12 5 February 2012 Italy Val di Fiemme HS134/10 km
18 February 2012 Germany Klingenthal HS140/10 km
26 February 2012 Czech Republic Liberec HS134/10 km
9 March 2012 Norway Oslo HS106/10 km
2013–14 15 March 2014 Sweden Falun HS134/10 km
2014–15 6 March 2015 Finland Lahti HS130/10 km
14 March 2015 Norway Oslo HS104/15 km
2016–17 11 February 2017 Japan Sapporo HS134/10 km
11 March 2017 Norway Oslo HS104/10 km
2017–18 25 November 2017 Finland Ruka HS142/10 km
26 January 2018 Austria Seefeld HS109/5 km
27 January 2018 Austria Seefeld HS109/10 km
28 January 2018 Austria Seefeld HS109/15 km
3 February 2018 Japan Hakuba HS134/10 km
10 March 2018 Norway Oslo HS104/10 km
24 March 2018 Germany Schonach HS106/10 km
25 March 2018 Germany Schonach HS106/15 km
2019–20 1 March 2020 Finland Lahti HS130/10 km
2020–21 24 January 2021 Finland Lahti HS130/10 km

References

  1. ^ Suskin, Jeremy Akito Watabe Brings Home First Olympic Medal in 20 Years for Nordic Skiing Event 2 December 2014
  2. ^ "Who is Akito Watabe?". nbcolympics.org. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
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