Noriaki Kasai, the silver medalist on the men's large hill at the Sochi Olympics a year ago, is aiming to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and even beyond, the ski jump legend told reporters after the Ski Association of Japan's 90th-year anniversary ceremony on Sunday.
"My current goal is to win the gold medal at Pyeongchang and I want to achieve it in front of my family," said the 42-year old Kasai, who got married after the Sochi Games last year. "When I reached 40, I decided I would call it quits when I turned 50. But now Sapporo, my birthplace, is bidding for the 2026 Games. I will be 54 by that time, but it is too big a chance to give up."
Kasai became one of the most popular athletes in Japan when he made his seventh Olympics last February and took two medals in ski jumping, earning him the nickname "Legend." He also took the bronze in the team event as well as the silver, his first Olympic medal in an individual event.