Sara Takanashi Marked 31st Win at Ladies' World Cup Jump, Lillehammer

Japan's super jumper Sara Takanashi won the first of the 19 jumps of the World Cup Ladies Jump at Lillehammer, Norway, November 4, jumping 95.5m and 97.5m for a total score of 251.7m. That was her 31st win.

Sara commented:
"Lucky I was able to jump that far with rather strong wind."

Sara placed 3rd in last year's opening jump. In the 2013-2014 season, Sara Takanashi won 15 individual World Cup ski jumping events out of 18. In the total number of wins in the World Cup Sara tops with 30 followed by her American name-sister Sarah Hendrickson with 13.

Sara Takanashi hails from Hokkaido and both her father and brother were reputed jumpers. She learned how to jump in her 2nd-grade year. At age 13 she jumped and placed 19th in the Ski Jump Continental Cup in 2009 at Zao. The following year, 2010, she stood on the podium for the first time, placed 3rd in Zao.

The 2010-2011 season found Sara Takanashi in Austria on February 19 at the Continental Cup in Ramsau, Austria, where she was placed 1st as the youngest in the history of ladies' ski jumping to win in official international jumping events.

Sara had come to Lillehammer with all her hard lessons well learned. Last season she was placed 3rd in the first jump on account of some troubles with her gear and her approach posture. Sara had trained herself time and again to jump with accuracy.

She recalled:
"It's been a long, hard way. I feel confident now that I have done right things."

So far Sara has won every season she was placed 1st in the opening jump.

"I'll make sure to bring that Crystal Cup home", smiled Sara.