Olympics: Akito Watabe aims to be second to none in large hill 10 km

In Sochi, it was by 4.2 seconds. In Pyeongchang, it was 4.8.

The gap between silver medalist Akito Watabe and gold medalist Eric Frenzel of Germany at the most two recent Winter Olympics in the Nordic combined normal hill 10 kilometer could not have been closer, yet so far.

And Watabe knows true recognition will never come unless he tops the podium as an athlete in a not-so-glamorous sport, unlike the figure skaters from Japan where they have a fanatical following and are shot to national stardom.

"Figure skating is getting all the attention. I've got the same color of medal as Uno, but he's dominating all the talk," Watabe said with a laugh after training Sunday, referring to Pyeongchang men's figure skating silver medalist Shoma Uno, who capped a one-two finish with the now two-time defending Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu.

"Not that anyone can do anything about it since figure skating is the most popular (winter) sport in Japan. I heard we already have more medals here than we did in Sochi, but at this rate, I see no reason why we can't win more. I hope I can catch the wave and win one, two more medals myself."

"I need a gold medal, without question. I do, to become what I want to be."

What Watabe wants to be remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that he wants to win the gold in Tuesday's large hill 10 km, a goal he has been targeting since making his Olympic debut at the 2006 Torino Games as a second-year high school student.

Watabe was sixth in the event in Sochi four years ago, but has been a different competitor this season, leading the overall World Cup standings with a career-best five victories, including four in a row.

The 29-year-old Watabe, who is competing in Pyeongchang with his younger brother and fellow Nordic combined racer Yoshito, has also come up short in the overall World Cup race previously, settling for second three times.

All signs point to Watabe finally getting over the hump on Tuesday, although the hills at Pyeongchang have become notorious for the unpredictable wind changing from minute to minute.

Japanese ski jumping legend Noriaki Kasai has lamented -- and struggled with -- the winds at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre, saying they are pretty much a coin toss.

Yet unlike many Japanese athletes who can be finicky about the weather or venue conditions, Watabe does not worry about what is beyond his control. And that includes all the previous near-miss finishes of his career.

"I'm just focusing on my next race at this moment," he said. "I mean, what can you do about something that has already happened? It is what it is."

"I can't change the past. But what I can do is do everything I can to make a difference in the future. I think it's going to be fun."