Despite holding an unparalleled World Cup record of 61 wins, Japanese ski jumping starlet Sara Takanashi has not translated that success into an Olympic title, and another chance passed by in unfortunate circumstances in the mixed team event on Monday.
After placing fourth in her individual Olympic debut at Sochi in 2014 at age 17, she won a bronze medal in Pyeongchang in 2018. On her third try, the Olympic pinnacle again proved a leap too far as she finished fourth Saturday in China.
Missing the podium by approximately 4 meters, Takanashi hinted she "might not have a role to play anymore" at the Olympics.
She remained a key piece in Japan's mixed team two days later as the event made its debut at the games. It was seen as a prime chance for her to win an Olympic gold medal, even if not the individual title she wanted most.
But after the team also missed out on the podium, finishing fourth, Takanashi offered apologies to the team and supporters in an Instagram post, saying her disqualification on her first jump cost them the chance to win an Olympic medal.
"It is an unchangeable fact that I changed people's lives because of my disqualification," she said, her post accompanied by an all-black image where normally a photo would be.
"Although my apology does not bring back a medal and cannot take responsibility (for what happened), I must think over what to do with my athletic career. What I have done is that serious and I feel deep regret."
There have been over 40,000 mostly supportive comments made on her Instagram post with 2018 Olympic gold medalist Maren Lundby of Norway, Katharina Althaus of Germany -- also disqualified in the event -- and fellow Hokkaido-born Olympian Chinami Yoshida in the women's curling all getting behind her.
"Ski jumping needs you now, and also from now on," tweeted jumper Yukiya Sato, one of her two male mixed team event teammates along with the normal hill winner Ryoyu Kobayashi.
"It might take time, but I want you to lift your head and look around. There are many people who have been filled with the joy you gave us."
Takanashi thought she had given her team the best possible start by landing a huge, 103-meter jump as Japan's first to take to the hill, only for an official to judge her guilty of a suit violation due to the material of her skiwear being 2 centimeters wider than permitted around her thighs.
All the jumpers have their suits checked on the inseam -- where the infringements are seen the most -- at the hill before a competition to avoid being found wearing oversized items that give an advantage in flight.
Takanashi's infringement was identified after her jump when athletes were randomly selected to undergo checks. It resulted in her first attempt being struck and left her in tears, and also needing to change into new outerwear for her next jump.
The fact that she had worn the same suit in the individual event two days earlier, without any attention from officials at the time, added fuel to the controversy, although the Japanese team did offer some possible reasoning behind the situation.
"They couldn't gain size due to the high altitude (of around 1,700 meters) and the bitter cold," said Japan coach Tomoharu Yokokawa, explaining that is often the jumpers' physical goal before competition. Another team official speculated Takanashi may even have "lost some size."
It was not just Japan to suffer, though, as a jumper each from Austria and Germany as well as two from Norway fell foul of the same regulation.
Each country deploys the same tactics in assigning staff to look at the suits and push the limits of the regulations while remaining on the right side of legal.
"The jumpers wear the suits they're provided with and take off straight away, so it's our mistake," said Yokokawa.
"It was never her problem," Yuki Ito, another female jumper in the four-member Japan team, said of Takanashi. "I've never seen an event with so many disqualifications."
A tearful Takanashi, nevertheless, steeled herself and declared she would "fly through the end" of her second jump.
She got a respectable 98.5 meters despite the adversity of the situation -- posting her highest style points of the games -- and set up an exciting finale that pushed Japan within reach of an unlikely comeback for a medal.
With the way she bounced back, and the grace she showed by bowing deeply after the final jump in an apparent show of taking some responsibility for a situation that was out of her control, Takanashi won many hearts back home.
Related coverage:
Olympics: Japan 4th as disqualifications mar ski jumping mixed event
Olympics: Sara Takanashi questions jumping future after missing in Beijing
Olympics: Sara Takanashi 4th in women's normal hill ski jump
