Despite a number of disappointments, Japan still made history at the Sochi Olympics, which concluded on Sunday.
Although solid medal favorites such as women's ski jumper Sara Takanashi and women's figure skater Mao Asada failed to medal, Japan still managed eight medals, a Japan record for overseas Winter Games, with 41-year-old ski jumper Noriaki Kasai winning two.
"We did fall short of our goal of winning 10 medals and we had just one gold medal," said Japan chef de mission Seiko Hashimoto. "But of the eight we won, seven came from the mountains and that will go a long way toward (the 2018 Winter Games in) Pyeongchang."