HAKUBA, Nagano Pref. (Kyodo) Veteran ski jumper Akira Higashi nailed a pair of impressive jumps in the large hill event en route to winning his first title at the national championships on Sunday.
The 37-year-old Higashi, who took the lead after a first effort of 132 meters, soared 137 meters on his second attempt at the K-120 hill in Hakuba to claim victory with a total of 273.2 points.
Keita Umezaki finished in second on 262.8, while Shusaku Hosoyama was third with 250.0. Veteran Kazuyoshi Funaki was fifth on 246.7.