With the exception of shooting star on the tennis court and a questionable ref at the World Cup, much of the big sports news stories for Japan happened on the ice year.
Scandalous outcome: Skating judges steal Kim’s title, hand it to Sotnikova
Yuna Kim got robbed on Thursday night. Plain and simple. What happened to her at the Sochi Games was a complete and utter disgrace. Another black eye for figure skating.
Outrage follows decision to leave Nagasu off U.S. team
“To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards out of men.”
— Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Teen snowboarders win first medals for Japan
A pair of teenage Japanese rivals produced results worth seeing Tuesday in the halfpipe event and carved their names in history at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Hanyu wins Japan’s first gold medal of the Sochi Olympics
Yuzuru Hanyu overcame a sub-par free skate and hung on to win the Olympic gold medal at the Sochi Games on Friday night. In doing so Hanyu became the first Japanese man to capture the Olympic gold in figure skating.
Japanese referee Nishimura in spotlight after controversial decisions in World Cup opener
Just one game into the World Cup, and referees are already the center of attention. The refereeing standards at the World Cup are always hotly debated, and Yuichi Nishimura made sure this time won’t be any different after a controversial performance in the opening match on Thursday.
Nishikori bests Djokovic to make U.S. Open final
Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic set up a shock U.S. Open final Saturday as Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, with 24 Grand Slams between them, were dumped out in one sensational afternoon.
Mao gives measured response to Mori’s criticism, defends use of triple axel
Figure skater Mao Asada chided Tokyo 2020 Olympic organizing committee chief Yoshiro Mori for criticizing her efforts at the Sochi Games upon her return from Russia on Tuesday.
Negative impact of 1964 Olympics profound
If for the Japanese the 1964 Summer Olympics was a blaze of glory, it also cast some shadows. The transformation of Tokyo from a war-ravaged city into a major international capital, seemingly overnight, had a dark side that was rarely talked about.
Controversy rages on after Kim denied second Olympic gold
Two days after the shocking decision that gave Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova the gold medal over defending Olympic champion Yuna Kim, the controversy surrounding the move shows no signs of abating.
Mao’s mishap hurts Japan’s medal hopes
Another disappointing performance by Mao Asada on Saturday night has reduced Japan’s chances at a medal in the inaugural Olympic team event.