A well-worn Japanese cliche says a beast is lurking within the biggest sporting stages ready to ravage mentally weak athletes. On Sunday at the Beijing Olympics, Ryoyu Kobayashi said he became that beast.
After winning his first Olympic gold medal on the normal hill — and Japan's first gold of the Games — large hill specialist Kobayashi was in a playful frame of mind, telling reporters, "I might be the beast of these Olympics."
The 25-year-old defied the pressure of high expectations that came with his World Cup-leading seven wins this season, converting that success to gold at the National Ski Jumping Centre in Zhangjiakou.