Yukio Kasaya, who made history by winning Asia's first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal in 1972, died from heart disease on Tuesday morning at a hospital in Sapporo. He was 80 years old.
His family held a private funeral service, and a public farewell ceremony will be held later at the Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium in Sapporo, one of the venues where the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics was held.
Kasaya's victory at the Sapporo Games was a landmark moment for Japan. Competing in the ski jumping event on home soil, he captured gold, thrilling the tens of thousands in attendance and millions of Japanese watching on TV at home.