Newly crowned Takanashi hails Olympic boost

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea: Japanese ski jumping sensation Sara Takanashi said her record- equalling victory in Pyeongchang could give her an edge when she seeks to erase her Olympic heartache at the South Korean venue next year.

A day after sealing the World Cup series title by placing second in Pyeongchang, Takanashi won in windy conditions on the same hill to match the all-time record of 53 World Cup victories held by Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer.

Takanashi , 2 0, who wi l l now compete at next week’s Nordic Ski World Championships in Finland, said Thursday’s victory would give her a boost for the 2018 Olympics.

“This will give me a lot of confidence for next year’s Olympics but there are still lots of things I need to work on before the world championships,” she told Japanese media.

Takanashi now has four World Cup titles, but at the Sochi 2014 Olympics the gold medal favourite, then just 17, suffered heartbreak when she finished fourth.

She said she now needed to focus on the world championships, a biennial tournament where she is yet to win an individual gold medal.

“I’m happy to get my 53rd win but I have mixed feelings,” Takanashi told Japanese broadcaster NHK, describing Thursday’s victory.

“The wind was very blustery which made the conditions change but I hung in and kept my focus. There’s not much time before the world championships this month so I need to knuckle down and do the job.”