But the 24-year-old said the predicament helped to refresh her mindset. Nordic combined: Yuna leads one-two World Cup finish by Kasai twins Yanagimoto looked firmly on track toward the Olympics with two World Cup silvers in moguls and another in dual moguls in December 2023, but the subsequent injury, leading to three months of rehabilitation […]
But the 24-year-old said the predicament helped to refresh her mindset.
Nordic combined: Yuna leads one-two World Cup finish by Kasai twins
Yanagimoto looked firmly on track toward the Olympics with two World Cup silvers in moguls and another in dual moguls in December 2023, but the subsequent injury, leading to three months of rehabilitation on top of treatment, proved a significant setback.
“Rather than comparing myself with other skiers, I’ve started to focus more on my own skiing and feelings,” said Yanagimoto, who matched her best World Cup finish with a dual moguls silver in December.
“I’m shaping up nicely. I hope to keep producing results that would place me in the top six at the end.”
Tests following her initial diagnosis revealed cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and Yanagimoto battled headaches and sleeping disorders, among other physical symptoms.
Known for her dynamic aerials, Yanagimoto had a single World Cup runner-up finish in 2021 but narrowly missed out on a 2022 Beijing Olympic berth, with “the frustration driving on” the Winter Games aspirant.
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With the Olympics a year away, Yanagimoto’s strong second half to the current season comes at an opportune time. She will aim to carry her form into the world championships in March in Switzerland.
Japan’s leading freestyle skier in women’s moguls, Rino Yanagimoto, is eyeing her Olympic debut at the Milano-Cortina Games next winter as she continues to make her way back from a concussion suffered during a fall in competition last February.
“I’m aiming for a podium finish and want to hit my peak at the right time,” she said.
Japan’s Rino Yanagimoto (L) poses for a photo after finishing second in the women’s dual moguls at a freestyle ski World Cup event in Bakuriani, Georgia, on Dec. 21, 2024. (Photo courtesy of rudi.garmisch/FIS)(Kyodo)
Japan’s Rino Yanagimoto competes in the women’s dual moguls during a freestyle ski World Cup event in Waterville, Maine, on Jan. 25, 2025. (Photo courtesy of rudi.garmisch/FIS)(Kyodo)
