Sara Takanashi (高梨 沙羅, Takanashi Sara) (born 8 October 1996) is a Japanese ski jumper. She is one of the most successful female ski jumpers to date, as well as one of the most successful athletes in the history of the sport, having won four World Cup overall titles (an all-time female record), seven World Championship medals, and a Winter Olympic medal. As of November 2024, Takanashi holds the record for the most individual World Cup wins, male or female, with 63.[2] She also has three Guinness World Records certificates for the most podium finishes in the Ski Jumping World Cup, the most individual victories by a female in the Ski Jumping World Cup, and the most Ski Jumping World Cup individual victories in a career (overall).[3]

Sara Takanashi
Takanashi in Hinzenbach, 2017
Born (1996-10-08) 8 October 1996 (age 28)
Kamikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
Height1.52 m (5 ft 0 in)[1]
Ski clubKuraray
Personal best188 m (617 ft)
Vikersund, 17 March 2024
World Cup career
Seasons2012–present
Starts219
Podiums116
Wins63
Overall titles4 (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
Medal record
Women's ski jumping
Representing  Japan
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Pyeongchang Individual NH
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Val di Fiemme Mixed team NH
Silver medal – second place 2013 Val di Fiemme Individual NH
Silver medal – second place 2021 Oberstdorf Individual LH
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Falun Mixed team NH
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Lahti Individual NH
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Lahti Mixed team NH
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Oberstdorf Individual NH
Youth Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 Innsbruck Individual NH
Updated on 21 March 2024.

Career

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Takanashi placed sixth at the 2011 World Championship in Oslo.[4] In the World Cup, she debuted on 3 December 2011 in Lillehammer where she finished fifth.

During the 2013–14 season, Takanashi won 15 out of 18 individual World Cup ski jumping events. At the 2014 Winter Olympics, she was ranked third after her first jump in the medal round, but dropped to fourth place in the final round and missed the podium.[5] In the 2015–16 season, she won her third World Cup overall title.[6]

Takanashi also won the first-ever women's World Cup team competition in Hinterzarten on 16 December 2017. Her teammates included Yuki Ito, Kaori Iwabuchi and Yuka Seto.[7]

She won a bronze medal in the individual normal hill event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.[8]

Major tournament results

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Winter Olympics

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Year Place NH Mixed NH
2014   Sochi 4 N/A
2018   Pyeongchang   N/A
2022   Beijing 4 4

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

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Year Place NH LH Team NH Mixed NH
2011   Oslo 6 N/A N/A N/A
2013   Val di Fiemme   N/A N/A  
2015   Falun 4 N/A N/A  
2017   Lahti   N/A N/A  
2019   Seefeld 6 N/A 6 5
2021   Oberstdorf     4 5
2023   Planica 20

World Cup

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Standings

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Season Position Points
2011–12 3 639
2012–13 1 1,297
2013–14 1 1,720
2014–15 2 973
2015–16 1 1,610
2016–17 1 1,455
2017–18 3 916
2018–19 4 1,190
2019–20 4 785
2020–21 2 862
2021–22 5 843
2022–23 10 674
2023–24 9 799

Individual wins

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No. Season Date Location Hill Size
1 2011–12 3 March 2012     Zaō Yamagata HS100 NH
2 2012–13 24 November 2012     Lillehammer Lysgårdsbakken HS100 NH
3 14 December 2012     Ramsau W90-Mattensprunganlage HS98 NH
4 5 January 2013     Schonach Langenwaldschanze HS106 NH
5 13 January 2013     Hinterzarten Rothaus-Schanze HS108 NH
6 10 February 2013     Zaō Yamagata HS100 NH
7 10 February 2013     Zaō Yamagata HS100 NH
8 16 February 2013     Ljubno ob Savinji Savina Ski Jumping Center HS95 NH
9 17 February 2013     Ljubno ob Savinji Savina Ski Jumping Center HS95 NH
10 2013–14 7 December 2013     Lillehammer Lysgårdsbakken HS100 NH
11 21 December 2013     Hinterzarten Rothaus-Schanze HS108 NH
12 22 December 2013     Hinterzarten Rothaus-Schanze HS108 NH
13 3 January 2014     Chaykovsky Snezhinka HS106 NH
14 11 January 2014     Sapporo Miyanomori HS100 NH
15 12 January 2014     Sapporo Miyanomori HS100 NH
16 18 January 2014     Zaō Yamagata HS100 NH
17 19 January 2014     Zaō Yamagata HS100 NH
18 1 February 2014     Hinzenbach Aigner-Schanze HS94 NH
19 2 February 2014     Hinzenbach Aigner-Schanze HS94 NH
20 1 March 2014     Râșnov Trambulina Valea Cărbunării HS100 NH
21 2 March 2014     Râșnov Trambulina Valea Cărbunării HS100 NH
22 8 March 2014     Oslo Holmenkollbakken HS134 LH
23 15 March 2014     Falun Lugnet HS98 NH
24 22 March 2014     Planica Bloudkova velikanka HS139 LH
25 2014–15 10 January 2015     Sapporo Miyanomori HS100 NH
26 11 January 2015     Sapporo Miyanomori HS100 NH
27 8 February 2015     Râșnov Trambulina Valea Cărbunării HS100 NH
28 14 February 2015     Ljubno ob Savinji Savina Ski Jumping Center HS95 NH
29 15 February 2015     Ljubno ob Savinji Savina Ski Jumping Center HS95 NH
30 13 March 2015     Oslo Holmenkollbakken HS134 LH
31 2015–16 4 December 2015     Lillehammer Lysgårdsbakken HS100 NH
32 13 December 2015     Nizhny Tagil Tramplin Stork HS97 NH
33 16 January 2016     Sapporo Miyanomori HS100 NH
34 17 January 2016     Sapporo Miyanomori HS100 NH
35 22 January 2016     Zaō Yamagata HS106 NH
36 23 January 2016     Zaō Yamagata HS106 NH
37 30 January 2016     Oberstdorf Schattenbergschanze HS106 NH
38 31 January 2016     Oberstdorf Schattenbergschanze HS106 NH
39 4 February 2016     Oslo Holmenkollbakken HS134 LH
40 6 February 2016     Hinzenbach Aigner-Schanze HS94 NH
41 7 February 2016     Hinzenbach Aigner-Schanze HS94 NH
42 19 February 2016     Lahti Salpausselkä HS100 NH
43 27 February 2016     Almaty Sunkar HS106 NH
44 28 February 2016     Almaty Sunkar HS106 NH
45 2016–17 2 December 2016     Lillehammer Lysgårdsbakken HS100 NH
46 3 December 2016     Lillehammer Lysgårdsbakken HS100 NH
47 11 December 2016     Nizhny Tagil Tramplin Stork HS100 NH
48 7 January 2017     Oberstdorf Schattenbergschanze HS137 LH
49 8 January 2017     Oberstdorf Schattenbergschanze HS137 LH
50 29 January 2017     Râșnov Trambulina Valea Cărbunării HS100 NH
51 4 February 2017     Hinzenbach Aigner-Schanze HS94 NH
52 5 February 2017     Hinzenbach Aigner-Schanze HS94 NH
53 16 February 2017     Pyeongchang Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre HS109 NH
54 2017–18 24 March 2018     Oberstdorf Schattenbergschanze HS106 NH
55 25 March 2018     Oberstdorf Schattenbergschanze HS106 NH
56 2018–19 10 February 2019     Ljubno ob Savinji Savina Ski Jumping Center HS94 NH
57 2019–20 9 March 2020     Lillehammer Lysgårdsbakken HS140 LH
58 2020–21 6 February 2021     Hinzenbach Aigner-Schanze HS90 NH
59 7 February 2021     Hinzenbach Aigner-Schanze HS90 NH
60 19 February 2021     Râșnov Trambulina Valea Cărbunării HS97 NH
61 2021–22 1 January 2022     Ljubno ob Savinji Savina Ski Jumping Center HS94 NH
62 2 March 2022    Lillehammer Lysgårdsbakken HS140 LH
63 6 March 2022    Oslo Holmenkollbakken HS134 LH

Individual starts

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winner (1); second (2); third (3); did not compete (–); disqualified (DQ)
Season 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
2011–12                          
5 17 2 2 2 1 2 2 2
2012–13                                
1 2 3 1 1 4 2 1 12 5 1 1 1 1 2 2
2013–14                                    
1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2014–15                          
3 1 1 7 3 5 3 8 2 1 1 1 1
2015–16                                  
1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 1 1 1
2016–17                                      
1 1 3 1 1 1 2 4 5 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 2
2017–18                              
4 4 3 3 3 2 4 3 3 4 7 4 4 1 1
2018–19                                                
3 DQ 11 2 3 11 8 2 6 3 7 4 2 2 1 4 3 4 14 6 9 5 3 8
2019–20                                
9 3 4 4 5 2 4 4 9 16 4 4 4 5 1 8
2020–21                          
3 4 7 2 DQ 1 1 2 1 2 3 2 7
2021–22                                      
6 5 6 8 5 4 4 5 1 1 4 3 1 4 7
2022–23                                                    
6 5 18 16 14 11 14 5 10 11 10 9 30 4 4 3 3 8 11 10 11 11
2023–24                                                
12 6 21 11 6 19 9 11 4 7 11 8 6 2 4 12 9 6 7 10 9 17 6 4

References

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  1. ^ "Sara TAKANASHI". Olympic Channel. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Athlete: Takanashi Sara – all wins". fis-ski.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  3. ^ "A Japanese ski jumper breaks record to win 3 Guinness titles". The Indian Express. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  4. ^ "World Ski Championships Oslo (NOR)". fis-ski.com.
  5. ^ Gallagher, Jack (12 February 2014). "Ski jump favorite Takanashi fails to land medal". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Takanashi wraps up third World Cup title". The Japan Times. 19 February 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Japan rules in first ever Ladies' Team event". fis-ski.com. 16 December 2017. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  8. ^ Trevelyan, Mark (12 February 2018). "Ski jumping: Norway's Lundby flies through blizzard to take gold". Reuters. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
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Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for   Japan
2018 Pyeongchang
(with Noriaki Kasai)
Succeeded by