“When I was a child, I was surrounded by friends who were good at skiing and I always ranked lower than them in our races. However, my passion for this sport was stronger than anything. At the Olympics, I won two gold medals as an athlete and three medals as a coach. Now that the number of junior players is decreasing, I have started to develop junior skiers who dream of racing on the world stage. Building the future of the sport is my challenge and adventure: I aim to increase the number of ski lovers. My passion for skiing is the origin of my personality.”

I am a NORQAINER – my life, my way

 

Kenji Ogiwara has been active for many years at the top of the world as a Nordic combined athlete. The Japanese skier participated in the Olympics four times since the 1992 Games in Albertville. Kenji won two consecutive gold medals in a group competition (1992 Albertville, 1994 Lillehammer), four gold medals at the World Championships and 19 World Cup wins including three consecutive personal wins. He also received the “King of Skiing” title. Kenji retired from competition in 2002 and in 2004 he worked as a member of the parliament to promote sports and education. He later became a successful ski coach, leading multiple Olympic medallists to the podium. Currently, he is actively engaged in training junior ski athletes.

Kenji is a true NORQAINER – his life, his way