Ambassador
KIMINOBU KIMURA
KIMINOBU KIMURA

Born in 1970 in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, he joined the national team at the age of 15. In 1991, he became the first Japanese athlete to win the gold medal in slalom at the Winter Universiade. He participated in four consecutive Winter Olympics: Albertville (France) in 1992, Lillehammer (Norway) in 1994, Nagano (Japan) in 1998, and Salt Lake City (USA) in 2002. In January 1998, he placed third at the World Cup in Veysonnaz (Switzerland). For the 1997/1998 season, he was ranked 4th in the world in the slalom discipline. He retired from competitive skiing after the 2002/2003 season. From 2003, he has been running a ski school at Furano Ski Resort, where he is highly regarded by a wide range of age groups. He imparts the fundamentals of skiing and the unique pleasure of powder skiing in Furano, sharing his expertise in a way that emphasizes enjoyment and the appeal of skiing.