Japanese · Hokkaido, Japan · Born 8 October 1996Japanese ski jumper who holds the record for most World Cup victories by any jumper, male or female, and became the youngest overall World Cup champion in the sport's history at just 16.
Sara Takanashi was born on 8 October 1996 in Hokkaido, Japan, and was introduced to ski jumping by her father and older brother, making her debut in the FIS Continental Cup at just 13. She won gold at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 2012, and made her senior World Cup debut later that year, finishing fifth. Takanashi's rise was meteoric: in the 2012-13 season she won eight of 16 competitions to become, at 16, the youngest overall World Cup champion in the sport's history, a record she defended the following season with 15 victories - also a single-season record. She was the overwhelming favorite heading into the inaugural Olympic women's ski jumping competition at the 2014 Sochi Games, but finished fourth after admitting her nerves had cost her the medal, watching Germany's Carina Vogt claim the historic first gold instead. Takanashi rebounded to win bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, and continued setting records throughout the 2010s and 2020s, becoming the first ski jumper of either gender to reach 60 individual World Cup victories in 2021, a mark she has since extended to 63 - the outright record regardless of gender, ahead of Finland's Janne Ahonen. She also holds the record for most World Cup podium finishes (over 109) and is a four-time overall World Cup champion. Despite her extraordinary consistency, Olympic gold has eluded her; she continues competing into her late twenties, driven by her stated goal of becoming a mentor for the next generation of women's ski jumpers.
Holding the all-time record for World Cup ski jumping victories, male or female, with 63 wins across a career spanning over a decade
How They Played
Technically disciplined jumper known for exceptional consistency and mental focus, with a distinctive intense concentration before every jump
Lasting Impact
Widely regarded as the greatest women's ski jumper in history and one of the sport's most statistically dominant athletes of any era, despite Olympic gold continuing to elude her
Career Honours
- 2018 Olympic Bronze Medalist, Normal Hill
- Most World Cup victories in ski jumping history (63, male or female)
- 4x Overall World Cup Champion
- Youngest-ever overall World Cup champion (age 16)
Japanese Athletes