MILAN, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Big air champion Kokomo Murase said hard work and hundreds of hours of training were behind Japan's record-breaking medal haul in snowboarding at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
Murase contributed two of the team's nine medals with her big air gold and a bronze in slopestyle as Japanese boarders tripled their medal count from the Beijing Games in 2022.
"I think that Japanese athletes have grown tremendously over these past four years," the 21-year-old told reporters on Friday.
"One of the main reasons is that everyone is so dedicated - training an incredible amount, more than most people could imagine.
"It's precisely because of that immense effort with all the struggles and hard work they've endured, that we were able to earn these nine medals."
The medal haul - four golds, two silvers and three bronzes - was the most won by a country in snowboarding at a Winter Olympics, two more than the American team won at the 2006 and 2018 Games.
Kira Kimura, who won the men's big air gold in Livigno, said it was "truly an amazing achievement" and gave credit to the coaching team behind the boarders.
"I think being able to earn that many medals comes down to things like the training environment during the off-season and coaches' techniques continuing to evolve every year," he said.
"It really makes me feel that Japanese athletes are incredibly strong."
Taiga Hasegawa, who won a silver in the men's slopestyle, said the sheer number of top quality Japanese snowboarders was raising standards in the team.
"Watching the top athletes train up close gives us a huge advantage compared to other countries," the 20-year-old said.
"I think that's helped make us so strong. Having stars and aces nearby creates natural competition within the team, and everyone pushes each other to a higher level."
(Reporting by Irene Wang; Writing by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Alison Williams)
