Akira Higashi
Akira Higashi (东 辉Japanese, Akira Higashi, born January 7, 1972 in Niki, County Yoichi ) is a Japanese ski jumper.
Career
Higashi debuted in December 1988 in Sapporo in the World Cup. After he has a 14 and an eleventh place right away, he was able to participate in February 1989 at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, where he was on the normal hill 20. In the following season 1989/90 he could not compete in the World Cup Performance-wise, reaching if he ever qualified for the competition, never the second round. Therefore, he already broke his participation in the World Cup competitions from the end of December. 1990/91 he joined the World Cup only at the competitions held in Sapporo, but was able to prove in February somewhat surprising at the Nordic World Ski Championships 1991 in Val di Fiemme one tenth of the large hill. The following winter 1991/92 he was completely out of shape and he could in all four World Cups in which he participated, do not pass their qualification. However, at the beginning of the next season 1992/93 he appeared very strong and he celebrated his first World Cup win in Sapporo on 20 December 1992. This was followed by his first participation in the Four Hills Tournament.
In the following winter he stepped up to some of the few exceptions only take place in Japan World Cup and reached this mediocre rankings. Only in the 1996/97 season he joined again at a larger number of World Cup competition, but he was always able to gain a place in the top 30. Finally, he also won the season finale flying in Planica. 1997/98 he was able to repeatedly place among the best and ten participated in the Ski Flying World Championships 1998 in Oberstdorf, where he took a 15th place. He then joined again sporadically in World Cup, without also recorded significant success. At the beginning of 2002 he was able to occupy top positions in held in Sapporo Continental Cup competitions and launched thereafter until the end of the 2001/02 season and again in the World Cup, where he usually placed in the points. When held in Harrachov Ski Flying World Championships 2002, he was 41 in the 2002/03 season he took part, especially to take place in Japan World Cup and Continental Cup, but was used in the Nordic World Ski Championships 2003 in Val di Fiemme. There he won the silver medal in the team competition, together with Kazuyoshi Funaki, Hideharu Miyahira and Noriaki Kasai. In the summer of 2003 he went to the mat at the Continental Cup Ski Jumping and shortly afterwards he was able to score points for the first time also in the Summer Grand Prix.
In the winter of 2003/ 04 he commuted between World and Continental back and forth. He was able to gain some Continental Cup and also scored in the World Cup several good results. He also participated in the Ski Flying World Championships 2004 in Planica, where he was in the single only 41, but finished fifth place with the team. In the Summer Grand Prix competition of the year 2004, he brought repeatedly good results and could occupy a 21st place in the overall standings at the end. During the 2004/05 season he joined continuously at the World Cup, but could only access placements in midfield. When discharged in Oberstdorf Nordic World Ski Championships 2005, he also belonged to the Japanese squad. In summer 2005, he joined again at the Grand Prix, with a fifth place in Hakuba his best result was. In the following winter of 2005 /06 he moved back between World and Continental back and forth, but could bring compelling benefits in any of the two series. Since the beginning of 2007 he entered, with the exception of a Continental Cup in January 2008 Brotterode, only when jumping in Japan. In the 2009/10 season, however, Higashi again took part in World Cup competition in Europe, as it was used in the absence of the Japanese A- team at the FIS Team Tour 2010.
Higashis older brothers, the twins Kazuhiro and Akihiro were also ski jumpers, but have now ended her career.