Madoka Natsumi

Madoka Natsumi (Jap.夏 见 円, Madoka Natsumi, born July 2, 1978 in Abashiri ) is a Japanese cross country skier who specializes in sprint competitions. On 27 February 2008 she wins the Sprint Cup competition in Stockholm third place and thus Fight for the first podium finish for Japan in the Cross Country World Cup.

Life and career

Natsumi began at the age of seven years with the cross-country and was launched in 1997 for the first time in the Cross Country World Cup. After she could achieve placements far out of World Cup points ranks at the beginning of her career, she specialized from the 2001/02 season on Sprint competitions. So she was able to fight for World Cup points this season for the first time. In the Italian Cogne she took over the 5 kilometer classic technique the 24th Place. Two weeks later, she won the sprint also in the classical technique in Asiago eleventh place. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, she confirmed this result with a twelfth place in the freestyle sprint. At the end of the season they won the tenth place in the sprint in Oslo, Norway their first top- ten finish.

In the following years, succeeded Natsumi several times to fight for World Cup points in sprint competitions. At the Nordic World Ski Championships 2005 in Oberstdorf, however, as they missed 31 in the sprint qualification clear the finals. In the season 2005/ 06 she won the team sprint in Canmore, Canada with Nobuko Fukuda eighth. This placement could repeat at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Pragelato, the two women. In the sprint competition, which was held in the free technique, Natsumi was 17 At the Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 in the domestic Sapporo Natsumi reached the A-final in the sprint in classical technique and achieved fifth place her until then best result in an international competition.

In the 2007 /08 season Natsumi scored several places in the top ten in sprint competitions. On 27 February 2008 she managed the sprint in Stockholm with room 3, the first time the leap onto the podium in a World Cup competition. This is the best placement could fight the Japanese sportsmen / sportswomen so far (March 2008 ). At the end of the season took the tenth place in the overall standings of the Sprint Cup.