Sara Takanashi Wiki: Ski Jumper, Net Worth, Five World Championship Medals & Facts To Know

Sarah Takanashi was born in 1996. She is a Japanese ski jumper and one of the most successful ski jumper till date. She is also one of the most successful athletes in ski jumping history. Takanashi has won four World Cup titles and five World Championship medals. In her short spanned career of six years, Takanashi has never finished lower than the third place in the overall standings. She has also shares the world record for most individual World cup victories along with Gregor Schlierrenzauer - 53. Takanashi recently participated in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and won a bronze medal. She also finished fourth at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and owns other six world championship medals too. Born in 1996 in Hokkaido, Japan, Takanashi has lived there all her life. Hokkaido is a northern Japanese Island where Sapporo, which was the host of the 1972 Olympic Winter Games is located. Takanashi took ballet and piano lessons as a kid and after that her brother and father introduced her to the sport of ski jumping when she was in second grade. Today, she is in the Japanese National teams but regards her father as her biggest influence and takes her coaching advice from him. She sends him videos of her jumps to analyze since he rarely travels with her to events.

Takanashi was placed sixth in the 2011 World Championship in Oslo. In the World Cup debut in 2011 in Lillehammer, she was placed fifth. During the 2013–14 season, Takanashi won 15 out of 18 individual World Cup ski jumping events. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, she was ranked third and got a bronze medal after her first jump in the medal round, but dropped to fourth place in the final round and missed the podium. In the 2015–16 season she won her third and record World Cup overall title four events before the season got over. She also won the first ever women's World Cup team competition in Hinterzarten on 16 December 2017 along with her teammates, Yuka Seto and Yuki Ito. Takanashi won the bronze medal in individual normal hill event at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Takanashi also picked up two medals at the 2013 World Championships: a gold medal in team event and a silver medal in an individual event. She was the 2013 World Cup overall champion, as well. She entered the Sochi Olympics as a gold medal favorite – especially once U.S. rival Sarah Hendrickson’s injury took her out of medal contention – but ultimately finished in what she called a “dreadfully disappointing” fourth place. She still managed to finish the Olympic season with her second overall World Cup title. In 2015, she placed fourth at the world championships and got a bronze medal in the team event. The following season, she won the World Cup overall title for the third time. At the 2017 World Championships, she picked up two bronze medals in the individual and team events. She won her fourth World Cup title, too. At the 2012 Junior World Championships, Takanashi won both available gold medals. She won individual gold and in addition to gold in the team event. At the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, Takanashi won gold again, plus finished fifth in the team event. Takanashi has won four of the six World Cup women’s ski jumping titles ever awarded: 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. “It’s definitely a friendly rivalry. Again, we can’t really converse that much, but she’s always so nice and super humble and an amazing athlete. What she has accomplished is outstanding. I look up to her and we are always respectful toward each other. It’s a good competition and it’s fun.” – Team USA’s Sarah Hendrickson said about her rivalry with Takanashi in an interview. Such kind of rivalry only motivates the athletes to perform their best. It’s healthy and only adds fun to the event. Takanashi when asked to comment on her competitor Sarah Hendrickson said, “It’s not so much fun jumping without [Hendrickson], I have learned a lot of things from her. To me, she is a sort of icon rather than a rival. I don’t consider myself champion.” Takanashi aided the city of Tokyo’s bid to host the 2020 Olympics. Tokyo was awarded the Summer Games by the International Olympic Committee in September 2013.

The net worth of the ski jumper is currently under review.

Sarah Takanashi does not have an official page on Instagram but there are a few photos of Takanashi on Instagram @sarahtakanashi. You can also find some photos of her on her Twitter handle @skijumping.pl. She might be accessing Twitter and Instagram via a private account. Sarah Takanashi has proved that with dedication, perseverance and hard work, one can achieve success. She has made herself and her country proud. May she have many such medals in the coming years!