Murase Kokomo waking up to an Olympic dream
Japan's youngest-ever female Winter Games medallist at 17 years, 3 months, as snowboard's future maps out road to Milano Cortina.
Snowboard
Murase Kokomo is only waking up to the reality that she is an Olympic medallist.
"It didn't sink in at first. It felt like a dream", Murase said on Wednesday (16 February), a night after winning bronze in the women's snowboard Big Air.
"But after waking up this morning and seeing so many messages, it's started to hit me. I feel the weight of this medal around my neck and I'm so glad I did it.
"Bronze is not good enough for me. At the next Olympics I'm shooting for the top - a gold medal".
At 17 years and 3 months, Murase became the youngest female Winter Games medallist from Japan. Figure skater Asada Mao held the old mark at 19 years, 5 months when she won silver at Vancouver 2010.
Murase has been living out an absolute dream in Beijing.
The teenager from Gifu Prefecture said sharing the podium with now two-time reigning champion Anna Gasser was an unbelievable moment, one she will never forget.
"Anna Gasser has been my idol since I was a little kid. She came to Japan to train at a place called Toyama Kings and I was in awe of how good the riders were from overseas", Murase said of the Austrian.
"It was like a crazy dream, being there on the podium with my idol".
This past season, she produced her first World Cup victory in the Big Air in October and added a win in the slopestyle in January.
Murase takes the World Cup just as seriously as the Olympics which she believes is crucial to sustaining success from one competition to the other.
"The way I look at it, you can't separate the Olympics and the World Cup. If you treat them differently you can't link the performances from two.
"To be able to do what I usually do, to me the World Cup comes first then the Olympics. So I was able to come here feeling like I always do".
When Murase returns to Japan, she plans to spoil herself rotten - before embarking on another four-year adventure.
"I want to go home, take in the air in Gifu", she said. "I want to spend time with my family, do ordinary things that you would do and have a good time.
"I love ice cream. And pickled plums. And squid tempura. Those are my cravings. And make takoyaki (octopus balls) at home with the family".