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Thursday February 2, 7:05 AMFEATURE: Olympics: Last chance for Terao to shine in short track(Kyodo) _ (EDS: 3RD OF ATHLETE FEATURE SERIES FOR TURIN WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES)Satoru Terao has never slowed down in his hunt for an elusive medal and he is hungrier than ever before in the build-up to what is expected to be his final Olympic appearance. In an illustrious career laced with world championship and World Cup titles in addition to a record nine national crowns, luck deserted the 30-year-old short track speed skater in his previous three trips to the Winter Olympics. Terao has indicated his races in Turin may mark the end of his Olympic career. And he desperately wants a medal in a sport filled with mid-race accidents after a nasty tumble and a dubious disqualification dashed his hopes in the past. "It's going to be my fourth Olympics and it's quite possible that I will cap my career with races in Turin," Terao said. "I need nothing other than a podium place because my best finish so far is fourth. I really want it and I'm clear in my mind." He marked his Olympic debut in 1994 with a fourth-place showing in the 1,000 meters and carried the hopes of hosts Japan as a gold medal favorite in Nagano four years later. After setting an Olympic record in a first-round heat, Terao took a fall and crashed out in the 500-meter quarterfinals. Adding to his frustration, he had to watch compatriot Takafumi Nishitani upset the field to win the gold while Hitoshi Uematsu added bronze for Japan in the 500 final. Then the hardest luck of his career followed in Salt Lake City after another four-year wait. Terao never doubted he had crossed the line first in a wild 1,000-meter semifinal that saw three skaters take spills, pumping his fist many times to celebrate his place in the final. But his joy proved short-lived as the judges disqualified him minutes later for impeding a rival competitor. He claimed he had not made the slightest contact with any of the other skaters in the run-up to a final-lap collision. Japanese skating officials protested the ruling but it was all in vain. To make matters worse, Terao was also disqualified in a 1,500-meter semifinal. In the 500, he advanced to the five-man final but was slow at the start and finished last. This winter, Terao has been almost unbeatable in Japan following yearlong efforts to improve his speed and power with changes in his skating mechanics. "I think things are going well for me. In Turin, however, I really need results that prove what I've been doing is right," Terao said, adding that he has a chance to break into the top three in the 500 and 1,000 as well as a relay. Terao managed to reach the final just once in four World Cup meets held thus far this season when he skated to fifth place in the season-opening men's 1,000 in late September. The odds are against him. But he believes his never-say-die attitude and trademark quickfire start will help him shine one last time and realize his long-cherished dream. Nagano Olympic champion Nishitani has an even greater gap to make up in his hunt for a second Olympic medal in a field featuring reigning world champion Ahn Hyun Soo, Apolo Anton Ohno of the United States and China's Li Jiajun. In women's events, Japan's hopes hinge on all-round talent in Yuka Kamino, who also leads the women's 3,000-meter relay team boasting four surviving members of the Salt Lake City squad. After missing out on a medal with back-to-back fourth-place finishes in Nagano and Salt Lake City, the women's relay team in Turin is considered to have the best chance of a podium finish for Japan in short track speed skating. Kamino, Chikage Tanaka, Ikue Teshigawara, Mika Ozawa and Nobuko Yamada will hit the ice at the Palavela arena in pursuit of a spot in the Feb. 22 relay final, where Asian archrivals South Korea and China are expected to vie for the gold. In individual races, Kamino has raised the bar after establishing herself as the Japanese No. 1 with a sweep of races in both the national championships and the single-distance national championships for three straight years. Having had a third-place showing on the World Cup circuit once and a near-podium finish in the world championships, the 25-year-old may spring a surprise in Turin. "Four years ago, I was just satisfied to go to the Olympics. But this time, I'm going to Turin to really compete," she said. |
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