Hirokazu Yagi

The son of Hiroshi Yagi, the head ski jumping coach of the Japanese Ski Association, Hirokazu Yagi had a golden period at the start of 1980 where he posted his only World Cup victory, recorded some further podium finishes and won a silver medal at the Lake Placid Olympics. That 12-week period was to be the absolute zenith of his career and he never again threatened to match those performances. He competed without success at the 1982 World Championships and the 1984 Winter Olympics then retired before the 1984-85 season began. Yagi turned to coaching and followed in his father’s footsteps by coaching the Japanese national team. He has also worked as commentator for Japanese television.