OLYMPICS: Nordic Combined-Watabe savors sixth and final Olympics as Japanese veteran prepares to bow out

Veteran Nordic combined skier Akito Watabe is content to savour the moment at his sixth Winter Olympics, even without a medal, as he prepares to bring one of the longest careers in the sport to a close.

The four-time Olympic medallist finished 11th in the normal hill/10km competition, one minute 52 seconds behind winner Jens Luraas Oftebro, and will compete again on Tuesday in the large hill event.

“It’s amazing,” Watabe told Reuters after Wednesday's first event. “My hope was to get some medal here but it’s okay. I was enjoying this really nice atmosphere and my sixth Olympics.”

Approaching the end of a career that has spanned nearly two decades at the top level, the 37-year-old Japanese veteran said his motivation had always been rooted in curiosity and enjoyment rather than results alone.

“I just keep going, keep going,” he said. “I have high motivation for exploring my sport and the human body. It was fun to live in this sport and the sports world.”

After winning individual and team bronze at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, plus normal hill silvers in Pyeongchang and Sochi, Watabe confirmed that the Milano Cortina Games will mark the final chapter of his competitive career.

He plans to take part in the last World Cup events of the season in Lahti and Oslo before stepping away from elite competition.

“Then I quit my sports career,” he said. “I want to take time with my family and have some holidays.”

Retirement, however, will not mean stepping away from skiing altogether. Watabe said he wanted to spend time back in Japan enjoying the mountains on his own terms.

“My hobby is backcountry skiing, backcountry telemark skiing,” he said. “I’m sure I will enjoy the spring snow in Japan.”

-Reporting by Liz Hampton and Tommy Lund in Tesero, Italy; editing by Clare Fallon/Reuters