But the bottom line, again, is the bottom line. Overturning the established order of things means many names familiar in the United States are gone. Bonnie Blair, the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian of all time, returns not as a speedskater but as the pregnant wife of one, David Cruikshank. Dan Jansen, who competed for so long so futilely before winning in Lillehammer, is also through with speedskating. So, too, are the skates they used, replaced with swiveling high-tech clap skates that might help others erase their Olympic records.
Japan is the ski-jumping capital of the world.
It has been since Japan swept the medals at the 1972 Sapporo Olympics, the only other Winter Games held in Asia. Harada probably shouldn't worry. With all the changes in the Winter Olympics, his luck should change, too. The information you receive on-line from Mercury Center is protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The copyright laws prohibit any copying, redistributing, retransmitting, or repurposing of any copyright-protected material.