At 45 and in his record eighth Winter Olympics, Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai hopes PyeongChang will become the site of his greatest Olympic achievement.
Kasai is one of six ski jumpers who will represent Japan in PyeongChang, at the Games where he will overtake Russian Albert Demchenko for the number of Winter Olympic appearances.
He will carry the flag of Japan at the opening ceremony of the Games, and he did not hide his goal in PyeongChang.
"I want to win gold. Winning gold in PyeongChang is my goal, I haven't won the only Olympic gold yet," said Kasai.
Kasai made his Winter Olympic debut in 1992 in Aberville and hasn't missed a single one since. As a member of the Japanese team, he won a silver medal in Lillehammer 1994, to which he added silver and team bronze in Sochi.
The Japanese earned the respect of his younger colleagues with his dedication to the sport.
"Kasai is one of my biggest idols, he is a legend of our sport. It is incredible that he is still competing at a high level at this age," said Norwegian jumper Danijel Andre Tande.
Tande, who was born when Kasai won his first Olympic medal, believes the Japanese veteran can easily be a medal contender in PyeongChang.
"If the conditions are right and if he gives his best, nothing can stop him. He is a good ski jumper and if everything is set up right, he can absolutely win a medal," said Tande.
Kasai was born in Shimokawa, a town on the island of Hokkaido that has a population of fewer than 5.000 but is home to five Olympic ski jumpers.
The year he was born, 1972, Sapporo hosted the Games. Japan won only three medals at those Games, but all three in ski jumping. That result fueled love for the sport in Japan, and Kasai later played an important role in preserving that love.
Kasai started ski jumping at the age of nine, and made his World Cup debut in 1988 at the age of 16. He finished that season in 31st place, but it was the start of a very long and successful career.
In addition to three Olympic medals, Kasai won seven medals at the world championships.
Even if he doesn't win the much-coveted gold in PyeongChang, Kasai hinted he may be back for more as Sapporo hopes to host the 2026 Games.
"When I turned 40, I decided that I would retire at 50. But Sapporo is a candidate for the 2026 Games, then I will be almost 54 and that is a big chance that I would give up," said Kasai.
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