Winter Olympics 2010: Japan gets into heavy medal
Skater Keiichiro Nagashima makes his silver medal run on February 15, 2010.After the heartbreak of Aiko Uemura's ski loss, Japan finally has some good news from the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Japanese speed skaters Keiichiro Nagashima and Joji Kato took home the silver and bronze, respectively, in the men's 500m.
Both skaters are members of the Nidec Sankyo Corp. team. You may not have known that industrial robotics company Nidec Sankyo has its own speed skating team, but like all good high-tech industrial concerns, it does.
While the medals will be celebrated in Japan, the event has always been a strong one for Japan. According to Asahi, the 500m was the dominion of Japanese skaters, with over six straight medals before a washout at the Turin games in 2006.
As Marilyn's curling team revs up and figure skating moves into singles, Japan may soon see a few more shiny circles. Good news is that for the moment, the victories of Keiichiro Nagashima and Joji Kato should give the media something to talk about other than Kazuhiro Kokubo's bungled uniform.
