Anju Nakamura (26), a former women’s Nordic combined World Cup winner, has decided to switch to ski jumping.
The move is part of her push to compete in the 2030 French Alps Winter Olympics. After the women’s Nordic combined event was not included in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games, Nakamura fell into physical and mental distress and took a long break. However, starting in April, she joined CHINTAI and embarked on a fresh journey. Here is the story of how the top athlete, who once lost her direction, fought her way back.
Nakamura has begun her new life as a ski jumper. Originally focused on cross-country skiing, she started jumping in her first year at Tokai University Sapporo High School and later became a combined athlete. In March 2022, she won a World Cup event and established herself as Japan’s top female combined skier. However, she decided to switch to jumping. “I want to compete in the 2030 Winter Olympics in four years and achieve results,” she said with determination.
In June 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided not to include women’s Nordic combined in the Milan-Cortina Games. The women’s event had been running World Cup races since the 2020-21 season, with hopes of being added to the 2026 Olympics. Nakamura, then in her first year as a professional, reflected, “I had been training hard, believing it would definitely become an official event by 2026, but it didn’t happen. I cried my eyes out. I couldn’t see a future. I lost my goal.” Italy’s Annika Sieff, who stood on World Cup podiums five times in Nordic combined, also switched to jumping to earn a spot in her home Olympics. “Some athletes have given up,” Nakamura said regretfully. Many Nordic combined women athletes saw their lives turned upside down.
Despite her disappointment, Nakamura vowed to shine at World Cups and world championships and continued competing. But her health began to falter. “I was told by a doctor that I had depression at the end of October 2024.” As early as summer, she often felt confused on the jumping ramp. Even eating, using the bathroom, and talking to others became “too much trouble,” and she spent entire days lying down. She lost more than five kilograms. Following medical advice, she hid her ski equipment out of sight. At the time, only her newly adopted Shiba Inu, Mitsumaru, brought her comfort. She took time off for the 2024-25 season to rest.
In spring 2025, she gradually began going outside and started moving her body again. She worked hard to regain lost muscle. Jumping practice, beginning from a small hill, was enjoyable. But when she tried roller skiing—cross-country training—her body refused to cooperate. She returned to competition in July at the Summer Jump Asahi Tournament, where she surprisingly placed ninth. “I felt a sense of achievement just being able to compete,” she said. That solidified her decision to focus solely on jumping. She cannot bring herself to ski across country and has not done so since 2024.
Her older brother, Naoki (Flying Laboratory), has competed in two consecutive Olympics. She has always looked up to him. “I respect my brother the most. I have seen him work hard for the Olympics. That event definitely makes people grow,” she said, her Olympic aspiration growing stronger.
Although she reached the world’s top in Nordic combined, she is starting from scratch in ski jumping. To qualify for the World Cup, she needs to earn points in lower-tier competitions. At CHINTAI, she aims to balance competition and work. She chose this path herself. With support, she is pushing toward the dream stage four years from now. “Instead of saying I aim for the Olympics, I assume I will be there,” she said with renewed determination.
Anju Nakamura was born on January 23, 2000, in Sapporo. She began cross-country skiing at age five. After attending Sapporo Okurayama Elementary and Sapporo Miyanomori Junior High, she switched to Nordic combined in her first year at Tokai University Sapporo High. She made her World Cup debut in December 2020 as a third-year university student. In March 2022, she won the Schonach event and earned three podiums. She competed in two world championships, finishing fourth in the normal hill individual in 2021 and seventh in 2023. She lives with her parents, brother, and younger brother.
