Tomoka Takeuchi feels experience will be her biggest advantage over her rivals at the Beijing Winter Olympics, but years of daredevil downhill racing have also helped her develop a more rounded off-piste life perspective.
As she prepares to become the first Japanese woman to make six appearances in the Winter Olympics, Takeuchi is approaching the challenge knowing her body, and specifically her approach to motherhood, is taken care of.
Takeuchi, who won the silver medal in the women’s parallel giant slalom at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, knows about finding her limits. The 37-year-old understands her best reproductive years, like her sporting career, will not last forever, so she chose to freeze her eggs.