Ayumu Hirano

1.1. Family and Childhood

Born on November 29, 1998, Ayumu was given a name that holds significant meaning: 歩夢^Japanese (Ayumu), which combines 歩^Japanese (walk) and 夢^Japanese (dream), symbolizing his mother's wish for him to pursue his dreams with joy and perseverance. His father, Hidenori, was a surfer who eventually opened a surf shop and built the Nihonkai Skate Park in Murakami, their hometown. Although his father initially hoped Ayumu would become a surfer, Ayumu was more drawn to skateboarding, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Eiju. He began skateboarding at the age of four and picked up snowboarding just six months later, recalling that it felt natural to him from such a young age. He was part of the skateboarding team e-Yume Kids (meaning "great dream kids") at Nihonkai Skate Park and actively participated in competitions.

1.2. Education

Hirano attended Murakami Minami Elementary School and Murakami Daiichi Junior High School. He later enrolled in the Athlete Course at Kaishi Kokusai High School in April 2014. In April 2017, he entered the Department of Sport Sciences at Nihon University, from which he graduated in March 2021.

1.3. Introduction to Snowboarding and Skateboarding

Hirano's passion for action sports began early, influenced by his family environment. After starting skateboarding at age four, he quickly transitioned to snowboarding. Due to the lack of a standard halfpipe near his hometown, his father frequently drove him to Yokone Ski Resort in Oguni, Yamagata, which housed Japan's first official permanent halfpipe. However, this halfpipe was 13 ft ^{(4 m)} narrower than the world standard. His talent was recognized early, leading to a sponsorship deal with Burton Snowboards when he was a fourth-grader. During his elementary school years, he also honed his skills at Aizu Kogen Nango Ski Resort in Minamiaizu, Fukushima, which was considered a "halfpipe sanctuary."

2.1. Early Achievements and Rise to Prominence

Hirano's international snowboarding career began to soar in March 2011, when, at just 12 years old and still in sixth grade, he won the Burton US Junior Open. Although too young to officially enter the open division, he notably "poached" runs between rounds, impressing the audience with his skills. His mentor, Kazuhiro Kokubo, won gold in the open division of the same event that year, while his brother Eiju placed seventh.

In 2012, at the age of 13, he was invited to the Burton High Fives in New Zealand, an open event where he secured a gold medal. The following year, in January 2013, he was invited to compete in the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, one of snowboarding's most prestigious non-Olympic events. There, he earned a silver medal in the halfpipe, finishing behind Shaun White. White himself remarked on Hirano's exceptional talent, stating, "The Japanese rider who got second is 14 years old. It's amazing!" Hirano continued his success in 2013 with a first-place finish at the Burton European Open, a second-place finish at the Burton US Open (again behind Shaun White), and a third place at the Oakley Arctic Challenge. These consistent performances led him to become the 2012/2013 Halfpipe World Tour Champion, making him the youngest rider ever to achieve this title. He also secured his first FIS Snowboard World Cup victory in New Zealand the same year.

2.2. Olympic Snowboarding Career

Ayumu Hirano has achieved remarkable success in the Winter Olympics, consistently medaling in the halfpipe event across three consecutive games.

2.2.3. 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, saw Ayumu Hirano achieve his long-awaited gold medal in the snowboard halfpipe. In a historic moment, he landed the triple cork 1440, a highly challenging and dangerous trick that had never been successfully performed in Olympic competition.

His second run, which included this unprecedented trick, controversially received a score of 91.75 points, placing him second. This scoring sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many believing he had been "robbed" of a higher score and even accusations of racism directed at one of the judges. Despite the controversy and the pressure, Hirano confidently executed another flawless run, again landing the triple cork, in his third and final attempt. This time, under intense public scrutiny of the judges, he scored 96.00 points, securing the gold medal. This victory made him the first Japanese athlete to win a gold medal in snowboarding at the Winter Olympics and the first Japanese athlete to win medals in three consecutive Winter Games.

2.3. Skateboarding Career

Beyond snowboarding, Ayumu Hirano has also made a name for himself in professional skateboarding. In November 2018, he announced his intention to compete in skateboarding, which was to debut as a new sport at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Despite the Tokyo Olympics being postponed by a year, which compressed the training schedule for both snowboarding and skateboarding, Hirano secured a spot in the men's park skateboarding event through a host nation quota after placing as the top Japanese athlete in an international competition in May 2021.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on August 5, 2021, he competed in the men's park event, finishing 14th and not advancing past the preliminary round. Despite this, he became only the fifth Japanese athlete to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Notably, he was also one of only two athletes, along with Jaqueline Mourão, to participate in all three consecutive Olympic Games held in East Asia between 2018 and 2022 (Pyeongchang 2018, Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022).

2.4. X Games and Other Major Competition Records

Hirano has a formidable record in various major international competitions outside the Olympics. He claimed gold at the 2016 Winter X Games in Oslo in the SuperPipe event. In January 2018, he made history at the X Games Aspen by landing the first-ever back-to-back double cork 1440s in halfpipe history, securing another gold medal. He earned a silver medal at the 2022 X Games Aspen.

He has also performed consistently well in the Burton Global Open Series, winning gold at the 2013 European Open and the 2018 US Open, and silver at the 2013 US Open and 2015 European Open, along with a bronze at the 2015 US Open. In the FIS Snowboard World Cup series, he achieved overall season victory in the halfpipe in the 2021-2022 season, securing back-to-back wins in January 2022 leading up to the Beijing Olympics. In 2016, he won the LAAX Open.

2.5. Pioneering Techniques and Records

Ayumu Hirano is renowned for pushing the boundaries of snowboarding with pioneering techniques and setting multiple significant records.

His most notable innovation is the triple cork 1440, a trick involving three inverted rotations and four horizontal spins. He first successfully landed this trick in a halfpipe competition at the 2021 Dew Tour at Copper Mountain. He then brought this unprecedented maneuver to the Olympic stage at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, landing it successfully in both his second and third runs, ultimately earning him the gold medal. This marked a monumental advancement in halfpipe snowboarding.

Beyond the triple cork, Hirano has set several impressive records:

• He became the youngest medalist in X Games history at the age of 14, winning silver in the superpipe at the 2013 Winter X Games XVII.
• He was the youngest rider to achieve the TTR World Snowboard Tour Halfpipe Champion title in the 2012/2013 season.
• At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, he became the youngest Japanese athlete to win a medal in the Winter Olympics at 15 years and 74 days, a feat recognized by Guinness World Records.
• He is the first Japanese snowboarder to win an Olympic gold medal.
• He is the first Japanese athlete to win Olympic medals in three consecutive Winter Games (silver in 2014 and 2018, gold in 2022).

2.6. Setbacks and Resilience

Hirano's career has also seen its share of challenges, including injuries and temporary suspensions. In the 2016-2017 season, he was forced to temporarily suspend his activities due to an investigation by a third-party committee into alleged minor drinking among underage athletes, though Hirano himself denied involvement. This period, however, did not deter him. In March 2017, he suffered a severe injury at the US Open, damaging the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and severely bruising his abdomen, which affected his liver. Despite these significant physical setbacks, Hirano demonstrated remarkable resilience, returning to peak performance and continuing his medal-winning streak.

6.1. Television Appearances

He has been featured in several television programs, including:

• Athlete's Soul (January 20, 2018, NHK BS1)
• Close-up Gendai+ (February 7, 2018, NHK General TV)

6.2. Commercials

Hirano has also appeared in advertising campaigns for major brands:

• Uniqlo**: 21FW Life and Wear: On Earth and in Space (October 2021 onwards), co-starring with Haruka Ayase.
• TOKIO INKARAMI** (Ifing Co., Ltd.): Top Athletes (July 2022 onwards), co-starring with Miho Takagi and featuring Hikaru Mori and a parkour team.