ski jumper noriaki kasai won silver. he headed back up the mountain on monday for the team event to try to win gold. nhk world's youngsy osawa has more. >> reporter: noriaki kasai has been up and down the hill a time or two. he first went to the olympics 22 years ago at the 1992 games in albertville, france. he's now 41 years old, and leading the japanese contingent. >> translator: i have lots of motivations to win a gold medal here at the sochi games. because this is my seventh olympics, and i won't be able to go on forever. >> reporter: kasai won silver in team ski jumping at the lillehammer games in 1994. he was just 21. the japanese team won gold at home four years later in nagano. but kasai hurt his leg just before the competition, and he wasn't part of the team. in the years that followed, kasai had trouble adapting to changes in the sport's regulations. and he put in some mediocre performances. thens the company that financed the club that which he trained pulled the plug. kasai says he almost gave up. but, he red