Story byFrom left Ryoma Kimata of Japan, Kira Kimura of Japan and Yiming Su of the People's Republic of China celebrate with their medals after the men's snowboarding big air final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Snow Park. Aaron ColomaMon, February 9, 2026 at 8:38 PM UTC·2 min readJapanese Olympian Kira Kimura, a huge fan of Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, won Japan’s first gold medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on Saturday.“Everything about him is amazing,” Kimura said. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOhtani isn’t the only amazing one, as Kimura proved himself as the best in his event at just 21 years old. Kimura participated in the men’s Big Air competition at the Livigno Snow Park in Valtellina, Italy, and finished first with fellow countryman Ryoma Kimata in second. Perhaps Ohtani guided him in the right direction, though, as the Dodgers star’s lifestyle choices have also had their impact on the young snowboarder.“I’ll try to get at least eight hours of sleep, too,” Kimura said upon reading articles on how important sleep is to Ohtani. Japan currently sits third in the official medal count, behind Norway and Switzerland. They have seven total medals, which is the second-most of any country so far. Feb 7, 2026; Livigno, Italy; From left Ryoma Kimata of Japan, Kira Kimura of Japan and Yiming Su of the People’s Republic of China celebrate with their medals after the men’s snowboarding big air final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Snow Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesHow Influential is Shohei Ohtani?When looking at Ohtani’s accomplishments through his eight seasons of MLB, it’s no wonder why he’s garnered international attention. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSince arriving in MLB, Ohtani has separated himself as one of the best players to ever play the sport.