Taku Hiraoka
FILE - Yuto Totsuka, of Japan stands on the podium after finishing first in the snowboarding halfpipe finals, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, at the Dew Tour at Copper Mountain, Colo. A crew of Japanese riders appears poised to take over the halfpipe in Beijing with four bona fide gold-medal contenders in the Hirano brothers — Kaishu is four years younger than Ayumu— along with Ruka Hirano (no relation) and Yuto Totsuka, who is ranked first in the world after dominating the halfpipe for the past two years. (AP Photo/Hugh Carey, File)
Chairmen of the boards: Japanese team powerful in halfpipe

By Pat Graham Jan. 24, 2022 01:24 PM EST