LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Olympic halfpipe champion Ayumu Hirano offered a small update regarding his recent injuries, suggesting he will attempt to defend his title next week in the Milan Cortina Games.
Hirano took a nasty fall at a snowboard contest in Switzerland last month, with his trainer saying on social media he had broken his nose and pelvis.
The 27-year-old, who added the gold medal from the last Olympics to two silvers he had won previously, did not elaborate on those injuries Wednesday, saying simply, "“I just have to trust what I’ve built up to this point so far and ride the way I’m capable of riding,” according to a statement released by the Ski Association of Japan.
The Olympics.com website says Hirano could become the first Japanese Winter Olympian to win a medal at four consecutive Games.
Hirano was long viewed as the biggest threat to Shaun White on the Olympic halfpipe, and barely lost to him in a dramatic back-and-forth contest in South Korea in 2018. He broke through four years ago by landing a triple cork — three head-over-heels flips — to edge Scotty James for the victory.
“I think it’s been a process of coming to terms with myself and recognising what I needed to work on,” Hirano said. “I’ve always felt like the challenger, so not a lot has changed about me as far as I’m concerned. I hope to be myself, just give it everything I’ve got.”
Official training for the halfpipe starts Sunday, with the men's qualifying set for next Wednesday.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
FILE - Japan's Ayumu Hirano competes in the men's halfpipe finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 11, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
FILE - Gold medal winner Ayumu Hirano, of Japan, waits for the the venue ceremony after the men's halfpipe final at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 11, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Indian teacher and activist known for creating hundreds of learning centers and painting educational murals across the walls of slums won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize on Thursday.
Rouble Nagi accepted the award at the World Governments Summit in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, an annual event that draws leaders from across the globe.
Her Rouble Nagi Art Foundation has established more than 800 learning centers across India. They aim to have children who never attended school begin to have structured learning. They also teach children already in school.
Nagi also paints murals that teach literacy, science, math and history, among other topics.
The prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation, whose founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company that runs dozens of schools in Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.
Nagi plans to use the $1 million to build an institute that offers free vocational training.
Nagi is the 10th teacher to win the award, which the foundation began handing out in 2015.
Past winners of the Global Teacher Prize have included a Kenyan teacher from a remote village who gave away most of his earnings to the poor, a Palestinian primary school teacher who teaches her students about non-violence and a Canadian educator who taught a remote Arctic village of Inuit students. Last year’s winner was Saudi educator Mansour al-Mansour, who was known for his work with the poor in the kingdom.
GEMS Education, or Global Education Management Systems, is one of the world’s largest private school operators and is believed to be worth billions. Its success has followed that of Dubai, where only private schools offer classes for the children of the foreigners who power its economy.
Indian teacher Rouble Nagi, left, greets Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum before receiving the Global Teacher Prize trophy from him at a ceremony awarding the Global Teacher Prize in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Indian teacher Rouble Nagi walks off the stage after receiving the Global Teacher Prize trophy from Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum at a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Indian teacher Rouble Nagi walks off the stage after receiving the Global Teacher Prize trophy from Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum at a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Indian teacher Rouble Nagi poses for a photograph after receiving the Global Teacher Prize at a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Indian teacher Rouble Nagi, left, receives the Global Teacher Prize trophy from Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, as Varkey foundation founder Sunny Varkey, right, applauds during the ceremony, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Indian teacher Rouble Nagi, left, receives the Global Teacher Prize trophy from Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, at a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
