Masahiko Harada Ski Jumper Age: 29 Birthplace: Kamikawa-machi, Japan Residence: Sapporo, Japan Height & Weight: 5-feet-8, 121 pounds Events: Normal hill, large hill, team TNT Interview (1.73MB Quick Time)

Masahiko Harada has taken this nickname thing to heart. Known in ski jumping circles as "Happy Harada" because of his seemingly ever-present smile, Harada went so far as to repair a chipped front tooth.

"I got so carried away with people telling me I have a nice smile ... " he says. What's next, a smiley face tattoo? Whether or not he does anything that outlandish, the 29-year-old is hopeful that he has a reason to smile this month. After all, his last Olympic experience left feeling a bit glum.

Harada entered the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics as the reigning world champion on the normal hill. Though he didn't perform well in either the normal or large hill in Lillehammer (13th and 55th, respectively), he and his teammates were poised to win the team competition. Harada only needed to land an extremely do-able 104-meter second jump to seal the gold medal. Instead, he uncorked a 97.5-meter laugher, relegating him and his teammates to second place.

"My teammates told me that they are proud to win the silver medal," he says. "But it was the team competition, with the Olympics only happening every four years, I felt like I let the whole country down."

If that emotion was extreme, his post-Olympic performance wasn't. He and his jumping went into a complete free fall. His descent was expedited when he began to question his jumping style. In contrast to other jumpers who stay in an aerodynamic tuck and dive forward at the end of the take-off runway, Harada jumped up into the air at the end of the board, enabling him to take advantage of his vertical leap. He took his Olympic failure as a sign that he should learn a new technique. Bad move. He slipped lower and lower in the standings and eventually lost his place on the national team. "When I got to the bottom," he says, "I realized that it's OK to be Harada -- or rather, I got to be Harada."

Being Harada has worked out pretty well. Despite an inconsistent 1997 season --"I had a great summer season and a terrible winter season" -- Harada reasserted himself at the world championships, where he won the large hill. Though acknowledging his inconsistency, Harada fully expects to jump well in Nagano.

"If I really want to stand out," he says, "then I have to win the gold medal. I want to go all the way with the Harada smile."

Harada says his first jump, which he took as a third-grader growing up on the island of Hokkaido, more closely resembled a fall. To prevent that happening again, he has a request.

"At the Olympics, I would like for the fans to blow really hard at us," says Harada. "And don't forget to swing those flags -- the wind will reach us." And, happy Harada hopes, carry him and his teammates to a smoother landing in 1998.

Each day during the Olympics, CNN/SI will bring you TNT's Athlete of the Day, a detailed look at the personalities that spice up the Games. Check back every day for a new athlete, and be sure to catch TNT's daily in-depth coverage of the Winter Olympics.

Athletes of the Day

• February 20 - KC Boutiette • February 19 - Alberto Tomba • February 18 - Michelle Kwan • February 17 - Eric Bergoust • February 16 - Todd Lodwick • February 15 - Kirstin Holum • February 14 - Thorpe/Sheer • February 13 - Masahiko Harada • February 12 - Todd Eldredge • February 11 - Elvis Stojko • February 10 - Donna Weinbrecht • February 9 - The Forsbergs • February 8 - Picabo Street • February 7 - Cammi Granato • February 6 - Tommy Moe

Watch TNT's coverage of the Winter Olympics!