At 18 years old Imai's snowboarding prowess earned her a spot on Japan's 2006 Olympic team in Turin. Before departing for the Games she even pumped up her fans with an impromptu rap at a pep rally.
After returning home without a medal, Imai hung up her board for a completely different line of work. She started as a bar hostess, quickly transitioning to more adult orientated services known as fuzoku in Japan, and finally appeared in a couple of XXX films: Snow Drop and Snow Out.
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However, in 2017, not only was Imai back on the snowboarding scene, she absolutely dominated at the 35th All Japan Championships in Gifu, winning the women's halfpipe by a landslide.
The 30-year-old Osaka native is already late for Pyeongchang, but Beijing 2022 appears to be very much on the table.