The final of the Japan Championship for Boccia, a para sports ball game, was held on the 21st, and three players, including Takayoshi Hirose, who won the bronze medal in the team at the Tokyo Paralympics, and Hidetaka Sugimura, who won the gold medal as an individual, were selected to be on the representative team for the Paris Paralympics. Did.

Boccia is a parasport designed for people with severe motor impairments such as cerebral palsy, in which players compete by throwing red and blue balls at each other to see how close they can get to a white target.



On the 21st, the final day of the Japan Boccia Championships held in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, the finals were held in two classes, male and female, to decide whether to represent the participants at the Paris Paralympic Games.

Takayoshi Hirose watching Hidetaka Sugimura pitch

Among these, in the boys' cerebral palsy class, long-time rivals Hirose and Sugimura competed against each other.



In the third end of the 1-on-1 match, Hirose quickly added 4 points with precise control as he hit the target ball nearly 10 meters away, greatly expanding his lead.



On the other hand, in the fourth and final end, Sugimura focused the ball on the target with a highly accurate pitch, but he made a mistake on the last pitch and was unable to take advantage of the chance of a comeback, and Hirose defeated Sugimura 6-1. I broke it.



Hirose won the tournament four times in a row and was selected to represent the Paris Paralympic Games.



In addition, Sugimura, who lost, was also selected to play on the national team based on the world rankings at the end of December last year.



In addition, Hiromi Endo, a female athlete with cerebral palsy, won her second consecutive title and was selected to be on the Paralympic team for the first time.

◆Who is Takayuki Hirose?

Takayoshi Hirose is a 39-year-old from Kimitsu City, Chiba Prefecture.

He has had cerebral palsy since birth, and since middle school he has been involved in parasports such as shooting and track and field, and started playing boccia in his third year of high school.

His specialty is the ``power ball,'' which is created through precise pitching movements.

It is a powerful pitch that flips the target ball or the opponent's ball and completely changes the situation of the battle.



Together with his rival Hidetaka Sugimura, he contributed to Japan's first team silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and the team bronze medal at the last Tokyo Games.

This is his fifth consecutive appearance at the Paralympics.

◆Who is Hidetaka Sugimura?

Hidetaka Sugimura is 41 years old from Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

He has been disabled since birth with cerebral palsy, and began playing boccia at the age of 19 after being encouraged to do so by a staff member at a disability facility.

With his precise control and outstanding tactical eye, he was called a "precision machine" and served as captain for three consecutive tournaments up until the Tokyo Paralympic Games, and at the Rio de Janeiro Games, he played a central role in the team and contributed to Japan's first team silver medal win.



At the Tokyo Games, he became the first Japanese player to win an individual medal using his signature technique, "Sugimu Rising," in which he places his own ball on top of the jack ball when the balls are crowded around it.

In addition, he contributed to the team winning a bronze medal, their second consecutive medal.

This is my fourth consecutive appearance at the Paralympic Games.

◆Who is Hiromi Endo?

Hiromi Endo is a 37-year-old from Fukushima City.

She has had cerebral palsy since birth, and when she was 24 years old she joined a team in Koriyama City and began playing boccia in earnest.

Her specialty is the long ball, and in January last year, she won her first championship in the final of the Japan Championship, beating Yuriko Fujii, who contributed to the team bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.



Last December, she won her individual silver medal at the Asia-Oceania Championships in Hong Kong, her first medal at an international competition, and also won a bronze medal in the team competition. Contributed.

She will be making her first Paralympic appearance at the Paris Games.