The first medal caught from disappointment Para swimming Ayano Aoiuchi September 13 13:38
The World Championship for Para Swimming held in London to serve as a representative for the Tokyo Paralympic Games. The first medal for a Japanese girl was the 100-meter breaststroke visual impairment class, Ayano Kajiuchi's bronze medal. Kajiuchi has just turned to Para swimming two years ago. It was a medal that caught from the previous day's disappointing race.
Japanese girls, young promising
A 22-year-old player was a talented man who started swimming in the third grade of elementary school and participated in national competitions in high school. However, it was diagnosed as a macular dystrophy, a progressive intractable disease that causes vision loss and visual field abnormalities in the first year of university, and Para-Swimming is still the second year of full-scale efforts.
Nevertheless, at last year's Asia Para tournament, he was able to win four bronze medals and was aiming for a medal at the first World Championship.
No way stall
The event that Mr. Sakaiuchi faced with confidence was 100 meters freestyle.
However, the final on the 3rd day of the tournament lost the stamina in the remaining 20 meters of the game, greatly stalled, and missed the medal in 4th place without showing the tenacity of the second half.
Yasushi Uchiuchi who was confused by tears after the race dragged this loss until the next day.
The qualifying for the 100m breaststroke finished with the stamina preserved too much and the remaining power remaining. I did not reach my target time.
Advice from gold medalist
That evening when the final was approaching.
Mr. Sakaiuchi, who was worried enough to cry with his knees alone, asked for advice from Naohide Yamaguchi, who won the Japanese team's first gold medal in the 100-meter men's breaststroke the day before.
Says Yamaguchi, who asked, “How can I swim faster?”, Says Yamaguchi, “flat attitude is important”.
There was a section that came up with this word.
In the training camp just before the tournament, we have been practicing to reduce the water resistance by raising the belly and hips and making them “flat posture” as much as possible. However, in the qualifying, I realized that I was in a sunk posture and was swimming to feel the resistance of water.
Responses gained with medals
The final that was greeted. Player Sakaiuchi corrects his posture by raising his waist firmly. The stamina was preserved without receiving the resistance of water, and it showed a tenacious swim during the tough time later.
The result is 3rd place with a good time of 1 minute 19 seconds 85 to update personal best.
This was the first medal for a Japanese girl.
“I'm really happy to clear yesterday ’s regret in this event. I was disappointed that I could n’t get it in the event that I should have taken. “It ’s a medal, so it ’s 100 points,” he said with a smile.
“Taking a medal in this event leads to great confidence,” said Sakaiuchi, who seemed to respond to the poor breaststroke. Aiming for participation in the Tokyo Paralympic Games next year, I would like to expect further advancement of Sakaiuchi who will participate in the free game and mixed relay in the second half of the tournament.