Atsushi Yamamoto, a silver medalist of the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, won the men's long jump prosthesis class at the "Japan Paralympics" where top athletes aiming for the Tokyo Paralympics gathered at 6 meters and 30 centimeters. It was.
Driven by the passion of "Major Parasports"
Yamamoto has been a leader in para-athletics since becoming the first medalist in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics as a track and field athlete with artificial limbs.
The driving force is the passion for popularization of "making parasports a major".
In addition to going to schools in Japan and overseas to convey the appeal of competition to children, he has recently embarked on the guidance of young athletes and has been making efforts to popularize parasports.
For that reason, when the Japan Championships were held in September last year without spectators to prevent infection, it was so regrettable that it openly criticized the competition groups that made the judgment of no spectators in the interview after the tournament.
This year's tournament, which was planned to include only local Kagawa residents, became unattended at the last minute due to the spread of infection.
While showing an understanding that safety is the highest priority, it is frustrating that it cannot be promoted before the Paralympics held in its own country.
Yamamoto has dreamed of a day when the stadium will be full in parasports.
Even in the adversity of corona, we continue to hone our skills to increase our fans by jumping ourselves and bring our dreams closer to reality.
Yamamoto "The best performance at the Paralympics"
Yamamoto said, "The part that connects the run-up to the railroad crossing has become a good feeling, but I have a frustrating feeling that the landing is bad and the body is floating but there is no record. If you finish it, I think you can get the best performance at the Tokyo Paralympics. "
Also, regarding the support of children with disabilities using the video conferencing system during the tournament with no spectators, "If everyone sees the competition and feels like taking on the challenge, it will be my own It also leads to motivation. "