Paracanoe Koichi Imai Tokyo Para representative unofficially decided in the host country frame

Koichi Imai from Hiroshima is the first Paralympic in the host country frame in the class with the lightest obstacles for the men's Versingle who missed the Tokyo Paralympic qualification in the final qualifying for the Paracanoe in Hungary. I was appointed as a representative.

In the world final qualifying for paracanoe held in Hungary until the 15th, the top countries and regions that have not won the Tokyo Paralympic Games will be given a quota, and the Japanese team will have the athletes who won the quota in the Tokyo tournament. It was supposed to be the representative of.

Of these, Imai, who is from Hiroshima and is promoting strengthening based in Kagawa Prefecture, participated in the class with the least disability of the men's ver single, but he could not advance to the final and finished in 5th place in the ranking match. It was.

After the tournament, the International Federation announced that it would give the class a host country quota, so Imai was appointed as the first Paralympic representative.

In this tournament, two Japanese players won the men's kayak single, and one each for the women's kayak single and the ver single, for a total of four people.

With this, the Japanese team has been nominated as representative players, including Monica Setachi and Imai, who are in the class with the heaviest disability of the women's kayak single, which had already been nominated at the adult world championship.

Imai's first Paralympic representative unofficial decision

Koichi Imai, a men's single, is 47 years old from Hiroshima. This is the class with the least disability.

In 2013, cancer was found in the muscles of his left leg, and he underwent surgery to amputate half of his thigh. After that, I started canoeing at the recommendation of my wife, and we are strengthening it based in Kagawa prefecture.

With a strong paddling that used his upper body extensively, he won both kayak and var events in the March race and was in the final qualifying round in the world.

This is my first time to participate in the Paralympics.