Boccia players aiming for a gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics practiced at the venue of the tournament in Tokyo, and captain Hidetaka Sugimura said, "The atmosphere of the team is very good and I am in good physical condition." It seemed that he was feeling the response.
Boccia is a competition designed for people with severe disabilities such as cerebral palsy, in which red and blue balls are thrown at each other to compete for how close they can be to the white target ball "jack ball".
At the Ariake Gymnastics Center in Koto-ku, Tokyo, which is the venue for the Tokyo Paralympics boccia, the representative from Japan, commonly known as "Hinotama Japan," practiced for the actual performance from 11:00 am.
In the group that won the silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro tournament and is expected to win the gold medal at this tournament, each of the four members adjusts by pulling the ball close to the target ball with accurate control and repelling the ball with a powerful pitch. I did.
The players and coaches showed a relaxed expression while smiling and exchanging words with each other, and when someone made a good pitch, everyone applauded and got excited, and the atmosphere of the team was felt.
Sugimura, who participates in individuals and groups as a captain, said, "The atmosphere is very good and everyone is in good physical condition, so I want to prepare my mind and body for the actual performance. I want to enjoy it. "
In addition, Takayuki Hirose, an ace player who will participate in the Paralympic Games for four consecutive tournaments, said, "I'm not in a bad shape, so I'd like to make adjustments in millimeters for the rest of the period until the actual performance. I won each match in front of me. I think it will lead to the best colored medals, so I want to do everything I can to get the best out of it. "
Boccia will start on August 28th for individuals and September 2nd for pairs and groups.