Kazusa Ogawa, who participated in the Tokyo Paralympic Judo Women's 70kg class for the first time, expressed his gratitude to his mother for creating an opportunity to work on judo for the visually impaired. I won a bronze medal for my judo.

Ogawa, who was visually impaired from the time he was born, jumped on land when he was in elementary school, became a junior high school student, and started judo in club activities with ordinary students.

It is said that his eyesight deteriorated further and he gave up judo once in the first year of high school.


However,

after graduating from high school, I switched to judo for the visually impaired because of my mother's words,



"There is judo that can be done even if you are


visually impaired."



Ogawa is 1 meter 51 centimeters tall and is exceptionally small in the women's 70 kg class.


I have been aiming for judo that makes the best use of that petite physique.



"I think that the other party also does not have to practice the very small player. To break with the judo foot technique, the flavor of take it to their good technique"



is the most favorite pattern, to the bosom of the big opponent from breaking in judo foot technique It is a carrying technique to jump in.

In order to bring it to this pattern, I have thoroughly practiced how to use the wrist to shift the center of gravity of the opponent during the period when the Paralympics were postponed for one year.

Ogawa, who stood on the tatami mats of Nippon Budokan, the stage of the Paralympic Games for the first time, embodies the judo that he has been aiming for since the first match.

"I was able to go to the throw by actively using my foot technique", and I skipped my legs many times to restrain the opponent who was superior with my upper back, and the scene where I decided the game was also a chokehold technique after breaking it with my foot technique.


Although he lost in the semi-finals, he was the only Japanese player to advance to the 3rd place playoff in the 5th class held on that day.

In the bronze medal match, he was able to beat his opponent with his upper back and arm length, and he was restrained by his footwork.

Then, with a momentary gap, he narrowed the gap with the opponent and took away the waza-ari by dropping his body.

He was the second Judo girl to win a medal in the Paralympics, and achieved his first appearance.

Ogawa said, "I'm so happy," with tears in his eyes.

What came out after this was a deep gratitude to my mother for giving me the opportunity to try Judo again, which I once gave up.



"I like judo, so even though it's hard to see, I can enjoy judo so much because my mother spoke to me. Thanks to my mother, I came here."



24-year-old Ogawa said, "Next I want to make use of it for the gold medal. "

This time in Paris three years later, I will continue my favorite judo while having fun aiming for a medal with a brighter color.