Yurika Abe, who participated in the 12.5km biathlon women's standing and sliding class held at the Beijing Paralympics on the 11th, is from Yamada Town on the coast of Iwate Prefecture, which was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake.


Abe, who celebrated March 11th, 11 years after the earthquake, on the stage of the Paralympics, said, "I want to give some power and feel something."

Lost as a "representative of the disaster area"

Abe is 26 years old.

There is a disability in his left arm that is immobile due to the pressure on his nerves when he was born.



He started his competition after watching the Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympics on TV when he was in the second year of junior high school, but the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred the following year damaged his home completely.


After the earthquake, Abe left his hometown and went on to a high school in Morioka city in the inland area.


He started to engage in competition in earnest.



He was selected as the representative of the Sochi tournament when he was in the third year of high school, and he has been steadily improving, such as winning the 8th place in cross-country skiing.


However, four years later, I suffered at the Pyeongchang tournament.


As a native of the disaster area, I was taken up by the media and attracted attention, but I did not reach the prize in the individual event.

Abe recalled, "I felt half-hearted as a victim. I had friends who lost their parents, but I lost only my house. I was taken up as a representative of the disaster area. Things were getting harder. "

The turning point is a word from a friend

Abe said he thought about quitting the competition.


It was the words of a local friend that made me feel that way again.



"I am receiving power from Yurika's efforts."



With this word, Abe said that the meaning of aiming for the Paralympics became clear again.

Since then, I have been devoting myself to practice more than ever.

Working with Yoshihiro Nitta, Japan's leading cross-country skier who has won three gold medals at the Paralympics, we have been working on improving the form, focusing on improving the technology and thoroughly facing skiing. rice field.

"I've done my best"

The Beijing Paralympics have arrived.


In the month before the tournament, I couldn't practice thoroughly due to strains and back injuries.

March 11th, 11 years after the earthquake.


"I've come this far with the support of the locals, so I want to give some power and feel something," he said in the biathlon 12.5km race.



The result is 13th.

Although he showed a hard slip, he made a series of mistakes in the shooting, and the result was that he felt the difference in power with the overseas forces.

Abe said, "I was hoping to get results on March 11th and deliver a bright topic, but I'm disappointed that I couldn't do that. Still, I feel like I've done my best unlike four years ago. I'm glad I was able to run to the goal with that thought. "



And he said, "It's important to look back and remember the past, but I think we have to spend one step at a time toward the future, so I want to switch to the next." I continued.



It's been 11 years since that day.


After the race on March 11, Abe will move forward again.