Japanese Judoka Hangai Honed Her Senses to Earn Silver at Paris Paralympics; Believed in Coach’s Words to Keep on Going
12:24 JST, September 7, 2024
PARIS — Judoka Shizuka Hangai finally made it to the podium at the Paris Paralympics after winning silver in the women’s 48-kilogram division in the complete blindness class (J1).
She was able to overcome her worsening eyesight by working together with her coach. The 36-year-old was born with amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye, and has retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable congenital eye disease, which is progressively getting worse over time. She is now only able to feel light.
Hangai failed to medal at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games.
After finishing fifth at the Tokyo Paralympics, she thought, “I’m powerless if I’m blind.”
Hangai’s coach, Yuko Isozaki, advised her, “If you can’t see, you should be able to guess your opponents’ moves with your senses.”
She thought it was impossible but still believed in Isozaki’s words: “You can do it if you practice over and over.”
Through much practice, the athlete honed her senses by perceiving the shift in her opponents’ weight to read their next move.
In Paris, Hangai waited patiently for the right moment until her opponents’ posture was perfect for her to execute her techniques. She won the first round and semifinals with a waza-ari in overtime but lost in the final to a Ukrainian competitor who caught her off guard.
With her first medal in hand, Hangai said with a smile, “I was able to do what I set out to do.”
"Sports" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japanese Paralympic Archer Chika Shigesada Withdraws from Paris Games in Wake of Defamation of Other Athlete
-
Swallows Star Norichika Aoki to Retire after 21 Seasons; Has Combined 2,723 Hits in Japan and Major Leagues
-
Kenya Karasawa Claims Silver in Men’s 5,000-Meter T11 Event at Paris Paralympics; Brazil’s Agripino dos Santos Wins Gold
-
Kyoto International Captures Japan’s High School Baseball Title for 1st Time; Edges Kanto Daiichi in 1st-Ever Use of Extra-Inning Tiebreaker at Koshien
-
Kimura Bags 2nd Gold in Men’s 100-Meter Butterfly; Broke His Personal Record from Tokyo Games
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Philippines Steps Up Defense of Northernmost Province with Eye on Possible Contingency Involving Taiwan
- Typhoon Shanshan Forms, Slowly Moves Toward Japan; Govt Says Typhoon No. 10 Likely to Approach Japan Next Week
- Tokyo Companies Prepare for Ashfall From Mt. Fuji Eruption; Disposal Of Ash, Possibly at Sea, A Major Challenge
- Shizuoka Pref. City Offers Foreigners Free Japanese Language Classes; Aims to Raise Non-Natives to Daily Conversation Level
- Strong Typhoon Shanshan Predicted to Approach Western, Eastern Japan Earliest on Wednesday