Japan Takes 1st Gold in Wheelchair Rugby; Team Captain Survived Car Accident that Burned 75％ of His Body

By Kentaro Sugino / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:52 JST, September 3, 2024

PARIS — After taking bronze in two Paralympics, Japan’s wheelchair rugby team finally reached the peak. On Monday, they beat the U.S. team 48-41 and scored gold in Paris.

“Everything was wonderful, beautiful and in such a great place. We played the best and got the best result,” said captain Yukinobu Ike, 44, who has led Japan’s team. “It was the best moment for me as an athlete.”

Wheelchair rugby is a mixed-team sport played by male and female athletes, and matches are split into four eight-minute quarters.

Eleven of the 12 members of Japan’s team played at the Tokyo Games. Even with a three-point deficit in the first quarter, they didn’t lose their trust in each other, nor their well-honed coordination. Their defense was solid, tripping up their opponents and turning the game around in the second quarter.

Ike and young ace Katsuya Hashimoto, 22, scored many tries, while severely handicapped players such as Seiya Norimatsu, 34, and female player Kae Kurahashi, 33, showed their defensive skills.

Ike, who was competing in his third consecutive tournament, held up the gold medal with his right hand after it was placed around his neck. In March 2000, Ike lost three friends who were with him in a car, in an accident that left him with burns over 75% of his body and forced amputation of his left leg. He expressed his gratitude to his deceased friends. “They gave me a miraculous moment, and maybe they pushed me forward,” he said.

“People can shine with or without a disability if they have dreams and goals,” said Norimatsu, with a tremor in his voice. It was his third Paralympics, too.

“I had never been able to make my dreams come true, but now I can tell people I did. That makes me happier than anything,” he said.