Kimura Bags 2nd Gold in Men’s 100-Meter Butterfly; Broke His Personal Record from Tokyo Games

By Satoshi Morii / Yomiuri Shimbun Sportswriter

17:28 JST, September 7, 2024

PARIS — With each stroke, Keiichi Kimura widened the gap between himself and the other swimmers in the men’s 100-meter butterfly in the S11 visual impairment class before winning gold at the Paris Paralympic Games on Friday.

Kimura shouted with joy and slapped the water the moment he bagged his second gold after winning the men’s 50-meter freestyle.

Kimura said he did not listen to the advice of others until three years ago, as he did not want to change his swimming style because of the firm commitment to acquire gold. After winning the men’s 100-meter butterfly at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, however, he was freed from this obsession.

Following the Games, Kimura completely changed his swimming style by learning from another Olympic medalist.

“As it became necessary for me to just swim faster, I was able to realize anew the joy of swimming,” Kimura said.

In Paris, Kimura was completely confident when he competed in his target event.

The 33-year-old swimmer also broke his own record in butterfly set at the Tokyo Games. “There was no sensation other than that I would set a personal best,” he said.

Kimura, who lost his sight at the age of 2, is unable to learn the way other swimmers do. He said he hopes that the challenge he took on to change his swimming style “can give other blind people some hints on how to move their bodies.”