東京2020オリンピック/パラリンピック
Japan-record run propels Miura into final of men’s steeplechase
July 30, 2021
三浦 いきなり日本新 ３０００障害 半世紀ぶり決勝…陸上
July 30, 2021/ 読売新聞オンライン
From doom to delight, Tokyo Olympics ran the spectrum
Aug 8, 2021
Mixed bag: Erratic Pandemic Olympics wind to a nuanced end
Aug 8, 2021/AP
東京五輪閉幕…コロナ禍、延期・無観客
Aug 9, 2021/ 読売新聞オンライン
東京2020オリンピック…メダリスト名言集
Aug 9, 2021/ 読売新聞オンライン
Paralympics: Tokyo Games end with legends forged in gold
Sep 5, 2021
［パラ新時代］＜上＞初出場組 メダル量産…才能見いだし充実強化
Sep 7, 2021/ 読売新聞オンライン
［パラ新時代］＜下＞健常者競技と融合 加速…同一ユニホーム・実業団元選手 伴走 Sep 8, 2021/ 読売新聞オンライン
Japan-record run propels Miura into final of men’s steeplechase
July 30, 2021/ The Yomiuri Shimbun
Ryuji Miura cut over six seconds off his own national record in placing second in his qualifying heat of the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday, making him the first Japanese in nearly a half-century to qualify for an Olympic final in the event.
Miura clocked 8 minutes 9.92 in finishing second to Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma in the first of the three qualifying heats on the first day of athletics competition at the Tokyo Olympics at National Stadium.
The top three in each heat automatically secured spots, along with the next six fastest, in the final on Monday.
The 19-year-old Miura, a student at Juntendo University, rewrote the Japan record of 8:15.99 he set in winning his first national title on June 26 at the Japan championships — despite falling during the last lap.
三浦 いきなり日本新 ３０００障害 半世紀ぶり決勝…陸上
2021/07/30 15:00/ 読売新聞オンライン
競技が始まり、男子３０００メートル障害予選１組の三浦龍司（順大）が日本新の８分９秒９２をマークして２着に入り、この種目では１９７２年ミュンヘン五輪の小山隆治以来、４９年ぶり２人目の決勝進出を果たした。２組の青木涼真（ホンダ）と３組の山口浩勢（愛三工業）は敗退。男子走り高跳び予選Ｂ組の戸辺直人（ＪＡＬ）は２メートル２８を跳び、この種目の日本勢ではミュンヘン大会の冨沢英彦以来となる決勝進出。Ａ組の衛藤昂（味の素ＡＧＦ）は決勝進出はならなかった。
トラック種目の先陣を切って３０００メートル障害予選に登場した三浦が、驚きの走りを披露した。初めての五輪で今季３度目の日本新記録をマークし、日本選手として約半世紀ぶりに決勝進出。「タイムも良くて目標の決勝にも進めた。すごく自信になる」と声を弾ませた。
普段はレース前後も涼しい顔の１９歳が「すごく緊張していた」。場内アナウンスで自分の名前が呼ばれても反応できないほど。それでも「ピストルが鳴った瞬間、ゾーンというか集中に入れるんで、問題なかった」。
強豪のアフリカ勢が小刻みにペースアップを仕掛けるレース展開の中、「しっかり自分の力を出せば、ひけを取らない」と動じなかった。予選自動通過ラインの３位前後をキープし、残り１周に入る手前で自らスパート。最後は「いっぱいいっぱいだった」と、いつもの伸びは欠いたものの、自己記録を約６秒更新し、２着で予選を突破した。
順大入りした昨季から、箱根駅伝やハーフマラソンなどロード種目で活躍を見せる一方、専門の３０００メートル障害へのこだわりは人一倍強い。国内では人気のマラソンや駅伝と比べ、トラック長距離種目の認知度は低く、「その中でも３０００障害は低い」と指摘する。
自国開催の五輪を前に、「結果が出てきたからこそ、見ている人に楽しさを伝えられる。意識の変化を生み出せる走りをしたい」と話していた。宣言通りの走りができたことが「すごく良かったポイント」だ。３日後の決勝で日本勢初入賞を果たし、「サンショー」の魅力を存分にアピールするつもりだ。（西口大地）
From doom to delight, Tokyo Olympics ran the spectrum
Aug 8, 2021/ Mainichi Japan
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Years of waiting, mismanagement, scandal and a pandemic all culminated in Japan having its best Olympics ever on the medal table, even though there were virtually no home fans in stadiums to enjoy the successes.
Under the circumstances of a pandemic, athletes' smiles on podiums were hidden by masks and the streets of the host city were free of Olympic revelry.
But amid the strangeness, there were highlights that showed the "Olympic spirit" might be more than a feel-good marketers' dream.
Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, Gianmarco Tamberi from Italy and a masked high jump official together created a moment of true joy when the latter offered the deadlocked jumpers the chance to share an Olympic title.
A grasping of hands and a hug later, there were two men's high jump gold medalists and a pandemic-jaded world took heart from a split-second decision to share ultimate success.
Athlete mental health became an overarching narrative of the games when gymnastics superstar Simone Biles, one of the American faces of the games, stepped back from competition in a self-preservation move.
Saying she does not "trust myself as much as I used to" and that high-stress situations can lead to a "freak out," the four-time Olympic gold medalist from 2016 withdrew from her title defense in each.
Biles' trials brought a wave of support from across the sporting spectrum, from Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, saying "I 100 percent agree with what Simone is doing" to American softball player Cat Osterman commending her "for stepping out and saying 'I can't do this right now.'"
Japanese athletes were not immune either, with trampoline gold favorite Hikaru Mori saying the pressure to perform "was getting harder and harder to deal with" and played a role in her qualification flame out.
But with a record 27 gold and 58 total medals, failure was generally not a major problem for Japan.
Fifteen athletes from the host nation had more than one medal placed around their necks, more than the previous record of eight from the 2004 Games in Athens.
The host nation's gold medal total is 11 more than its previous highs from 2004 and 1964. Its total medal haul is 17 more than the record 41 earned in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The highlights came from new Olympic sports, the sports in which Japan is traditionally strong and from some unexpected sources.
The skateboard competition breathed new life into the Olympic program and Yuto Horigome was able to earn his place in history as the sport's first medalist, pulling off some spectacular tricks late in the competition to snatch gold.
Momiji Nishiya then stepped up and matched Horigome in the women's event, an incredible performance from a girl of 13, before Sakura Yosozumi made it three in the women's park days later.
In all, Japan won five skateboarding medals. A Kanoa Igarashi silver and Amuro Tsuzuki bronze in surfing, three in karate and two by sport climbing's glamor girls Miho Nonaka and Akiyo Noguchi, made the new sports a happy hunting ground for the home nation.
Organizers' decision to push for the re-inclusion of men's baseball and women's softball paid off, with Japan defeating the United States in both gold medal games -- winning their first title in baseball and second in softball.
In the pool, there were some high highs and some low lows.
Yui Ohashi was an unexpected winner of two individual medley golds, 200 and 400-meter, Japan's only two swimming titles. Big-name favorite Daiya Seto failed to make a splash, making only one final in three events when he was expected to win at least two medals.
After beating leukemia, Rikako Ikee made three appearances in relay races, but only made the final in one, giving her something more to shoot for in Paris in 2024.
More so than in karate, Japan's supremacy in judo and wrestling was reinforced yet again. Nine judoka won Olympic titles, seven more than France and Kosovo, and the country claimed five gold, more than any other nation, in wrestling.
Japan also made some inroads into China's long-time table tennis hegemony, the host nation winning its first-ever gold in the sport thanks to Mima Ito and Jun Mizutani.
The mixed doubles pairing shocked Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen in a seven-game thriller, with Ito collecting three medals, one of each color.
As Japan looks to the future with its new generation of table tennis players, it can do the same in gymnastics.
Daiki Hashimoto settled nicely into "King" Kohei Uchimura's vacant throne, the 20-year-old taking men's all-around gold to ensure the title stays in Japanese hands for the third straight games. He then stepped up to the horizontal bar and gripped his second gold of the games.
It was not all good news for Japan, though.
After taking center stage as opening ceremony Olympic cauldron lighter, Naomi Osaka then flamed out of the women's tennis singles' third round. A gold favorite of comparable fame in his sport, badminton world No. 1 Kento Momota, also lasted just two games in the singles group phase.
Although not quite at the stature of Osaka and Momota, world No. 4 table tennis player Tomokazu Harimoto had his singles tournament ended early, too. He made amends, however, by being the driving force behind Japan's team bronze.
When Japan was not in contention, other athletes had the opportunity to step into the spotlight.
Elaine Thompson-Herah filled a Usain Bolt-shaped hole in Jamaica's sprint team, winning the women's 100, 200, 4x100 sprint triple, a feat he made so iconic. In the individual events, she defended her 2016 Olympic titles.
Norwegian hurdle sensation Karsten Warholm smashed his own world record over 400 as did American Sydney McLaughlin over 400 flat. To round off the new bests, a pink-haired Yulimar Rojas added 0.17 of a meter to the women's triple jump world mark.
Alyson Felix won two medals to become the most successful female in Olympic athletics history, taking her total to 11 medals -- the most ever -- and seven gold as she runs into retirement.
The games also featured a rare winter-summer Olympic medalist as American Eddy Alvarez won his second Olympic silver, adding to his 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic medal in the short track 5,000 meter relay.
Playoffs upped the ante of the golf tournaments.
In the men's competition, seven players went at it to see who would emerge with bronze, Taiwan's C.T. Pan overcoming some big-name competition -- including major winners Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa and McIlroy -- to win the right to stand on the podium's third step.
Mone Inami of Japan relegated Kiwi Lydia Ko to bronze in a women's second-place playoff, needing just one hole to do the deed.
The Americans maintained their place as the world's basketball leaders, but the gap is ever closing. They won both golds, with France taking men's silver and Australia winning its first men's medal in the sport with bronze.
In women's basketball, Japan made an epic run to the silver medal, by far the nation's best result in the sport.
Japan's final day basketball silver, along with Yumi Kajihara's first women's medal for the country in track cycling, cemented its place in third on the medal table, the highest it has finished since it ranked in the same place in 1968.
Japan may look back on the Tokyo Olympics with regret for many reasons, but the performance of its athletes will not be one.
Mixed bag: Erratic Pandemic Olympics wind to a nuanced end
Aug 8, 2021/ Mainichi Japan
TOKYO (AP) -- It began with a virus and a yearlong pause. It ended with a typhoon blowing through and, still, a virus. In between: just about everything.
The Tokyo Olympics, christened with "2020" but held in mid-2021 after being interrupted for a year by the coronavirus, glided to their conclusion in a COVID-emptied stadium Sunday night as an often surreal mixed bag for Japan and for the world.
A rollicking closing ceremony with the theme "Worlds We Share" -- an optimistic but ironic notion at this human moment -- featured everything from stunt bikes to intricate light shows as it tried to convey a "celebratory and liberating atmosphere" for athletes after a tense two weeks. It pivoted to a live feed from Paris, host of the 2024 Summer Games. And with that, the strangest Olympic Games on record closed their books for good.
Held in the middle of a resurging pandemic, rejected by many Japanese and plagued by months of administrative problems, these Games presented logistical and medical obstacles like no other, offered up serious conversations about mental health -- and, when it came to sport, delivered both triumphs and a few surprising shortfalls.
From the outset, expectations were middling at best, apocalyptic at worst. Even Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said he'd worried that these could "become the Olympic Games without a soul." But, he said, "what we have seen here is totally different."
"You were faster, you went higher, you were stronger because we all stood together -- in solidarity," Bach told gathered Olympians as he closed the Games. "This was even more remarkable given the many challenges you had to face because of the pandemic. In these difficult times, you give the world the most precious of gifts: hope."
"For the first time since the pandemic began," he said, "the entire world came together."
He overstated it a bit. At these Games, even the word "together" was fraught. Spectators were kept at bay. A patchwork of rules kept athletes masked and apart for much of medal ceremonies, yet saw them swapping bodily fluids in some venues. That was less about being remiss than about being real: Risks that could be mitigated were, but at the same time events had to go on.
Athletes' perseverance became a central story. Mental health claimed bandwidth as never before, and athletes revealed their stories and struggles in vulnerable, sometimes excruciating fashion.
Japan's fourth Olympics, held 57 years after the 1964 Games reintroduced the country after its World War II defeat, represented a planet trying to come together at a moment in history when disease and circumstance and politics had splintered it apart.
The closing ceremony Sunday reflected that -- and, at times, nudged the proceedings toward a sci-fi flavor. As athletes stood in the arena for the final pomp, digital scoreboards at either end of the stadium featured what organizers called a "fan video matrix," a Zoom call-like screen of videos uploaded by spectators showing themselves cheering at home.
Even the parade of athletes carrying national flags -- thousands of Olympians, masked and unmasked, clustering together before fanning out into the world again -- was affected. Volunteers carried some flags into the stadium, presumably because of rules requiring athletes to leave the country shortly after their events concluded.
In front of such formidable backdrops, athletic excellence burst through, from the Games' first gold medal (China's Yang Qian in the 10-meter air rifle on July 24) to their last (Serbia defeating Greece in men's water polo on Sunday afternoon).
Among the highlights: Allyson Felix taking a U.S.-record 11th medal in track, then stepping away from the Olympic stage. American quintuple gold medalist Caeleb Dressel's astounding performance in the pool. The emergence of surfing,skateboarding and sport climbing as popular, and viable, Olympic sports. Host country Japan's medal haul -- 58, its most ever.
Any Olympics is a microcosm of the world it reflects. These Games' runup, and the two weeks of the Games themselves, featured tens of thousands of spit-in-a-vial COVID tests for athletes, staff, journalists and visitors. That produced barely more than 400 positives, a far cry from the rest of non-Olympic bubble Japan, where surges in positive cases provoked the government to declare increasingly widespread states of emergency.
And, of course, there was that other microcosm of human life that the Games revealed -- the reckoning with mental and emotional health, and the pressure put on top-tier athletes to compete hard and succeed at almost any cost. The interruption of that pressurized narrative, led by the struggles of gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Naomi Osaka in particular, permeated these Games and ignited the spark of an athlete-driven conversation about stress, tolerance and inclusivity that everyone expects to continue.
While Tokyo is handing off the Summer Games baton to Paris for 2024, the delay has effectively crammed two Olympics together. The next Winter Games convenes in just six months in another major Asian metropolis -- Beijing, Japan's rival in East Asia and home to a much more authoritarian government that is expected to administer its Games in a more draconian and restrictive way, virus or no virus.
Beyond that, Paris organizers promised Sunday to "take sport out of its traditional spaces" and "connect with new audiences in new ways" in 2024 -- presuming, of course, the absence of a protracted pandemic. They went live from the closing to excited groups of fans clustered near the Eiffel Tower, a crowded public scene that Tokyo didn't allow.
In recent weeks, lots of people -- officials, athletes, journalists -- have been chewing over how these Tokyo Games will be remembered. That's up to history, of course, but there are hints.
The runup was messy and disputed. The days of competition were fraught but, in general, without incident other than sporting milestones. Even a moderate earthquake rumbled through and was quickly forgotten. Scattered protests of the Games -- including one outside the stadium Sunday night -- reflected a portion of Japan's sentiment, though certainly not all. The expenses -- upwards of $15 billion -- were colossal and will echo in Tokyo long after athletes are gone.
What are the Olympic Games supposed to be? A politics-free sporting event, as the IOC insists? A bonanza for sponsors and broadcasters? One small step toward world peace? Despite all the yarn-spinning, their identity remains up in the air and that fundamental question remains.
But as the cauldron was snuffed out Sunday night after the Pandemic Olympics concluded, it's easy to argue that Tokyo can take its place as a Games that didn't fail -- as one that overcame a lot to even happen at all. And as vaccines roll out, variants emerge and lockdowns re-emerge, another city and government -- Beijing, the Chinese capital -- must grapple with the very same question.
In the meantime, the program for Tokyo's closing ceremony, outlining its "Worlds We Share" theme, captured the effect of the pandemic and the virtual worlds and separation anxiety to which it has given birth.
"We are in a new normal, and this edition of the Games were a different affair," it said. "Even if we cannot be together, we can share the same moment. And that is something that we will never forget."
東京五輪閉幕…コロナ禍、延期・無観客
2021/08/09 05:00 読売新聞オンライン
新型コロナウイルスの影響で史上初の１年延期となった第３２回夏季五輪東京大会は８日、閉幕した。閉会式は東京・国立競技場で行われ、１７日間の会期を締めくくった。五輪旗は東京都の小池百合子知事から国際オリンピック委員会（ＩＯＣ）のトーマス・バッハ会長を経て次回２０２４年大会を開くパリのアンヌ・イダルゴ市長に引き継がれた。第１６回夏季パラリンピック東京大会は８月２４日に開幕する。
五輪・パラ関係者、７月１日以降の陽性者は計８６３人…選手村は閉村
メダル最多５８個
閉会式で入場する日本の選手ら（８日午後８時４２分、国立競技場で）＝飯島啓太撮影
バッハ会長は「パンデミック（世界的大流行）が始まって以来、初めて全世界が一つになった」と述べ、閉会宣言。選手らが見守る中、聖火台の火が消えた。
大会最終日の競技では、バスケットボール女子の日本が決勝で米国に敗れて銀メダル。自転車トラック女子オムニアムでは 梶原かじはら 悠未（２４）（筑波大大学院）が銀を獲得した。陸上男子マラソンの大迫 傑すぐる （３０）（ナイキ）は６位入賞を果たした。
今大会は、２０５か国・地域と難民選手団から約１万１０００人の選手が参加し、史上最多の３３競技３３９種目で力と技を競った。北朝鮮は不参加。日本選手は過去最多の５８３人で、獲得した金メダル２７個、そのうち女子種目は１４個でいずれも歴代最多。銀１４個と銅１７個を加えた総数５８個も、夏冬を通じて日本の最多記録となった。
国・地域別では、米国が金３９個、総数１１３個でともに１位。日本は金が３８個の中国に次ぐ３位、総数では５位だった。
一方、大会は東京都などに緊急事態宣言が発令される中で開催され、４２会場のうち宮城、茨城、静岡３県を除く３７会場が、感染防止のため無観客となった。
東京五輪・パラリンピック大会組織委員会は選手ら参加者向けの感染対策指針「プレーブック」を策定し、毎日の検査や外出自粛などを求めた。観光したジョージア選手が指針違反で参加資格を 剥奪はくだつ されるなど、トラブルもあった。
組織委は８日、新たに大会関係者２６人が検査で陽性判定を受けたと発表。７月１日の公表開始からの陽性者は計４３０人となった。橋本聖子会長は、記者会見で「安全最優先で大会を実現し、大きな問題が起こることなく閉幕の日を迎えられた。経験を踏まえ、パラリンピックに向けてしっかり準備したい」と語った。
お家芸 「金」量産
日本は、お家芸の存在感が際立った。柔道は史上最多の金９個を含む１２個。阿部 一二三ひふみ （パーク２４）と 詩うた （日体大）は兄と妹で同日金の快挙を遂げた。レスリングは金５個を含む７個で、川井梨紗子（ジャパンビバレッジ）、友香子（同）の姉妹がそろって金メダルに輝いた。体操は橋本大輝（順大）が二つの金。競泳の大橋悠依（イトマン東進）は夏季の日本女子史上初の同一大会２冠を達成した。
新競技のスケートボードは金３個を含む計５個と躍進。１３歳の西矢 椛もみじ （ムラサキスポーツ）が日本選手史上最年少の金を手にした。
東京2020オリンピック…メダリスト名言集
2021/08/09 12:04/ 読売新聞オンライン
史上初の１年延期となった東京五輪。表彰台に上ったメダリストたちは様々な思いをかみしめた。
柔道男子７３キロ級・大野将平選手（２９） 「（準決勝、決勝を延長戦で制して五輪連覇）苦しくてつらい日々を凝縮したような戦いでした」
競泳女子・大橋悠依選手（２５） 「金メダルを取れるとは一瞬も思わなかった。うれしい気持ちと、信じられない気持ち」
卓球女子団体・石川佳純選手（２８） 「少しは自分を褒めてもいいのかな」
体操男子・橋本大輝選手（２０） 「チャンピオンといったら内村航平だとずっと言われていたので、自分もそれくらいにならないと」
スケートボード女子ストリート・西矢 椛もみじ 選手（１３） 「うれしすぎて涙が込み上げてきた。今のところは一番いい思い出です」
スケートボード女子パーク・ 四十住よそずみ さくら選手（１９） 「（スケボーは）彼氏です。本当に大好きで、２４時間ずっと乗っていたいくらい」
「海の神様、ありがとう」
サーフィン男子・五十嵐カノア選手（２３） 「海の神様、ありがとう。日本のためにメダルを取れたことは一生忘れない」
ソフトボール・上野由岐子選手（３９） 「投げられなくなるまで投げてやるという思いだった」
フェンシング男子エペ団体・見延和靖選手（３４） 「競技人生で最高に濃くて熱い１日だ」
ボクシング女子フェザー級・入江 聖奈せな 選手（２０） 「何回もほっぺをつねったけど、今も夢の中にいる気がする。（歴史の扉を）ちょっと全開にしちゃったかな」
レスリング女子５７キロ級・川井梨紗子選手（２６） 「こんなに幸せな日があっていいんだろうか」
陸上男子２０キロ競歩・池田 向希こうき 選手（２３） 「ここまで自分が成長できるとは思っていなかった」
空手男子形・ 喜友名きゆな 諒選手（３１） 「沖縄の子供たちにも夢を諦めず、追いかけ続ければ達成できると知ってもらえたと思う」
スポーツクライミング女子・野口 啓代あきよ 選手（３２） 「引退試合でこんないい舞台に登れて幸せ。明日から登らないなんて想像できない」
「応援が、背中押してくれた」
自転車女子オムニアム・梶原悠未選手（２４） 「（有観客の会場で）応援が聞こえ、苦しい時に背中を押してくれました」
Paralympics: Tokyo Games end with legends forged in gold
Sept. 5, 2021/ Mainichi Japan
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Tokyo Games brought Japan 13 more gold medals than the previous Paralympics, as a new generation of athletes contributed a swathe of titles and a few old stagers showed they still have what it takes.
Five years after the disappointment of Rio de Janeiro, where Japan never topped the podium, the nation achieved its equal-third best gold medal total, while tallying 51 medals overall -- one short of its record 52, set in 2004.
Tomoki Sato wheeled his way to two gold medals on the athletics track, living up to the pre-games hype to deliver the 400, 1,500-meter T52 double and improve on the two silver medals he won in 2016.
The 31-year-old chose to deflect the plaudits after winning, saying he was simply focused on performing at a high level to honor the sacrifices others had made in bringing the games to fruition during the coronavirus pandemic.
"The year (following the postponement of the games) was a struggle not only for athletes, but for many people. Athletes from each country came here determined to still perform at their peak, and with this in mind, I wanted to make sure I gave my best," Sato said.
Making history was on the agenda in Tokyo for Japanese cyclist Keiko Sugiura.
Over some five years, Sugiura went from suffering a brain injury in an able-body cycling race to a double Paralympic gold medalist, earning a spot in the Japanese cycling annals in the process.
In dominating the women's C3 cycling road race and time trial on the Fuji International Speedway circuit in her home prefecture of Shizuoka, Sugiura won Japan's first Paralympic cycling titles while becoming Japan's oldest gold medalist at 50 years of age.
Age is very much just a number for Sugiura, though, who believes one's heart and legs matter most in cycling.
"I'm very young at heart, and that's very important," she said after winning the road race. "My skin might be a little bit aged, but in my legs and my heart, I feel so young."
Visually impaired marathoner Misato Michishita was able to get a golden monkey off her back on the final day of the games.
Having run to silver at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, the diminutive 44-year-old had all her focus on making amends at home.
And she did, blowing the field away on a wet Sunday morning as she finished in 3 hours, 50 seconds, with a winning margin of 3 minutes, 26 seconds.
"It's like I am still dreaming and I hope that when I wake up at the Paralympic village tomorrow, it will be still real and that all this actually happened," she said.
A dream was also how Sarina Satomi described her win in the women's WH1 wheelchair badminton singles.
Having made some history as the first woman to win a Paralympic badminton gold medal on the sport's debut at the games, Satomi added a second gold a day later, teaming up with Yuma Yamazaki to take doubles glory.
"I always aimed to become the first gold medalist, in either the singles or doubles. I am glad I managed it and I can take great confidence from that," said Satomi, the third of three double-gold winners from the host nation.
Swimmer Takayuki Suzuki was Japan's most prolific medal-winner in Tokyo. His five podium finishes, including gold in the S4 100-meter freestyle, gave him 10 career Paralympic medals in total -- two gold, three silver and five bronze.
There were tears aplenty across the games as athletes put in life-changing performances on the biggest stage, and visually impaired swimmer Keiichi Kimura was among the most emotional after his win.
Aged 30 and at his fourth Paralympics, Kimura had won six medals before the Tokyo Games, but none of them gold.
When he finished second in the final of the SB11 100 breaststroke on the games' ninth day it looked like that story may continue, but he changed the narrative in the 100 butterfly.
Touching just ahead of teammate Uchu Tomita, Kimura's effort gave him his long-awaited gold and a very tearful visit to the top step of the podium.
"I don't know what the medal looks like, but when I heard the Japanese anthem being played, I realized I had got the gold medal, and the tears just came flooding. It was extremely emotional," he said.
The waterworks also flowed when Shingo Kunieda, a 45-time wheelchair tennis Grand Slam winner and the most high-profile member of Japan's Paralympic team, finally returned to the top step of a Paralympic podium.
The 37-year-old won two singles gold medals in the past, but went without in Brazil in 2016 when he was knocked out in the quarterfinals, a shock exit for the man who is, without doubt, the greatest of all time.
"I kept telling myself I can do it and that I am the best," he said after the victory ceremony. "But there was a part of me that really doubted myself.
"I suffered setbacks in Rio, so I didn't imagine that I could have another gold medal around my neck. It feels so different from Beijing and London," he said.
［パラ新時代］＜上＞初出場組 メダル量産
…才能見いだし充実強化
2021/09/07 05:00/ 読売新聞オンライン
東京パラリンピックで日本は金１３個を含む、史上２番目の５１個のメダルを獲得した。金がゼロだった２０１６年リオデジャネイロ大会から大きく躍進した背景には、注目度の高い自国開催に向けた、各競技団体などの周到な準備があった。
パラメダリスト「まだ夢心地」「最高の舞台」…閉幕から一夜明け会見
バドミントン男子シングルス決勝で韓国選手を破った梶原大暉＝近藤誠撮影
「思った通りになった。フィジカル強化が勝因ではないか」。東京パラリンピックから採用された新競技バドミントンは全員が初出場で、金３個を含む大量９個のメダルを獲得し、日本代表の 金正子キムジョンジャ ヘッドコーチは笑顔で総括した。
東京大会に向け、日本障がい者バドミントン連盟は不動産大手のヒューリックと、１０年という異例の長期スポンサー契約を結んだ。同社が所有する東京都内の体育館を専用の練習拠点としたほか、味の素ナショナルトレーニングセンターもフル活用した。昨年、コロナ禍で練習が制限されると、筋力トレーニングなど体力面を強化。大会直前の合宿では、健常者の全国大会を戦うレベルの選手に練習相手になってもらい、海外勢の多彩なショットへの対応力を磨いた。競技団体が一体となり、パラ未経験の選手のレベルアップを図った。
有望な若手を見逃さなかったのも大きかった。その一人が、男子シングルス（車いすＷＨ２）で金メダルを獲得した１９歳の梶原大暉（日体大）だ。野球をしていた梶原は中学２年の時の交通事故で車いすに。高校１年で地元福岡のバドミントンクラブに入った際、連盟にも情報が届いた。将来性を感じた平野一美理事長が梶原の通っていた高校側と話し合い、授業と海外遠征などを両立するための環境を整え、飛躍につなげた。
梶原をはじめ、初出場の選手たちの躍進が光った。各競技団体が若い才能の発掘に努めてきた成果だ。
競泳女子で、銀メダルを２個獲得した１４歳の山田美幸
競泳では、１４歳の山田美幸（ＷＳ新潟）が銀メダル２個を獲得した。小学１年の夏休みに水泳教室に参加したことを機にコーチに才能を見いだされたことが、パラ出場につながった。競泳代表２７人のうち、１９人が初出場。メダルに届いた選手は限られたが、日本パラ水泳連盟の上垣匠監督は「（若手の）発掘を連盟としてやってきている中で、若手選手が出てきているのは間違いない」と強調する。
ボッチャは２０１６年から、競技の普及を目的に特別支援学校の生徒らによる「全国ボッチャ選抜甲子園」を始めた。そこで活躍した現在２０歳の江崎駿（法大）が、さっそく東京大会でパラ初出場を果たしてみせた。
ゴールボール女子では延期に伴い、思い切って選手の見直しを行い、２０歳の萩原紀佳（国立障害者リハビリテーションセンター）が代表入り。長期合宿で「英才教育をしてきた」という市川喬一総監督の期待に応え、チームトップとなる大会計２５得点の大活躍で銅獲得に貢献した。萩原は「自分のボールが世界に通用することが分かり、自信も持てた」と語った。
東京で経験を積んだ選手たちが各競技のエース級に成長していけば、３年後のパリ大会への期待も膨らむ。
［パラ新時代］＜下＞健常者競技と融合 加速
…同一ユニホーム・実業団元選手 伴走
2021/09/08 05:00/ 読売新聞オンライン
東京五輪出場のサッカー男女日本代表と同じデザインのユニホームを身にまとったブラインドサッカー日本代表が、初のパラリンピックで躍動した。初戦でフランスに勝利すると、準決勝進出こそ惜しくも逃したが、５位決定戦でスペインを破り、白星で大会を締めくくった。ＧＫ佐藤大介は「みんな（ユニホームを着て）テンションが上がっていた」と、同じサッカーファミリーの一員としての２０２０大会を振り返った。
［フロントライン］五輪パラの気づき 日常に…太田朋男
五輪サッカー男子準決勝でドリブルで攻め上がる久保建英＝飯島啓太撮影
東京五輪・パラリンピックでは五輪、パラ日本選手団の公式服のデザインが初めて統一された。この画期的な出来事に象徴されるように、近年、パラと健常者の競技の融合が急速に進んでいる。
陸上男子５０００メートル（視覚障害）で銀メダルを獲得した唐沢剣也（群馬県社会福祉事業団）は、地元の実業団チーム、スバルに協力を依頼。元選手でコーチを務める小林光二を伴走者として迎え入れた。トップランナーだった小林と組むことで走りに戦略性が増し、世界記録も経験した。男子マラソン（上肢障害）銅メダルの永田務（新潟県身体障害者団体連合会）は、実業団の名門、旭化成の合宿に参加。健常者のトップ選手から助言を受けた。
パラトライアスロン男子で銅メダルを獲得した米岡聡（右）。ガイドは椿浩平
トライアスロン男子（視覚障害）で銅メダルに輝いた米岡聡（三井住友海上）のガイドを務めたのは、健常者の選手で２４年パリ五輪を目指す椿浩平。米岡は「（椿の言葉は）どういう走りをするか考えるための判断材料になる」といい、椿は「（障害があっても）最大限のパフォーマンスを出すところに学ぶものが多い」と相乗効果を強調する。
五輪・パラ融合では施設、環境面も格段に向上した。「味の素ナショナルトレーニングセンター（ＮＴＣ）イースト」（東京都北区）が２０１９年６月に完成。バリアフリー化された施設で多くのパラアスリートがトレーニングを積み、本番を迎えた。射撃では、五輪代表が施設内にある射撃場を練習拠点にしていることから、パラの選手も一緒に練習し、選手同士でアドバイスを送ることもあった。
東京大会の開催が決まり、日本の障害者スポーツの管轄が厚生労働省から文部科学省に移管されたのは、１４年度。それまでリハビリの側面が強かった障害者スポーツについて、競技力向上に国が本格的に乗り出したのはそれからだ。大会組織委員会の橋本聖子会長は、「パラリンピックが日本で開催されることで、五輪とパラが一緒に強化されてきた」と、東京大会の意義を語る。五輪・パラ競技の真の融合へ向け、第一歩は踏み出した。その歩みをどこまで進めていけるか。スポーツ界の力が問われるのはこれからだ。（東京パラリンピック取材班）
