Rie Kaneto won the women's 200-meter breaststroke
Aug 12, 2016/ CNNCOM
Takayuki Suzuki remains focused on more medals after winning Japan's first gold
Aug 27, 2021/ the Japantimes
Japan’s Kimura wins long-awaited gold in men’s 100 fly
Sep 4, 2021/ The Japan News
Japan's Keiichi Kimura and Uchu Tomita grab top two podium spots in S11 100-meter butterfly
Sep 4, 2021/ the Japantimes
(Aug 12, 2016/ CNN.COM)
Japan's Rie Kaneto took gold in the women's 200-meter breaststroke final after edging out Russia's Yulia Efimova. Shi Jinglin claimed bronze for China.
Kaneto, 27, is the third Japanese swimmer to win the event after Hideko Maehata in 1936 and Kyoko Iwasaki in 1992.
"I'm delighted," she told reporters.
"I feel grateful to all who supported me and I really wish I would have a chance in the near future to respond to their support and to thank them."
Takayuki Suzuki remains focused on more medals after winning Japan's first gold
(Aug 27, 2021/ the Japantimes)
Swimmer Takayuki Suzuki remains on track to meet his goal of winning a medal in every event in which he competes in at the Tokyo Paralympics after grabbing Japan’s first gold Thursday.
Five years since he finished without a medal at the Rio de Janeiro Games, the 34-year-old picked up his first gold medal since the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, coming from behind down the stretch to win the men’s 100-meter freestyle S4 category at Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
“I wanted to give my all in every race. I always want to swim like that, with that mindset, so I am very happy it resulted in winning gold,” he said a day after opening his fifth Paralympics with a bronze in the men’s 50 breaststroke SB3 class.
“I’ve already forgotten mostly about my gold at Beijing so it feels like I just received my gold medal with a new mindset. They are two separate things,” said Suzuki, who was born with a congenital limb deficiency.
He said becoming a Paralympic champion again was something he tried not to give too much thought to since he did not want the allure of returning to the podium’s top step to prevent him from giving his best.
“Of course (gold) was my goal, but I didn’t want to focus on that. If I start thinking about it, then I can’t really concentrate on my swimming,” he said.
He screamed with joy after he touched the wall in a Paralympic record of 1 minute, 21.58 seconds, finishing 1.63 ahead of 23-year-old Italian Luigi Beggiato, who led for most of the race.
A native of Shizuoka Prefecture, Suzuki was born with deficiency in both arms and legs. He started attending a swimming school in his first year of elementary school on the advice of his family.
He made his Paralympic debut at the 2004 Athens Games when he was still a high school student and has been at the forefront of Japan’s para swimming team ever since. In his first three Paralympics, he won three bronze medals and a silver, in addition to his gold in the 50-meter breaststroke SB3 class in Beijing.
After going without a medal in Rio de Janeiro, which he said was a shock at the time, he thought about quitting if he did not show signs of improvement.
But even as he enters his mid 30s, he saw new opportunities for growth that pushed him to keep swimming toward the Tokyo Games, he said. In the 2019 world championships, he took five medals, demonstrating to himself and his competition that he is far from a spent force in the sport.
“It’s been really encouraging to be able to see good results and feel that I was evolving, not just in swimming,” he said. “That motivates me to go further. I think I came this far because of that.”
Suzuki, who helped with Japan’s bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, said before the Tokyo Games that he would understand if the whole thing had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Even though the lack of a crowd made the view from the top of the podium very different from what he saw during the Games in the Chinese capital 13 years ago, he said he cannot let the situation distract him from his goal.
“I didn’t really think about anything from the podium. I just wanted to breathe in this atmosphere and enjoy it,” he said. “Now that the Tokyo Paralympics are happening, I just need to continue to do my best.”
Japan’s Kimura wins long-awaited gold in men’s 100 fly
(Sep 4, 2021/ The Japan News)
By Takumi Wakinishi / Yomiuri Shimbun Sportswriter
Keiichi Kimura won his long-sought first Paralympic gold in the men’s 100-meter butterfly in the S11 category for those with visual impairments at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Friday.
Kimura, 30, came in at 1 minute 2.57 seconds and Uchu Tomita earned silver at 1:03.59 in his debut Paralympics — giving Japan a one-two finish at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The gold was Kimura’s second medal after securing silver in the 100 breaststroke S11 at the Tokyo Games, and his eighth Paralympic medal overall. For Tomita, it was his third time on the podium at the Tokyo Paralympics.
“I’ve worked so hard for this day, and I’m so happy that the day [I won a gold medal] is finally here,” Kimura said, unable to hold back his tears after winning the title.
In the final, Kimura started strong and took a definitive lead after the first 50, breaking away from Tomita and the other swimmers.
“I didn’t think I swam well at all, but I thought at this point, anything is fine,” Kimura said.
Kimura, who lost his eyesight at the age of 2 because of a congenital disease, was considered a favorite to win in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics but ended up with two silver and two bronze medals.
Those around him congratulated him on his wins, but he thought anything other than gold “was meaningless.” His confidence was shattered.
However, he was able to regain some of his confidence after training abroad.
In spring 2018, he moved to the United States by himself because he didn’t think that he could improve any more in Japan.
He trained hard while attending a language school. In the beginning, he could not speak or understand English, so he could not understand his coach’s instructions. At times, he would exert all of his energy and swim as hard as he could.
“Even if my surroundings weren’t perfect, I thought I could improve if I dedicated 120% of my energy to swimming, rather than swimming half-heartedly in Japan,” he said.
Kimura built his confidence back up through the experience of training in the United States for two years, before returning to Japan due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As he was aware of how certain situations may not go his way, he chose an option that would best work for him. He decided not to compete in the 50 freestyle, an event in which he had earned silver at the Rio Paralympics, in Tokyo because he thought he might be fatigued. Rather than go for quantity, he decided to focus on winning the gold in butterfly.
Even though he can’t physically see the gold medal, he wanted one so badly and thought, “I don’t care if it’s not in swimming, I just want one.”
The weight of winning the medal finally sunk in when he heard the national anthem play during the medal ceremony.
“It was the first time that it really hit me that I won the gold and I felt like I didn’t have to try and hold back my tears,” he said.
As Kimura let his tears flow, the medal shined brightly hanging around his neck.
the men’s 100-meter butterfly in the S11 category for those with visual impairments
Japan's Keiichi Kimura and Uchu Tomita grab top two podium spots in S11 100-meter butterfly
(Sep 3, 2021/ the Japantimes)
Japan's Keiichi Kimura broke through for his long-awaited maiden Paralympic gold medal Friday at the Tokyo Games, winning the men's 100-meter butterfly S11 class ahead of compatriot Uchu Tomita in a one-two finish for the host nation.
The fastest qualifier for the final, world champion Kimura touched the wall at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in 1 minute, 2.57 seconds, with Tomita 1.02 behind. Brazil's Wendell Belarmino Pereira swam 1:05.20 to take bronze in the race for swimmers who are blind or have very limited sight.
Kimura, who has now won eight Paralympic medals dating back to the 2012 London Games, considered the possibility he might never win a coveted gold following the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Games due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"The uncertainty throughout the past year was the toughest time for me," said the 30-year-old, who broke down in tears after Tomita placed the gold medal around his neck.
"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." The moment was also emotional for the 32-year-old Tomita, who said it was extra special to stand on the podium next to Kimura, someone he has "respected ever since I started competing."
"Swimming alongside him, I've gotten to know how brilliantly he can perform. Getting silver is one thing, but doing it with him winning gold in front of me is really special," Tomita said.
"I can't be happier than this. I've won silver and Kimura-san won gold. Gold and silver, it's the happiest moment of my life."
The medal was the second of these Paralympics for Kimura and third for Tomita. Kimura took the men's 100 breaststroke silver, while Tomita captured 400 freestyle silver and 200 individual medley bronze in the S11 classification.
Having won two silver and two bronze medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, as well as one of each at the 2012 London Games, the victory finally secured gold for Kimura at his fourth Paralympics.
The Shiga Prefecture native, who lost his vision at age 2 due to a condition called proliferative vitreoretinopathy, began attending a boarding school for students with visual impairment at 4, eventually taking up swimming there as a fourth grader.
Following the Rio Games, he moved his base to the United States in 2018 to work with coach Brian Loeffler at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, with the aim of reaching the top of the podium in Tokyo.
Tomita, who was diagnosed at 16 with retinitis pigmentosa, which first affected his vision while he was in high school, said he hoped to help the image of people with disabilities with his performance at the games.
"It's a message that people with disabilities can achieve something," he said.
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