Yukinobu Ike ready to lead Japan to wheelchair rugby gold at Paris 2024

By Barrier Free Japan, extract from the IPC Website

July 24 2024

JAPAN – Three years after finishing the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with a bronze medal, Japan wheelchair rugby captain Yukinobu Ike is ready to lead his team to the top of the podium at Paris 2024.

It took Japan wheelchair rugby captain Yukinobu Ike six months to watch recordings of his matches from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, and it took him another six months for him to put the semifinal defeat behind him. “I competed at Tokyo 2020, thinking this was the only opportunity for Japan to win the gold medal. I believed it was the only time I could ever win gold in my life,” said Ike, a two-time Paralympic bronze medallist. “It was very shocking to miss out on that medal.” Three years later, Ike is preparing to lead his team at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, where he wants to realise his dream winning a gold medal. The players have developed in many ways, and they are ready to take the spotlight in the French capital. “Now, I believe we can win gold in Paris,” Ike said. “I want to become a better version of myself. I want to play in Paris in a way that will make many people excited and want to support us.”

Ike took up wheelchair rugby at age 32, about 13 years after a car accident that left him with severe burns and resulted in the amputation of his left leg. He quickly became one of the best players in the country, helping Japan earn bronze in his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016 and gold at the World Championships in 2018. At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, held following a one-year postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan finished the group stage without a single loss but were defeated by Great Britain in the semifinals. The hosts won the bronze medal match against Australia. “(Tokyo 2020) was held 23 years after my accident, and winning gold at the Paralympics was the best thing I could ever accomplish as an athlete,” Ike recalled. “I was confident that we could win the tournament, and it is still not fully clear why we didn’t win.” “But now, I have more experience, and it gives me confidence that we can win (in Paris).”

Ike lives in Kochi Prefecture in western Japan and travels once a month to participate in training camps with the national team. He makes it a rule to include some kind of training in his routine every day. Training camps with the national team often include playing two matches and reviewing recordings of recent competitions. “As captain, I try to communicate so that younger players can also talk without being shy. I also try to pay attention to teammates who haven’t been able to perform at their full potential – I often communicate what they are doing well, so that they can show that on court.”

“While Tokyo was most definitely my peak (as an athlete), I still think I am at my peak,” Ike said. “I was in my best condition at the Tokyo Games, and I may not be at the same fitness level as back then, but we are in a better place in terms of experience, performance and teamwork.”

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be held from 28 August to 8 September with around 4400 athletes competing in 22 sports including wheelchair rugby. By winning the WWR Asia-Oceania Championship in July 2023, Japan booked a spot for the Games. Eight teams – France, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Japan and the USA – will compete in the wheelchair rugby tournament, which is set to take place from 29 August to 2 September at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.