A British Army veteran who lost both legs and his left hand in Afghanistan made history Tuesday morning by becoming the first triple amputee to sail solo across the Pacific, reaching his destination in western Japan. Craig Wood, 34, who departed Mexico in March, sailed around 13,000 kilometers on a 12.5-meter custom-built aluminum catamaran for 90 days before arriving at Hiroshima Port.
Japan’s Tokito Oda won his third consecutive French Open wheelchair tennis singles title Saturday, defeating Britain’s Alfie Hewett 6-4, 7-6(6). Earlier in the day, Japanese compatriot Yui Kamiji claimed her fifth wheelchair singles title and first in five years with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Aniek van Koot of the Netherlands. Kamiji added the singles championship to the doubles crown she won Friday with South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane.
Japan’s Yui Kamiji picked up her third Australian Open wheelchair tennis singles title and first in five years, defeating Aniek van Koot of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-2 in Saturday’s final. But Japanese compatriot and 2024 champion Tokito Oda lost to Britain’s Alfie Hewett in the men’s wheelchair final 6-4, 6-4.
The year is almost over, it is time to greet the next one. The event Barrier Free Japan is looking forward to the most that will take place next year is the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, which will be held from November 15 to 26, 2025 in Tokyo with other venues in Shizuoka and Fukushima. Despite being older than the Paralympics – the first Deaflympics was held in Paris, France in 2024 – it doesn’t receive as much attention as the Paralympics, although like the Paralympics it is recognized by the IOC. This event will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Deaflympics, the Winter events being held in 2024 in Erzurum, Turkey.
Ahead of the National Sports Festival for the Disabled, a seminar was held in Saga City for police officers to learn how to provide necessary support to people with disabilities. The National Sports Festival for the Disabled will be held in Saga Prefecture from the 26th to the 28th of this month.
Keiko Sugiura and Natsuki Wada, gold medalists in cycling and table tennis, respectively, were among the athletes welcomed home at Tokyo’s Haneda airport by enthusiastic fans, some of whom displayed signs with encouraging messages. Japan’s 14 gold medals were one more than the team won at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021.
Japan’s Tokito Oda won gold in men’s wheelchair tennis singles at the Paris Paralympics on Saturday.
Oda, 18, defended the title that Japan’s Shingo Kunieda clinched in the previous Paralympics in Tokyo in 2021.
The victory by Oda brought Japan three gold medals and one silver medal in wheelchair tennis at the Paris Games.
Founded in 1988 as a developer of motorcycle engines and parts, the company switched to the wheelchair business in 1995. It has a factory at its head office that manufactures wheelchairs for competitive sports.
On the 10th day of the quadrennial sporting event, Kamiji defeated Diede De Groot of the Netherlands in the final, winning the first gold medal for Japan in this category.
Yui Kamiji and Manami Tanaka brought Japan its first gold medal in women’s Paralympic tennis by winning the doubles event at the Paris Games on Thursday.
Barrier Free Japan