Section4. Interview with the Athlete - Mr.Shigeo Yoshihara-

What does para-sport mean to athletes?

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Yoshihara, a former tandem cycling time trialist and Sydney Paralympic gold medalist, online.

Mr.Shigeo Yoshihara Disability: Retinitis pigmentosa 1972：Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa 1992：Barcelona Paralympics, 4th place in the high jump 1996：Atlanta Paralympics, bronze medal in high jump 2000：Sydney Paralympics, Tandem Cycling Time Trial-Gold, Sprint-Silver medal 2004：Athens Paralympics, Tandem Cycling, Sprint, Silver medal

The photo was provided by Shigeo Yoshihara himself.

Q1.What do you think about having a disability?

I was not aware of my disability, and although my disease progressed little by little, I could see the same as everyone else. I don't know what it means to be "invisible".

Q2.Why did you start competing?

I was encouraged to participate in the National Athletic Meet for the Disabled, and I wanted to go to Okinawa, where it was held.

I also love the fact that when I play sports, I can forget about my "disability" and become an athlete.

Q3.What made you happy and what was hard for you as you continued competing?

What made me happy was winning the gold medal at the Paralympics. I set a goal of winning a gold medal and repeatedly set goals for each year in my daily practice. I set about 50 goals a year, so I had to achieve one a week. The hardest part was balancing work and life. There were times when I wanted to quit, but I was able to continue because of my friends.

Q4.Are there any things or people that you need to compete with?

Gratitude to the people who supported me. You have to be grateful to those who have sacrificed for your dream. I especially want to thank my wife for her continuous support. You need to get an environment where you can play sports. Currently, it is difficult to get an environment for para-sports.

Q5.What do you want to tell junior and senior high school students?

If you think, "That's cool! It's great if you think it's cool. If you think, "That's cool! But even if you have a disability, you can do so much! This is the appeal of the Paralympic Games: to be able to do things with effort, ingenuity, and ideas.
Even if you think you want to quit, the best thing you can do is to change your way of thinking, and above all, have fun!
An athlete is someone who has done something 100 times that a normal person would give up 10 times. I would like you to keep challenging yourself, no matter how small.

Q6.What can society as a whole do?

I want people to think about what "disability" is. The person may not see it as a disability. It is important to think about what is best for them and act accordingly.
Today, there are a variety of applications, such as "Be My Eyes" and "Voice Over" that reads the words on the screen.

Cooperation

Thank you to Mr. Shigeo Yoshihara for taking part in the online interview. Thank you to Santen Pharmaceutical CO., LTD.

The logo of Santen Pharmaceutical CO., LTD is used in accordance with the brand guidelines.

Summary

I was very impressed by his words, "When you play sports, you can forget about your disability and become an athlete. When I saw the Paralympic Games, I was impressed by the powerful figures of athletes who were doing the best they could despite their disabilities, and my image of disabilities changed dramatically. I also felt the importance of the support of the people around me and the strength of our connections.

Reference materials

難病情報センター 網膜色素変性症 https://www.nanbyou.or.jp/entry/196