Introduction to Athletes
Hitoshi Matsunaga
Athlete & Coach, Event class T53
- Born in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture on September 15, 1972
- Resident of Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
He started competing at the age of 18 and achieved his goal of appearing in the Paralympics in 2008. Despite being regarded as a late developer, he also appeared at the London Paralympics in 2012 and was captain of the Japan para-athletics team at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics in 2016. As team coach, in addition to training two young hopefuls, he aims to compete together with them at Tokyo 2020, which will be his fourth Paralympics.
He also conducts athletics classes in Okayama Prefecture. Under the slogan of "Disabled and non-disabled people running together", he has launched an NPO in collaboration with Tenmanya Athletics Team and Okayama University and holds athletics classes with the aim of conveying the fun and wonder of sports to disabled persons, non-disabled persons, children and adults. In addition, he conducts lectures, etc. all over Japan, conveying the importance of having a dream and moving forward towards one's goals.
Profile
| 1987 | Enrolled at Okayama Prefectural Higashi Okayama Technical High School, where he joined the athletics club |
|---|---|
| 1988 | Lost functioning of both lower limbs (spinal injury) in a road accident |
| 1991 | Started wheelchair competition |
| 2001 | Joined Zenotech AC |
| 2004 | Started his career as a professional athlete |
| 2006 | Employed (part-time) at the Vocational Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities Para athletics competition advisor for Momotaro Yume Club (NPO) |
| 2008 | Member of the Japan para athletics team at the Beijing Paralympics |
| 2012 | Member of the Japan para athletics team at the London Paralympics |
| 2014 | Joined grop sincerite Co., Ltd. as an athlete |
| 2016 | Captain of the Japan para athletics team at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics |
| 2017 | Captain of the Japan team at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London |
| 2018 | Appointed as a director of grop sincerite Co., Ltd. |
| 2018 | Took part in the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games |
| PB (personal best records) |
400m | 50.74 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800m | 1:40.00 | ||
| 4×400m relay | 3:10.60 |
| Hobbies | Craftwork, automobiles |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Hee-san |
| Favorite foods | Sweets and slightly spicy things |
| Foods not liked | Sour things |
| Motto | “Walk the talk”, “Dreams are to be realized, goals are to be attained” |
Personal support
Main Results in Competition
| 2021 | 32nd Japan Para Athletics Championships | 400m Champion，800m Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Oita Wheelchair Marathon | Half-marathon Sixth place |
| 2020 | 25th Kanto Para Athletics Championships | 400m Champion, 800m Champion |
| 2020 | 31st Japan Para Athletics Championships | 400m Second place, 800m Second place |
| 2020 | Canberra International Track Meet | 400m Fifth place, 800m Fifth place |
| 2019 | 31st National Wheelchair Marathon (Tamba Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture) | Full marathon Second place |
| 2019 | World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2019 | 400m General 12th place, 800m General Tenth place |
| 2019 | 2019 Japan Para Athletics Tournament | 400m Champion, 800m Champion |
| 2019 | The 24th Kanto Para Athletics Championships | 400m Champion, 800m Champion |
| 2019 | Daniela Jutzeler Memorial | 400m 12th place, 800m Eighth place |
| 2019 | Nottwil IPC Athletics Grand Prix | 400m Nine place, 800m Nine place |
| 2019 | Nagano Wheelchair Marathon | General Second place |
| 2019 | Emperor’s Cup National Wheelchair Ekiden | Okayama Team, Fifth place |
| 2019 | 11th Fazza Para Athletics Championships | 400m Fourth place, 800m Bronze medal |
| 2019 | 9th WPA Meeting Sharja | 400m Fourth place, 800m Silver medal, 1500m 15th place |
| 2019 | GIO Oz Day 10K, 10㎞ marathon | General Tenth place (masters Fourth place) |
| 2019 | Sydney Twilight Track Meet | 400m General 12th place |
| 2019 | Canberra International Track Meet | 400m second place, 800m Second place, 1500m Second place |
| 2018 | Oita International Wheelchair Marathon | General 19th place |
| 2018 | Indonesia Asian Para Games | 400m Seventh place, 800m Sixth place |
| 2018 | Japan Para Athletics Championships | 400m & 800m Champion, 1500m general Eighth place |
| 2018 | Kushiro Shitsugen National Wheelchair Marathon | Half-marathon, General Second place |
| 2018 | Japan Para Championships | 400m & 800m & 1500m Champion |
| 2018 | Kanto Para Athletics Championships | 400m & 800m Champion (GR), 1500m Champion |
| 2018 | The Japan Championships in Athletic | 1500m General Ninth place |
| 2018 | Daniela Jutzeler Memorial | 400m Second place, 800m Fourth place |
| 2018 | Nottwil IPC Athletics Grand Prix | 400m Seventh place, 800m Sixth place |
| 2018 | Swiss National | 200m Third place, 400m Third place, 800m Fourth place |
| 2018 | Nagano Wheelchair Marathon | General Second place |
| 2018 | Emperor’s Cup National Wheelchair Ekiden | Okayama Team, Fifth place |
| 2018 | Sharjah International Open Para Athletics Meeting | 400m Fourth place, 800m Fifth place, 1500m 19th place |
| 2018 | Canberra International Track Meet | 200m Second place, 400m Second place, 800m Fourth place |
| 2018 | Sydney Twilight Track Meet | Mixed 4 x 200m Relay Champion, Mixed 4 x 400m Relay Champion |
| 2018 | Oz Day 10K, 10km Marathon | General Ninth (master Third place) |
| 2017 | 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London | competed |
| 2017 | Kanto Para Athletics Championships | 400m & 800m Champion, 4 x 400m Relay Champion, new Japanese record (NR) |
| 2017 | Japan Para Athletics Championships | 400m & 800m Champion, 4 x 400m Relay Champion, new Japanese record (NR) |
| 2017 | Nottwil IPC Athletics Grand Prix | 4 x 400mR Champion |
| 2017 | Swiss National | 4 x 400mR Second place, new Japanese record (NR) |
| 2017 | Daniela Jutzeler Memorial | 800m Fifth place |
| 2017 | Desert Challenge | 400m Bronze medal, 800m Gold medal |
| 2017 | Oita Para Games 2017 | 100m, 200m, 400m & 800m Second place |
| 2017 | Nagano Wheelchair Marathon | Half-marathon Fifth place |
| 2017 | Dubai 2017 World Para Athletics GP | 400m Fifth place, 800m Third place |
| 2017 | Emperor’s Cup National Wheelchair Ekiden | Okayama Team, Third place |
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro Paralympics | competed |
| 2016 | Japan Para Championships | 100m Champion, 400m & 800m Second place |
| 2016 | Japan Para Athletics Championships and qualifying trial for the Japan team for the Rio Paralympics | 100m Champion, 400m & 800m Second place |
| 2016 | Oz Day 10k | General Eighth place (master Third place) |
| 2015 | Oita International Wheelchair Marathon | Half-marathon Second place |
| 2015 | IPC Athletics World Championships | 400m & 800m Eighth place |
| 2015 | National Wheelchair Marathon | Half-marathon Champion |
| 2015 | Japan Para Championships | 100m, 400m & 800m Champion |
| 2015 | Japan Para Athletics Championships | 100m, 400m & 800m Champion |
| 2014 | Asian Games in Incheon | 400m Fourth place, 800m Fifth place |
| 2012 | London Paralympics | competed |
| 2008 | Beijing Paralympics | competed |
| 2005 | Euro Championship | 200m Gold medal, 400m Silver medal |
Main Awards
| 2020 | Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award |
| 2018 | Minister of Education, Sports, Science and Technology Award for Distinguished Service to Sports, etc. |
| 2018 | 2017 Okayama Prefecture Top Athlete Award, Sports Honor Award |
| 2017 | 2016 Okayama Prefecture Top Athlete Award, Sports Honor Award |
| 2017 | 56th Okayama Sports wards, Award for Distinguished Services |
| 2017 | Okayama City Hitomi Kinue Sports Award, Sports Honor Award |
| 2016 | Minister of Education, Sports, Science and Technology Award for Distinguished Service to Sports, etc. |
Message
In recent times, Paralympic culture has steadily become more prominent in Japan too. The Olympics feature many wonderful sports, but I want people to realize that para sports are an element of such competition and interesting enough to enthrall spectators. We fit our bodies into racing frames called racers, hone our remaining functions to the limit and train our minds so that we can compete over tenths and even hundredths of a second. The sight of athletes running at speeds of more than 30 km/h on a road or track surely provides the basic enjoyment of “watching” sport.
As I aim to promote such competition, I want to disseminate and develop para sports, improve myself, and connect with numerous people while setting my roots and receiving support in the local community.
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Hitoshi Matsunaga
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Tomoki Ikoma
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Hibiki Toyota
