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
In his second year of high school, he lost the function of both his legs (spinal cord injury) in a traffic accident and began using a wheelchair. His turning point came during a class at a special needs school. The encounters and experiences he had there became the starting point of his athletic career.
He started competing at the age of 18 and achieved his goal of competing in the Paralympics in 2008. He then competed in the London Games in 2012, and served as captain of the Japanese para-athletics team at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. He has now put his track racing career behind him and is competing in marathons on the world stage. He also makes use of his experience and know-how to focus on coaching and managing teams, and is working to develop young athletes.
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 Para athletics |
| 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) |
| 2008.9 | Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games: Japanese national athletics representative |
| 2012.8 | Japan representative for para-athletics at the London 2012 Paralympics |
| 2014.4 | Became an athlete at Grop Sincerite Co., Ltd. |
| 2016.9 | Captain of the Japanese Para Athletics Team at the Rio 2016 Paralympics |
| 2017.7 | Captain of the Japanese national team at the London 2017 World Para Athletics Championships |
| 2018.4 | Appointed Director of Grop Sincerité Co., Ltd. |
| 2018.10 | Participated in the 2018 Indonesia Asian Para Games |
| 2024.11 | Six World Marathon Majors races to be held |
| PB （personal best records） |
|---|
| 100ｍ | 15.42 | |
| 2024.2.13 Dubai 2024 World Para Athletics Grand Prix – Fazza 2024 | ||
| 400m | 50.60 | |
| 2024.2.14 Dubai 2024 World Para Athletics Grand Prix – Fazza 2024 | ||
| 800m | 1:40.00 | |
| 2017.5.25 Daniela Jutzeler Memorial | ||
| 4×400m relay | 3:10.60 | (NR) |
| 2017.7.2 22nd Kanto Para Athletics Championships | ||
| Full marathon: | 1:33:42 | |
| 2009.10.25 The 29th Oita International Wheelchair Marathon | ||
| 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
| 2025 | Tokyo Marathon 2025 Full Marathon 15th place | Full marathon 11th place |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | The 43rd Oita International Wheelchair Marathon | Full marathon 11th place |
| 2024 | TCS New York City Marathon 2024 | Full marathon 28th place |
| 2024 | Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2024 | Half marathon 7th place |
| 2024 | The 36th Okayama Kibi Highlands Wheelchair Friendly Road Race | Half marathon 4th place |
| 2024 | 2024 Japan Para Athletics Championships | 100m Winner 400m Winner |
| 2024 | 2024 TCS London Marathon | Full marathon: 19th place |
| 2024 | Emperor's Cup 35th National Wheelchair Relay Race Tournament | Okayama team runner-up |
| 2024 | Tokyo Marathon 2024 | Full Marathon 18th place |
| 2024 | Dubai 2024 World Para Athletics Grand Prix – Fazza 2024 | 100m bronze medal 400mbronze medal 800m silver medal |
| 2024 | Sharjah 12th International Open Para Athletics Meeting 2024 | 100m final 5th place 400m 7th place 800m 7th place |
| 2023 | 42nd Oita International Wheelchair Marathon | Full Marathon 18th place |
| 2023 | Chicago Marathon 2023 | Full Marathon 15th place |
| 2023 | Berlin Marathon 2023 | Full Marathon 19th place |
| 2023 | Sydney Marathon 2023 | Full Marathon 5th place |
| 2023 | 2023 Chugoku-Shikoku Para Athletics Tournament | 100m Champion 400m Champion |
| 2023 | Hamanasu Wheelchair Marathon 2023 | Half Marathon 9th place |
| 2023 | Grandma’s Marathon | Full Marathon 16th place |
| 2023 | Nottwil 2023 World Para Athletics Grand Prix | 400m 7th place 800m 7th place |
| 2023 | Swiss Nationals 2023 | 400m 23rd place (T53-54 overall), 800m 33rd place (T53-54 overall) |
| 2023 | Daniela Jutzeler Memorial 2023 | 400m 4th place, 800m 3rd place |
| 2023 | 34th Japan Para Athletics Championships | 100m Victory, 400m Victory |
| 2023 | 127th Boston Marathon | Full Marathon Wheelchair Men's 22nd Place |
| 2023 | Emperor's Cup 34th National Wheelchair Ekiden Race | Okayama team 3rd place |
| 2023 | Tokyo Marathon 2023 | Full Marathon Wheelchair Overall 13th Place |
| 2023 | Osaka Marathon 2023 | Full marathon 4th place |
| 2023 | 11th WPA Meeting Sharjah | 400m 6th place,800m 6th place |
| 2023 | 2023 GIO Oz Day 10k | 10km marathon 8th overall (2nd in masters) |
| 2022 | 2023 GIO Summer Down Under Series | 400m 6th place, 800m 6th place |
| 2022 | The 41st Oita International Wheelchair Marathon | Full marathon 11th place |
| 2022 | 31st Bizen City Athletics Championships | 100m Victory |
| 2022 | Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2022 | Wheelchair half T53/54 (male) 8th overall wheelchair |
| 2022 | The 34th Okayama Kibi Kougen Wheelchair Fureai Road Race | Half marathon 2nd place |
| 2022 | Hamanasu Wheelchair Marathon 2022 | Half Marathon 9th (Class 3) |
| 2022 | The 12th BIZEN Night Athletics Festival | 200m 3rd place |
| 2022 | 90th Hyogo Athletics Championships | 100m 3rd place |
| 2022 | Daniela Jutzeler memorial 2022 | 400m 4th place, 800m 2nd place |
| 2022 | Nottwil 2022 WPA Grand Prix | 400m 4位 800m 2位 |
| 2022 | 2022 Japan Para Athletics Games | 400m DQ, 800m Victory |
| 2022 | 18th Nagano Wheelchair Marathon | Half marathon 6th place |
| 2021 | Nottwil 2021 World Para Athletics Grand Prix | 400m 6th, 800m 7th |
| 2021 | Swiss Nationals | 400m 4th, 800m 5th |
| 2021 | Daniela Jutzeler Memorial | 400m 4th, 800m 4th |
| 2021 | 2021 Japan Para Athletics Tournament | 400m Champion, 800m Champion |
| 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 | 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 2019 WPA Grand Prix | 400m Nine place, 800m Nine place |
| 2019 | 15th Nagano Wheelchair Marathon | General Second place |
| 2019 | 30th National Wheelchair Ekiden Race | 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 | 38th Oita International Wheelchair Marathon | General 19th place |
| 2018 | Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games | 400m Seventh place, 800m Sixth place |
| 2018 | 29th Japan Para Athletics Championships | 400m & 800m Champion, 1500m general Eighth place |
| 2018 | The 33rd Kushiro Marsh National Wheelchair Marathon | Half-marathon, General Second place |
| 2018 | 2018 Japan Para Athletics | 400m & 800m & 1500m Champion |
| 2018 | 23rd Kanto Para Athletics Championships | 400m & 800m Champion (GR), 1500m Champion |
| 2018 | 102nd Japan Athletics Championships | 1500m General Ninth place |
| 2018 | Daniela Jutzeler Memorial | 400m Second place, 800m Fourth place |
| 2018 | Nottwil 2018 WPA Grand Prix | 400m Seventh place, 800m Sixth place |
| 2018 | Swiss Nationals | 200m Third place, 400m Third place, 800m Fourth place |
| 2018 | 14th Nagano Wheelchair Marathon | General Second place |
| 2018 | 29th National Wheelchair Ekiden Race | Okayama Team, Fifth place |
| 2018 | 8th WPA Meeting Sharjah | 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 | 4×200mR Winner・4×400mR Winner |
| 2018 | Oz Day 10K | 10㎞ marathon General Ninth (master Third place) |
| 2017 | 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London | competed |
| 2017 | 22nd Kanto Para Athletics Championships | 400m & 800m Champion, 4 x 400m Relay Champion, new Japanese record (NR) |
| 2017 | 28th Japan Para Athletics Championships | 400m & 800m Champion, 4 x 400m Relay Champion, new Japanese record (NR) |
| 2017 | Nottwil 2017 WPA Grand Prix | 4 x 400mR Champion |
| 2017 | Swiss Nationals | 4 x 400mR Second place, new Japanese record (NR) |
| 2017 | Daniela Jutzeler Memorial | 800m Fifth place |
| 2017 | 2017 Desert Challenge | 400m Bronze medal, 800m Gold medal |
| 2017 | Oita Para Games 2017 | 100m, 200m, 400m & 800m Second place |
| 2017 | 13th Nagano Wheelchair Marathon | Half-marathon Fifth place |
| 2017 | Dubai 2017 World Para Athletics GP | 400m Fifth place, 800m Third place |
| 2017 | 28th National Wheelchair Ekiden Race | Okayama Team, Third place |
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro Paralympics | competed |
| 2016 | 2016 Japan Para Athletics | 100m Champion, 400m & 800m Second place |
| 2016 | 27th Japan Para Athletics Championships | 100m Champion, 400m & 800m Second place |
| 2016 | Oz Day 10k | 10㎞ marathon General Eighth place (master Third place) |
| 2015 | 35th Oita International Wheelchair Marathon | Half-marathon Second place |
| 2015 | IPC Athletics World Championships | 400m & 800m Eighth place |
| 2015 | 27th National Wheelchair Marathon | Half-marathon Champion |
| 2015 | 2015 Japan Para Athletics | 100m, 400m & 800m Champion |
| 2015 | 26th Japan Para Athletics Championships | 100m, 400m & 800m Champion |
| 2014 | Incheon 2014 Asian Para Games | 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
| 2024 | Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Olympic and Paralympic Games Prize Winners Award (Instructors) |
|---|---|
| 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
