On May 10, the Japan Para Athletics Federation and Japan Intellectual Disability Athletics Federations announced the athletes selected to represent Japan at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, based on the world rankings and conditions stipulated by International Federations. Momoka Muraoka (Toyota Motor Corporation, First-Year Doctoral student of graduate school of sport sciences) was among those selected.
Muraoka medaled in all five sit-skiing events she competed in at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang. With this selection, she will compete in back-to-back Winter and Summer Paralympics.
Day 1 of the Japan Para Athletics Championships, women’s 100m T54: Momoka Muraoka at Yashima Rexam Field (Kyodo News)
Profile
Momoka Muraoka
Born in Saitama in 1997. She started using a wheelchair after being diagnosed with a spinal cord disorder at age four. Muraoka began sit-skiing in junior high school and placed fifth in giant slalom at the Sochi Paralympics in 2014. At PyeongChang 2018, she served as flag bearer for Team Japan and won five medals, including one gold. In 2019, Muraoka started competing in short-distance para athletic events and finished first in the women’s 100m T54 at the Kanto Para Athletics Championships held the same year, breaking the Japanese record while doing so.
