On July 8th, the Japan Triathlon Union (JTU) announced the representatives for the Paratriathlon at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, and Mami Tani (affiliated with Suntory Holdings Limited, completed the Graduate School of Sport Sciences in 2012) and Junpei Kimura (affiliated with Himawari Fukushikai Social Welfare Corporation, completed the Graduate School of Sport Sciences in 2012) were selected.
Mami participated in the Paralympic Long Jump in three consecutive Paralympic Games since 2004, and in 2016, she switched to the Paratriathlon. For this year’s Tokyo Paralympics, she has been selected for the motor impairment class (Women’s PTS5), and this will be the first Paralympic Games after the system was converted to the new impairment classes.
Additionally, Koyo Iwabuchi (affiliated with Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., graduated from the School of Education in 2017) was selected as the men’s flag bearer for the Japanese National Team at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, and Mami will serve as the undecided women’s flag bearer.
Representative Mami Tani in Yokohama City in 2019 (Kyodo News)
Junpei participated in swimming for three consecutive Paralympic Games since 2004, took up the paratriathlon since 2013, and the 2016 Rio Games were his first for the paratriathlon. Junpei was selected to participate in the wheelchair class (Men’s PTWC H1), and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics will be his second to compete in the paratriathlon.
Representative Junpei Kimura in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 (Kyodo News)
Profile
Mami Tani:
Born in Miyagi Prefecture in 1982, she graduated from the Waseda University School of Commerce in 2004 and completed the Graduate School of Sport Sciences in 2012. While enrolled at the School of Commerce, she developed bone cancer and was fitted with a prosthetic leg. She began competing in track and field events during her rehabilitation and competed in the long jump in three consecutive Paralympic Games: the 2004 Athens Games, the 2008 Beijing Games, and the 2012 London Games. In 2013, she served as presenter for the Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee. She pivoted to the paratriathlon in 2016 and competed in the 2017 Paratriathlon World Championships in 2017 as her first major competition, where she won the championship.
Junpei Kimura:
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1985, he graduated from the Waseda University School of Education in 2007 and completed the Graduate School of Sport Sciences in 2018. He has had lower limb deficiency since birth and has been using crutches since the age of five. He began swimming as a first-grade elementary school student, and competed in para-swimming in the 2004 Athens Games, the 2008 Beijing Games, and the 2012 London Games. He took up the paratriathlon since 2013, and the 2016 Rio Games were his first for the paratriathlon. In 2021, he won first place in the Asian Triathlon Para Championship (six consecutive victories).
