SATO Tomoki

Date of Birth: 8 Sep 1989

Age: 31

Gender: Male

Sport Class: T52

Place of birth: FUJIEDA

Birth Country:

Japan

Place of residence : OKAYAMA

Residence Country:

Japan

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Athletics	Men's 400m - T52	1
	Men's 1500m - T52	1

Records

Record	Event	Mark	Date	Location

Schedule

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	Olympic Stadium - Track	Men's 400m - T52 Round 1 - Heat 2	Finished
	Olympic Stadium - Track	Men's 400m - T52 Final	Finished
	Olympic Stadium - Track	Men's 1500m - T52 Final	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Rank	Event	Year	Location	Result
Paralympic Games
2	1500m - T52	2016	Rio de Janeiro, BRA	3:41.70
2	400m - T52	2016	Rio de Janeiro, BRA	58.88
World Championships
1	1500m - T52	2019	Dubai, UAE	3:39.99
1	400m - T52	2019	Dubai, UAE	59.25
1	1500m - T52	2017	London, GBR	3:45.89
1	400m - T52	2017	London, GBR	56.78
1	400m - T52	2015	Doha, QAT	1:00.91
3	1500m - T52	2015	Doha, QAT	3:49.79
Asian Para Games
1	400m - T52	2018	Jakarta, INA	1:01.49
1	Men's 800m T51/52	2018	Jakarta, INA	2:06.71

Tomochan, Tomokun, Satochan (world-ac.jp, 16 Aug 2019)

Playing Go [board game], watching movies, travelling, video games. (prierone.info, 01 Apr 2021)

Occupation:

Languages spoken:

Morisawa [JPN] / PrierONE [JPN]

2015 for Japan, World Grand Prix in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Athlete, 14 Jul 2017)

He began the sport in 2012. Before his impairment, he had taken part in athletics and kickboxing while at school. (asahi.com, 29 Jan 2021; yomiuri.co.jp, 14 Feb 2016)

He was inspired by watching the 2012 Paralympic Games in London on television. "I watched an athlete using a wheelchair moving like a truck at over 30 kilometres an hour. The upper body muscles were amazing. It shattered my concept of people with impairments. At that time, I thought, 'I want to do this'." (asahi.com, 29 Jan 2021; yomiuri.co.jp, 14 Feb 2016)

To win a gold medal and set world records in the 400m and 1500m events at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (Kyodo News YouTube channel, 22 Feb 2021)

Winning two silver medals at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (Athlete, 14 Jul 2017)

Coach Hitoshi Matsunaga. (Athlete, 14 Jul 2017)

Philosophy:

"There is no such thing as impossible. Don't hold yourself back and believe in your potential, even if there is only a 1% chance." (Facebook profile, 24 Apr 2021)

He received the Grand Award at the 2019 Japan Para Sports Awards. (yomiuri.co.jp, 06 Dec 2019)

In 2016 and 2019 he was presented with the International Competition Excellent Achievement Award by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. (world-ac.jp, 16 Aug 2019)

In 2018 he was given a Special Award by the president of the Japanese Para Sports Association. (prierone.info, 01 Jan 2021)

In 2016 he received the Paralympic Special Award from the Japan Paralympic Committee [JPC]. That year he also received the Male Rookie Award at the Japan Para Sports Awards. (world-ac.jp, 16 Aug 2019; the-japan-news.com, 08 Dec 2016)

General Interest

Classification
T52 (IPC, 15 Jun 2021)

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries (yomiuri.co.jp, 14 Feb 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (yomiuri.co.jp, 14 Feb 2016)

Impairment Details
His impairment is the result of the effects of myelitis [spinal cord inflammation], due to an infection which he contracted in 2010. (yomiuri.co.jp, 14 Feb 2016; Athlete, 14 Jul 2017)

General
TURNING PROFESSIONAL
In January 2021, he became a full-time athlete after quitting the company where he had worked for five years. "Now I have double the time to spend practising. Despite the postponement of the 2020 Paralympic Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to move on to the next chapter of my sporting career. I wanted to show that people with both congenital and acquired impairments can also aspire to become professional athletes. Also, nowadays it is hard for people to look forward to a positive future, being surrounded by dark news due to all the restrictions caused by the pandemic. When I acquired my impairment, I felt that way, but I was able to find the light when I watched videos of Paralympians. I believe that sports have the power to inspire people and I especially hope to inspire children who are trying to take on challenges." (news.yahoo.co.jp, 22 Feb 2021; masports.jp, 22 Feb 2021; prierone.info, 01 Apr 2021; paraspoplus.com, 05 Feb 2021)

Social Media

Legend

:: Gold Medal
:: Gold Medal Event
:: Silver Medal Event
:: Bronze Medal Event

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