MAEGAWA Kaede

Classification
T63, F63 (IPC, 19 Apr 2021)

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019)

Impairment Details
She was involved in a traffic accident in 2012, which resulted in the amputation of her right leg below the knee. (Athlete, 14 Jul 2017; iryou.chunichi.co.jp, 23 Apr 2013)

General
FASHION ROLE MODEL
She illustrates designs for her prosthetic limb and has launched her own business selling personally-designed prosthetic limbs, jewellery, bags, clothing, footwear and clay models. She has also created a prosthetic-limb based character who has been transformed into a sticker for smart phone messaging and has participated in fashion shows, while regularly changing her hair colour, including dying it blue, gold, pink and green. "I've always really liked fashion and wearing flashy clothes so, as soon as I had my leg amputated, I started to think that my artificial limb was cool. When it comes to glasses, some people wear simple glasses and some people think that flashy glasses are cool. At the same time, there are people who want to make artificial limbs look flashy. I hope that can become commonplace for everyone who wants them. Drawing a design or picture can also release stress and, then, I go to training excited." (kqoom.base.shop, 21 Mar 2021; sports.nhk.or.jp, 02 Feb 2021)

LEAVING UNIVERSITY
She decided not to continue with her university studies and focus on Para athletics following the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I realised that sport is the biggest thing in my life. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I wanted to devote my life to athletics." (1242.com, 21 Dec 2017)