TSUCHIDA Wakako

Classification
T54 (IPC, 08 Jan 2021)

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries (mainichi.jp, 07 Jul 2015; cyclowired.jp, 14 Feb 2014)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (mainichi.jp, 07 Jul 2015; cyclowired.jp, 14 Feb 2014)

Impairment Details
Her impairment is the result of a traffic accident in 1992. (mainichi.jp, 07 Jul 2015; cyclowired.jp, 14 Feb 2014)

General
TRIATHLON AND ATHLETICS
After the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she switched from athletics to triathlon after developing exercise-induced asthma. She went on to win a silver medal at the 2018 Para Triathlon World Championships in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, and set herself the goal of competing in both athletics and triathlon at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "I didn't have much experience in swimming so at first, I was afraid and it [triathlon] was difficult. I just kept practising in seawater. Swimming is very good for maintaining a healthy body, and I no longer suffered from asthma. I was able to compete in athletics again. I hope to participate in both the triathlon and the marathon at the Tokyo 2020 Games. I'll train hard to secure a place in those events and make a mark at the Paralympic Games." In July 2021 she was offered a bipartite allocation place from World Triathlon to compete in the sport in Tokyo. (paralympic.org, 08 Apr 2021; insidethegames.biz, 06 Jul 2021)

At the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens she became the first athlete from Japan to win gold medals at both the summer and winter Paralympic Games. She claimed gold in the 5000m wheelchair race in Athens, six years after capturing gold medals in the 1000m and 1500m ice sledge speed racing events at the 1998 Paralympic Winter Games in Nagano. (boston.com, 20 Apr 2009)