ATHLETE

Meet the Athletes

Get to know the participating world-class athletes, and discover what makes each one of them superhuman.

Athletics athlete
Deaflympics athlete

Ryota Yamagata

Born in 1992 in Hiroshima Prefecture. Men's 100m Japanese record holder (9.95 seconds)
After graduating from Shudo Senior High School and Keio University, he joined Seiko Group Corporation in 2015. He was the first runner in the men's 4x100m relay at the Rio 2016, helping the team win the silver medal. As an individual, he is the fastest sprinter in the history of Japanese athletes at the Olympics. He served as the captain of the Japanese team at the Tokyo 2020.
His personal best of 9.95 seconds, set in June 2021, is still the fastest record in the Japanese men's 100m world, which is still unbeaten. He has recovered from a right knee injury and will run again at the Paris 2024 and the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.

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Rina Komokata

She has a congenital hearing impairment and wears a hearing aid for her life. She started playing tennis at the age of 6, and after attending Mie Prefectural Yokkaichi Commercial High School, she is currently the head of the tennis club at Doshisha University. She represented Japan at the World Deaf Tennis Championships in Greece in 2023, winning the women's singles and doubles titles. She was proudly selected as the No. 1 in the world ranking for the Australian Open Deaf & Hard of Hearing Championships in January 2024, in which only eight selected players will be able to compete. With a singles championship and a doubles runner-up finish, she is truly the "Queen" of the world of deaf tennis. She is aiming to win her remaining title at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, where she will be competing for the first time.

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Ryota Yamagata, Athletics – “Fastest man in Japan” becomes strong again after “time of patience”

In the past few years, the Japanese men's 100m has been a battle of the best on the field, led by four athletes with personal bests in the 9-second range. Among them, Ryota Yamagata holds the Japanese record of 9.95 seconds. He has participated in the past three Olympic Games and was a member of the 4x100m relay at Rio 2016, contributing significantly to the silver medal win. Although he has had injuries since the Tokyo 2020 and has spent “time of patience", the "fastest man in Japan," who turns 32 this year, is still experiencing solid growth.

Rina Komokata, Deaf Tennis – One more title for the “Queen”

Rina Komokata won the singles title and the doubles second place in the Australian Open Deaf & Hard of Hearing Championships. On the day of the interview, she appeared at the site, standing a petite 154 cm tall and having a soft atmosphere, far from the "toughness" that one might associate with her performance. We asked her, who is a student currently attending Doshisha University, about her thoughts on tennis, student life, and the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, where she is expected to play an active role.

Yuma Yamamoto, Athletics – “I found a reason to work hard”, taking one more step forward with my late mother’s thoughts in my heart.

“To be honest, athletics wasn’t the best at that time“ Yuma Yamamoto, who competed in the women's 5,000m at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, has a history of taking a break from athletics in her second year of college. However, feeling frustrated by the success of her peers and touched by the thoughts of her late mother, she regained her passion for competition. She has a different character from previous athletes. The athletics hope, loved by many fans, is now on a solid growth curve.

Ryuji Miura, Athletics – Life-Altering Encounter with the 3000m Steeplechase: Finding My Center as an Athlete and a Person

"My life changed when I met the 3000m steeplechase," says Ryuji Miura. At the age of 19, he competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where he placed 7th, and in the Budapest 2023 World Championships, where he placed 6th, both times becoming the first Japanese to place in the event. At the age of 19, he competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where he placed 7th, and at the Budapest 2023 World Championships, where he placed 6th, becoming the first Japanese to place in both events. What is the path that the 22-year-old has taken and what does the future hold for the world's top athlete?

Riho Kamezawa, Deaf Table Tennis – The Unfulfilled Dream of a Legend with 8 Medals

Deaf Table Tennis legend Riho Kamezawa has won 8 medals (3 silver, 5 bronze) in 4 events since her first appearance at the Taipei 2009 Deaflympics. She has dreamed of competing in the Deaflympics since she was a child, and now that her dream has come true, she is on her way to her biggest goal of winning a gold medal, which she has yet to achieve. Her true face is that of a "mama athlete" raising a 5-year-old daughter. We asked her what she thinks about the upcoming Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics as she juggles competing and raising a child.