3 Min.
#8 Sugiura Keiko, a gold medalist of para-cycling JapanbyBike.fm
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- Gesellschaft und Kultur
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to JapanByBike.fm. In this podcast, I would like to introduce some eye-opening Japanese customs or heartwarming incidents that I noticed when I ride on a bike in Tokyo or other cities.
Today, I would like to talk about aging. We are getting older every day. To tell you why I chose this topic, I must introduce a superwoman. Her name is Sugiura Yoshiko.
She is a Japanese cyclist.
And, she is a Paralympian.
And, she is a gold medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Amazingly, she is 50 years old.
Let me briefly explain her career. In 2016, she got injured in a cycling road race and fainted for one week. In spite of this serious accident, she barely survived, but she had higher brain dysfunction.
During the rehabilitation, an acquaintance recommended para-cycling, and she started her career as a para-cyclist.
I know she doesn't like to be discussed in the context of her age of 50. Actually, when she got an interview just after winning the gold medal at the women's road time trial, she jokingly said to the reporter;
"Hey, you said my age again, I forgot about my age today. The chance to set a record for being the youngest will never come again, but the opportunity to set a new record for being the oldest will always be there. Oh my god, I added a bigger pressure to me just now. It's awesome."
Hmmm,... I have to apologize to her, but what I am most impressed is the contrast between her performance and her age. Of course, it is really great to be a gold medalist, but I can't stay away from her age when I talk.
What if I became a 50-year-old man? Can I still pedal on my road bike? Can I still challenge myself? Can I still try something and achieve a goal? And can I make as big a smile as she did?
She gave me a hint to think more about my life at the age of 50.
Sugiura Keiko will bid for her second Paralympic gold in the road race on Friday, September 3rd in the morning, so stay tuned.
That's all for today. Thanks for listening to JapanByBike.fm and see you at the next episode.
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to JapanByBike.fm. In this podcast, I would like to introduce some eye-opening Japanese customs or heartwarming incidents that I noticed when I ride on a bike in Tokyo or other cities.
Today, I would like to talk about aging. We are getting older every day. To tell you why I chose this topic, I must introduce a superwoman. Her name is Sugiura Yoshiko.
She is a Japanese cyclist.
And, she is a Paralympian.
And, she is a gold medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Amazingly, she is 50 years old.
Let me briefly explain her career. In 2016, she got injured in a cycling road race and fainted for one week. In spite of this serious accident, she barely survived, but she had higher brain dysfunction.
During the rehabilitation, an acquaintance recommended para-cycling, and she started her career as a para-cyclist.
I know she doesn't like to be discussed in the context of her age of 50. Actually, when she got an interview just after winning the gold medal at the women's road time trial, she jokingly said to the reporter;
"Hey, you said my age again, I forgot about my age today. The chance to set a record for being the youngest will never come again, but the opportunity to set a new record for being the oldest will always be there. Oh my god, I added a bigger pressure to me just now. It's awesome."
Hmmm,... I have to apologize to her, but what I am most impressed is the contrast between her performance and her age. Of course, it is really great to be a gold medalist, but I can't stay away from her age when I talk.
What if I became a 50-year-old man? Can I still pedal on my road bike? Can I still challenge myself? Can I still try something and achieve a goal? And can I make as big a smile as she did?
She gave me a hint to think more about my life at the age of 50.
Sugiura Keiko will bid for her second Paralympic gold in the road race on Friday, September 3rd in the morning, so stay tuned.
That's all for today. Thanks for listening to JapanByBike.fm and see you at the next episode.
3 Min.