| Japan at the 2018 Winter Paralympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IPC code | JPN |
| NPC | Japan Paralympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Pyeongchang | |
| Competitors | 38 in 5 sports |
| Flag bearer | Momoka Muraoka (opening) |
| Medals Ranked 9th |
|
| Winter Paralympics appearances (overview) | |
Japan sent competitors to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The group from Japan competed in para-alpine skiing, para-Nordic skiing, para-snowboarding and sledge hockey.
The following Japanese competitors won medals at the games. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bolded.
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold | Momoka Muraoka | Alpine skiing | Women's giant slalom, sitting | 14 March |
| Gold | Gurimu Narita | Snowboarding | Men's banked slalom, SB-LL2 | 16 March |
| Gold | Yoshihiro Nitta | Cross country skiing | Men's 10 kilometre classical, standing | 17 March |
 Silver | Momoka Muraoka | Alpine skiing | Women's downhill, sitting | 10 March |
| Silver | Taiki Morii | Alpine skiing | Men's downhill, sitting | 10 March |
| Silver | Yoshihiro Nitta | Cross country skiing | Men's 1.5 km sprint classical, standing | 14 March |
| Silver | Momoka Muraoka | Alpine skiing | Women's slalom, sitting | 18 March |
 Bronze | Momoka Muraoka | Alpine skiing | Women's super-G, sitting | 11 March |
| Bronze | Gurimu Narita | Snowboarding | Men's snowboard cross, SB-LL2 | 12 March |
| Bronze | Momoka Muraoka | Alpine skiing | Women's super combined, sitting | 13 March |
There were three announcements with who would go to the 2018 Winter Games representing Japan. The second announcement was made on 8 February 2018. The last announcement was made on 18 February 2018. [1] [2] [3] The last announcement said two male para-alpine skiers would be going to South Korea. [4] The country has the third largest team among all nations. It has 38 people. [5]
The table below contains the list of members of people (called "Team Japan") that will be participating in the 2018 Games.
| Name | Sport | Classification | Events | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gurimu Narita | para-snowboarding | SB-LL2 | [6] | |
| Keiichi Sato | para-Nordic skiing | biathlon, cross country skiing | [7] | |
| Atsushi Yamamoto | para-snowboarding | [7] |
Keiichi Sato competes in two sports: para-triathlon and para-Nordic skiing. The first sport he did was para-Nordic skiing. As a member of Team Japan, he went to the 2010 and 2014 Winter Paralympics. After para-triathlon became a Paralympic sport, Sato decided to try it. He then was part of Team Japan at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. He then went to the 2017 Triathlon World Championships. After that, he stopped competing in para-triathlon. He wanted to try to medal at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. He thought he needed to focus on para-Nordic skiing to do that. [7]
On 12 March, the 15 km race takes place, with standing and vision impaired women starting at 10:00 PM. Thee sprint classic qualification takes place on 14 March from 10:00 AM – 11:25 AM for both men and women in all classes. It is followed in the afternoon by the semifinals and finals. The classic race takes place on 17 March. The standing and visually impaired women's race takes place from 10:00 AM - 12:30. [8]
Atsushi Yamamoto is a track and field competitor. He won a silver medal in the men's T42 long jump at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. In November 2017, he went to the World Para Snowboard World Cup in Landgraaf, Netherlands. The World Cup was his first para-snowboarding competition. Also there was Daniel Wagner of Denmark. Wagner won gold in the event which Yamamoto won silver. Both men had decided to compete internationally in snowboarding during the same year. [7]
The snowboard cross event starts on 12 March. It goesfrom 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM for all classes for both men and women. [9] The slalom race is scheduled to take place on 16 March, going from 10:30 AM – 4:55 PM for men and women in all classes. [8]
Key:
| Team | Group stage | Semifinal / Pl. | Final / BM / Pl. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Rank | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Rank | |
| Japan men's |  South Korea L 1–4 |  United States L 0–10 |  Czech Republic L 0–3 | 4 |  Norway L 1–6 |  Sweden L 1–5 | 8 |
Japan's team has 17 men. Their coach is Kojin Nakakita. [10]
| Name | Position | Role | Past Games | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikio Annaka | forward | 2014 | [10] | |
| Shinobu Fukushima | goaltender | 2014 | [10] | |
| Susumu Hirose | forward | [10] | ||
| Wataru Horie | forward | [10] | ||
| Hideaki Ishii | defenseman | [10] | ||
| Nao Kodama | forward | [10] | ||
| Masaharu Kumagai | forward | alternate captain | [10] | |
| Eiji Misawa | defenseman | 2014 | [10] | |
| Kazuya Mochizuki | goaltender | [10] | ||
| Keisuke Nagumo | forward | [10] | ||
| Toshiyuki Nakamura | defenseman | [10] | ||
| Taimei Shiba | forward | 2014 | [10] | |
| Yoshihiro Shioya | forward | [10] | ||
| Satoru Sudo | defenseman | captain | 2014 | [10] |
| Kazuhiro Takahashi | forward | alternate captain | 2014 | [10] |
| Daisuke Uehara | defenseman | 2014 | [10] | |
| Mamoru Yoshikawa | forward | 2014 | [10] |
Japan, Sweden and the Czech Republic were the last 3 teams that were able to go to the 2018 Games. They could go because of how they finished at the Qualification Tournament in October in Ostersund, Sweden in October 2017. [11] [12] [13]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | +28 | 9 | Semifinals |
| 2 | South Korea (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 5 | |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 4 | 5–8th place semifinals |
| 4 |  Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 17 | −16 | 0 |
| 10 March 2018 15:30 | South Korea  | 4–1 (0–0, 1–0, 3–1) |  Japan | Gangneung Hockey Centre Attendance: 6,022 |
| Game reference | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yu Man-gyun | Goalies | Shinobu Fukushima | Referee: Owe LüthckeLinesmen:  Matt Clark Leon Wesley | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| 12 min | Penalties | 14 min | |||||||||||||||
| 24 | Shots | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| 11 March 2018 12:00 | United States  | 10–0 (3–0, 6–0, 1–0) | Japan | Gangneung Hockey Centre Attendance: 5,435 |
| Game reference | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jen Lee | Goalies | Shinobu Fukushima Kazuya Mochizuki | Referee: Kristijan NikolicLinesmen: Matt Clark Han Youl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 min | Penalties | 4 min | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 | Shots | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 March 2018 19:00 | Czech Republic | 3–0 (0–0, 1–0, 2–0) | Japan | Gangneung Hockey Centre Attendance: 4,569 |
| Game reference | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michal Vápenka | Goalies | Shinobu Fukushima | Referee: Jonathan Morrison Linesmen: Han Youl Andreas Lundén | ||||||||
| |||||||||||
| 4 min | Penalties | 4 min | |||||||||
| 11 | Shots | 5 | |||||||||
| 14 March 2018 20:00 | Norway | 6–1 (2–0, 3–1, 1–0) | Japan | Gangneung Hockey Centre Attendance: 3,919 |
| Game reference | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kjell Christian Hamar | Goalies | Shinobu Fukushima Kazuya Mochizuki | Referee: Johnathan Morrison Linesmen: Jan Vaněk Leon Wesley | ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 min | Penalties | 4 min | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Shots | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 March 2018 16:00 | Japan | 1–5 (0–1, 1–2, 0–2) | Sweden | Gangneung Hockey Centre Attendance: 5,979 |
| Game reference | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shinobu Fukushima | Goalies | Ulf Nilsson | Referee: Owe Lüthcke Linesmen: Jan Vaněk Leon Wesley | |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 min | Penalties | 4 min | ||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Shots | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||
For the first time, the Paralympic Games will be live on television. The 2018 Games will be on NHK. [14] People can watch on NHK General TV and NHK Educational TV channels. [14] Some will be televised with a resolution of 8K. [14] There are going to be 62 hours of live coverage. [14]
The 2018 Winter Paralympics, the 12th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, were an international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), that was held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 18 March 2018. They were the second Paralympics to be held in South Korea, following the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul.
Simon Patmore, is an Australian Para-athletics and Para-snowboard competitor. He won a gold medal in the Men's 100m T46 at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, and bronze in the Men's 200m T46 at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. At the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games, Patmore won a gold medal in the Men's Snowboard Cross SB-UL and bronze in the Men's Banked Slalom SB-UL.
Para-snowboarding classification is the classification system for para-snowboarding. The sport originally called Adaptive Snowboard is now practiced by hundreds of athletes around the world. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) defines three classes: SB-LL for athletes with a physical impairment affecting one or both legs, and SB-UL for athletes with a physical impairment affecting one or both arms who compete standing. The sport made its official Winter Paralympic debut in the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.
Melissa Perrine is a B2 classified visually impaired para-alpine skier from Australia. She has competed at the four Winter Paralympics from 2010 to 2022. At the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, she won three gold, one silver and one bronze medals. At the 2018 Winter Paralympics, she won two bronze medals.
Australia sent a team of 12 athletes and three guides to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang, Korea. Australia finished 15th on the medal table and it was its fourth best medal performance at the Winter Paralympics.
Canada competed at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 18 March 2018. Canada sent a team of 55 athletes to compete in all six sports. The chef de mission was retired sledge hockey player Todd Nicholson, appointed in January 2017.
France sent 15 athletes and two guides to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. They competed in para-alpine skiing, para-Nordic skiing and para-snowboarding. Marie Bochet carried the flag during the Opening Ceremony.
Kendall Gretsch is an American triathlete, biathlete and cross-country skier. She was born with spina bifida. She has competed in both Summer Paralympics and Winter Paralympics and has a unique distinction of winning gold medals in both Summer Paralympics and Winter Paralympics.
Tajikistan sent competitors the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Two people will be competing in para-Nordic skiing in Tajikistan's first appearance at the Winter Paralympics. They trained in Germany and China before the start of the Games.
Uzbekistan sent competitors to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Only one skier from Uzbekistan was selected to go. Yokutkhon Kholbekova is going to compete in para-Nordic skiing. Saodat Numanova was selected to referee para-alpine skiing events. 2018 is the second time Uzbekistan will go to the Winter Paralympics.
Austria sent competitors the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Austria sent 13 people to compete in three sports: para-alpine skiing, para-snowboarding, and cross-country skiing.
Belarus sent competitors the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. People are competing in para-Nordic skiing. The team includes one woman and one man. Both had gone to the Winter Paralympics before. The country has a history of doing well at the Winter Paralympics, having first gone in 1994. Going to South Korea, they had already won 23 Winter Paralympic medals.
Czech Republic sent competitors to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The sportspeople are competing two sports: para-alpine skiing and sledge hockey. There were 24 sportspeople, 16 support people and 4 administrators. First allocated four sports in para-alpine skiing, the country won two more spots and are sending six skiers. The sledge hockey team goes to South Korea after qualifying at a tournament in Sweden. They had financial difficulties before the Winter Paralympics because of corruption in sports funding. This made it more difficult to train and compete for the 2018 Games.
Denmark sent one competitor to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Georgia sent competitors to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The team has two people who are competing in para-Nordic skiing. One is a man and one is a woman.
The Netherlands sent competitors to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Four people competed in para-snowboarding. Five people competed in para-alpine skiing. Anna Jochemsen and Jeffrey Stuut are standing skiers. Linda van Impelen, Jeroen Kampschreur and Niels de Langen have all competed in all 5 para-alpine sit-ski events. Lisa Bunschoten, Bibian Mentel and Chris Vos all competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi. Renske van Beek was the only snowboarder on Team Netherlands who did not go to Sochi.
Norway sent competitors to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. People competed in para-alpine skiing, para-Nordic skiing, para-snowboarding, sledge hockey and wheelchair curling.
Serbia sent competitors to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. One person on the team is para-Nordic skier Milos Zaric. In addition to para-Nordic skier, Zaric is also a para-athlete. He is the world champion in the men's F55 javelin.
Spain sent competitors to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The team from Spain had 4 people. They included 2 snowboarders and 2 skiers. Blind skier Jon Santacana and guide skier Miguel Galindo Garces competed at the Paralympics before in 2002, 2006, 2010 and the 2014. Astrid Fina Paredes went to the 2014 Winter Paralympics. Snowboarder Víctor González will be going to his first Paralympic Games.