Kaede Maegawa

Started: She took up the sport in 2014 in Mie Prefecture, Japan. (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019) Reason: She played basketball before her accident and wanted to return to sports as soon as possible. Coach Hiroaki Kato recommended athletics to her as part of her rehabilitation. (yomidr.yomiuri.co.jp, 01 Mar 2016; iryou.chunichi.co.jp, 23 Apr 2013) Awards: She was selected as a torch bearer for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Her leg of the torch relay was in Tsu, Japan. (Instagram profile, 07 Apr 2021; Twitter profile, 07 Apr 2021) She was flag bearer for Japan at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia. (mainichi.jp, 06 Oct 2018) In 2016 she was given the Tsu City Sports Honorary Award in Japan. (info.city.tsu.mie.jp, 01 Jan 2017) In 2015 she was given a Welfare Sports Merit Award by Mie Prefecture in Japan. (pref.mie.lg.jp, 01 Mar 2016) Additional Info: ART AND FASHION 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. She has participated in fashion shows, while regularly changing her hair colour. "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." (city.kobe.lg.jp, 15 Feb 2024; kqoom.base.shop, 21 Mar 2021; sports.nhk.or.jp, 02 Feb 2021)