Keiichi Kimura

Started: He began swimming at age 10. (Athlete, 12 Jul 2015) Reason: His mother encouraged him to take up the sport. (Athlete, 12 Jul 2015) Awards: In March 2021 he threw the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the match between Yomiuri Giants and Yokohama DeNa BayStars on the opening day of the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball [NPB] season. (Tokyo Gas Facebook page, 30 Mar 2021) In 2017 he was given the Prize for Encouragement at the 11th Hanawa Hokiichi Awards in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The awards are named after a Japanese scholar who was a Buddhist monk and had a vision impairment. (pref.saitama.lg.jp, 16 Dec 2017) In 2016 he received the Ritto Citizen Honorary Award in Japan. (kyoto-np.co.jp, 27 Sep 2017) He was presented with the Grand Prix award at the 2016 Japan Para Sport Awards. (the-japan-news.com, 08 Dec 2016) In 2012 and 2014 he received a People's Honour award from Shiga Prefecture in Japan. (pref.shiga.lg.jp, 07 Nov 2014; Athlete, 07 Aug 2013) He was flag bearer for Japan at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (asahi.com, 06 Sep 2012) Additional Info: AUTOBIOGRAPHY In 2021 he released his autobiography titled 'A blind swimmer who swims in the dark, challenges the world by overcoming myself'. (amazon.co.jp, 20 Aug 2021) TRAINING IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA In 2018 he moved to the United States of America to work with coach Brian Loeffler at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, after the pair were introduced by US Para swimmer Bradley Snyder. Alongside training, he also studied English at Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore. In March 2020 he returned to Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "When the 2016 Paralympic Games were over, I thought to myself, 'I won't be able to win a gold medal unless I carry on doing what I've been doing, or work even harder'. During my time in the US, I kept experiencing things that didn't go as planned and issues caused by language barriers, but I managed to work things out in the end. I realised that I could overcome adversities. That experience helped me become more self-assured, and that mindset has also reflected in my swimming." (mainichi.jp, 26 Mar 2020; sankei.com, 24 Feb 2021; tokyo2020.org, 03 Sep 2020; tokyo-gas-2020.jp, 2019; ndm.edu, 08 Oct 2018; Tokyo Gas YouTube channel, 18 Oct 2018) FURTHER EDUCATION He has studied for a postgraduate degree at Nihon University in Tokyo, Japan. (tokyo-gas.co.jp, 03 Sep 2021)