Keiko Sugiura

Started: She took up Para cycling in 2016. (at-s.com, 05 Jan 2020; nikkansports.com, 05 Sep 2018) Reason: She was encouraged to try Para cycling by staff from the Japan Para Cycling Federation. (at-s.com, 05 Jan 2020; nihonsanki-shimbun.com, 05 Jan 2020; nikkansports.com, 05 Sep 2018) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (nhk.or.jp, 15 Jan 2024) Milestones: At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, she became the oldest cyclist representing Japan to win a Paralympic gold when she triumphed in the women's C1-3 road race at age 50 years and 251 days. (fujinkoron.jp, 09 Dec 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 11 Mar 2024) Awards: She received the Para Cycling Award at the 2018 International Cycling Union [UCI] Cycling Gala. (at-s.com, 05 Jan 2020; UCI Twitter profile, 21 Oct 2018; yomiuri.co.jp, 24 Oct 2023) Additional Info: RETIREMENT THOUGHTS She considered retirement from international competition after being informed about the one-year postponement of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. However, she decided to continue with her sporting career and went on to win two gold medals at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "I would be age 50 [in Tokyo], so I thought that it would be impossible for me to continue competitive action, despite improving my performance level. I have designed my life every 10 years, so I felt like I had to move onto the next chapter of my life. Therefore, I declared my retirement intention in the training camp. However, my personal coach Mitsuya Yahata said, 'There would be a big difference between your 20s and 50s, but regarding the age of 49 and 50, that is a margin of error'. The expression, 'margin of error' made me laugh off." (tokyo-np.co.jp, 01 Dec 2020)