Shunya Takahashi

Started: He took up the javelin throw in 2017. He initially played baseball from grade two of primary school as his father was a coach. (n-fukushi.ac.jp, 05 Jun 2019; style.nikkei.com, 01 Nov 2017) Reason: He switched from baseball to Para athletics after starting at Nihon Fukushi University. He was encouraged to join the team led by coach Toshihito Mitsui, who had seen him at the 2016 Japanese National High School Baseball Championship. "The technique required for throwing a javelin was completely different. In baseball, you release the ball in front of your face, but with javelin, you release it at the back of your ear. The way you thrust your arm when throwing the ball and the way you swing your waist when batting are similar to the throwing motion in javelin, but the rest was totally different, so it was extremely challenging." (n-fukushi.ac.jp, 05 Jun 2019; style.nikkei.com, 01 Nov 2017; paralympic.org, 06 Jan 2021; n-fukushi.ac.jp, 01 Jul 2020 ) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (nhk.or.jp, 30 May 2024) Awards: In 2019 he was named Para Athlete of the Year by the Japan Association for University Athletics and Sport [UNIVAS]. (Instagram profile, 07 Apr 2020)