Mika Mizuta (水田 光夏, Mizuta Mika, born August 27, 1997) is a Japanese Paralympic shooter. She specializes in 10m air rifle prone shooting (SH2 class).

Mika Mizuta
Personal information
NationalityJapanese
Born (1997-08-27) August 27, 1997 (age 27)
Machida, Tokyo, Japan
Sport
Country Japan
SportParalympic shooting
Medal record
Women's shooting para sport
Representing  Japan
Paralympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Mixed 10 m air rifle prone SH2

Career

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When Mizuta was in the second year of junior high school, she was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an incurable disease, and her upper limbs (from her right elbow to the fingertips of her left hand) and lower limbs (from both knees to the knees) are paralyzed.[1] She attended Morimura Gakuen Elementary and Junior High School,[2] but due to her illness, she went on to Machida-no-Oka Gakuen, a special needs school for high school.[3] She started shooting beam rifles at the age of 17 and air rifles at the age of 19. Before her injury, she had experience in classical ballet and skiing,[1] and was active in English musicals with the ESS club during her junior high school days.[2]

In 2017, Mizuta placed second in her first appearance at the All Japan Para Rifle Shooting Championships. In 2019, she placed 24th in the mixed air rifle prone event at the World Championships, and was selected to represent Japan at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. In November of the same year, she won her first All Japan Para Rifle Shooting Championships with a personal best score of 633.3 points.[4]

In March 2020, Mizuta started crowdfunding to purchase a new wheelchair for competition, and exceeded her initial goal of 2 million yen in about one month after the start.[5][6] In March 2020, she graduated from J. F. Oberlin University[6] and joined Hakuju Life Science Institute on an athlete contract. She is currently enrolled in the Business Development Department.[7] At the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, she participated in the mixed 10m air rifle prone event (SH2 class). She began to experience breathing difficulties, which she had been concerned about, halfway through the event, and was eliminated in the preliminaries in 32nd place.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ a b "水田光夏選手 射撃 全射集中で東京への出場枠をゲット!". 日本財団パラリンピックサポートセンター. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b "OGの水田光夏さん、東京パラリンピック出場内定!". 森村学園 中等部・高等部. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  3. ^ "パラ射撃・水田光夏 動かない体も私の武器 22歳新社会人のポジティブシンキング". Sponichi Annex. 3 May 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  4. ^ "水田光夏選手(パラ射撃)". 町田市. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  5. ^ 「車いす新調費 ネット公募 パラ射撃・水田 目標の200万円突破」『読売新聞』2020年5月10日(朝刊)
  6. ^ "水田光夏さんの「大いなる挑戦」のためにご支援を". 桜美林大学. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  7. ^ "パラ射撃日本代表水田光夏、内定は「連絡待ち状態」". 日刊スポーツ. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  8. ^ "水田、不本意な初のパラ 射撃〔パラリンピック〕". 1 September 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  9. ^ "水田光夏|母とともに3年後へ|パラ射撃|東京パラリンピック|オリンピック・パラリンピック". NHK. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
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