Uran Sawada (沢田 優蘭, Sawada Uran, born October 24, 1990) is a Japanese para-athlete competing mainly in category F12 long jump and 100 metres events. She holds the Japanese record in both.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Born | October 24, 1990 Saitama, Japan |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Japan |
| Sport | Track and field (F12) |
Early life and education
editHer parents had noticed that Sawada had poor eyesight since she was six years old, but her eyesight deteriorated rapidly after she entered junior high school, and it was discovered that she had retinitis pigmentosa.[1] After graduating from junior high school, she went on to Tokyo Metropolitan Bunkyo School for the Blind, where she began training in athletics after participating in the Tokyo qualifying round for the National Sports Championships for the Disabled as part of her physical education classes.[1]
Sporting career
editIn 2008, Sawada participated in the 2008 Summer Paralympics at the age of 17, the youngest member of the team.[1] Although she was eliminated in the qualifying round for the 100 metres, she placed ninth in the long jump with a record of 4.93 meters, improving her personal best by about 30 centimeters.[2] After graduating from Rikkyo University, she left athletics for a while and got a job at a beverage manufacturer.[1] However, she resumed training after that,[1] and again set the Japanese record at the 2017 Japan Para Athletics Championships (5.03 meters).[3] At the 2018 Beijing Grand Prix, she won the 100m and also broke the Japanese record in the long jump with a jump of 5.70 metres.[4] [5]
In 2021, at the age of 30, Sawada competed in the delayed 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. She lost in the semifinals of the 100m (T12), but placed 5th in the long jump (T12) with a record of 5.15 meters.[6] In addition, she participated in the new Paralympic event, the Universal Relay, with Kengo Oshima, Yuki Takamatsu, and Tomoki Suzuki, and served as the first runner with guide runner Ryuhei Shiokawa. In the final on September 3, Japan finished 4th in a time of 47.98 seconds, but China, which finished 2nd, was disqualified, so she was promoted to 3rd place and won the bronze medal.[7]
Sawada is ranked 1st in the world in the long jump (T12) and 6th in the world in the 100m (T12) (as of the end of 2018).[8]
On January 31, 2022, Sawada left Mash Holdings Co., Ltd., where she had been affiliated since June 1, 2017,[9] and joined Entry Co., Ltd. on February 1, 2022.[10]
She won bronze medals in the women's long jump (T12) at the 2023 and 2024 World Para Athletics Championships[11].
References
edit
- ^ a b c d e "澤田優蘭・挫折を知る走り幅跳びのヒロインが見つめる 東京パラリンピックの金メダル（パラサポWEB)". 日本財団パラリンピックサポートセンター. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "２００８年北京パラリンピック競技大会 日本選手団リザルト" (PDF). 日本障がい者スポーツ協会. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "第28回パラ陸上競技選手権大会" (PDF). 日本パラ陸上競技連盟. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "北京グランプリ2018 澤田選手 走り幅跳び大きく日本記録更新（5月11日）". 日本パラ陸上競技連盟. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "北京GP一般参加選手成績" (PDF). 日本パラ陸上競技連盟. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "陸上女子走り幅跳び（視覚障害T12）". 東京オリンピック・パラリンピックガイド. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ "パラリンピック 陸上 400mユニバーサルリレー 日本が銅メダル". NHKニュース. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Results, Rankings & Records".
- ^ "ご報告". Uran Sawada Official Blog. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "東京パラリンピック銅メダリスト 澤田選手を全面バックアップ～初モデル！選手のガイドランナーとも業務委託契約〜【株式会社エントリー】からパリパラ金を目指します！". PR TIMES. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "神戸世界パラ陸上、沢田優蘭が最後に会心の跳躍で「銅」…パリでビッグジャンプ見せる". 読売新聞. Retrieved 20 May 2024.