By Takaki Tominaga,
For triathlete Mami Tani, who played a key role in bringing the Paralympics to her country, Sunday's conclusion of the nearly two-week event will not mark the end of a journey but a mere stop on the way.
At 39, her future as an athlete remains unclear, but she wants to remain a driver of social change in terms of diversity and inclusion for the disabled beyond the Tokyo Paralympics.
They "must not be the goal," Tani recently told the press. Instead, the event "should be the passing of a major milestone."
While the Paralympics have brought attention to issues like accessibility and inclusion in Japanese society, some worry that efforts to create a more inclusive and diverse society may dwindle following the end of the 13-day event.
"I think it is the time for all of us, companies, schools, and local communities, to take actions and raise our awareness on diversity and inclusion one step further," she said.
"That should be the meaning for hosting the Paralympics," she said.
While her own performance did not match her expectations, she was happy to be part of an event that overcame a mountain of challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Tani had to compete with triathletes with less severe impairments as there was no race in the PTS4 classification in Tokyo. She finished 10th in the women's PTS5 event on Aug. 29 in 1 hour, 22 minutes, 23 seconds.
"I am a bit disappointed in terms of the result. But my dream was (to compete at) the Tokyo Paralympics," she said.
Tani served as an ambassador for Tokyo's Olympic and Paralympic bid team. Then known by her maiden name Sato, she delivered a key presentation at the 125th International Olympic Committee session in 2013 in Buenos Aires.
She spoke about the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster which ravaged northern Japan, including her hometown of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture.
"The children didn't smile much so I wanted to give them sport to smile again and give them the power to dream," said Tani.
Her childhood home was destroyed by the massive quake and tsunami, and she could not contact her mother for nearly a week after the disaster.
Her speech touched the heart of many people, and after the session, then IOC President Jaques Rogge told her it was "impressive."
"I will never forget those words (of Rogge)," Tani said. Rogge's death at age 79 was announced in late August.
When the one-year postponement of the games was announced in March last year, Tani at first questioned the meaning and value of going ahead with the Paralympics during a pandemic, according to her husband Akiteru, 40.
He recalls her looking up at the sky and saying it would be "impossible" to hold them.
But by training at home and spending more time with her family during the extra year, she was able to make up her mind and flip her motivation switch.
"Sports have always given me dreams and goals since I was a child, including the time I lost my leg when I was a university student," said Tani, referring to the amputation of her right leg below the knee in 2001 after she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at age 20.
Initially, she competed in the long jump at the Paralympics -- in 2004, 2008, and 2012.
She married in 2014, gave birth to a son in the following year, and shifted her focus to triathlon in 2017 with the aim of competing in Tokyo.
That same year, she became the first Japanese world champion in Para triathlon.
"I am proud of being a mother and an athlete with a disability. It is tough to fulfill both roles but thanks to support from my family and workplace, I was able to come back to the stage of the Paralympics," she said.
"I would like to tell more people about the power of sports, as well as the wonderful life of pursuing one's own dreams despite challenges," she said.
Tani is hoping that in 10 or 20 years' time, people will look back on the Paralympics in Japan and talk about how they played a part in building a "wonderful" society.
