Tomomi Tozawa
After her left leg was amputated at the age of ten, watching Japanese para athletes winning medals at the Rio Paralympic Games inspired Tomomi to become a para athlete as well.
After her left leg was amputated at the age of ten, watching Japanese para athletes winning medals at the Rio Paralympic Games inspired Tomomi to become a para athlete as well.
Inspired by Japanese para athletes at Rio 2016
The amputation became unavoidable when doctors diagnosed an osteosarcoma in 10-year-old Tomomi's left leg.
After a difficult post-amputation phase lasting four years, she started practising para athletics and para cycling as a hobby. The Paralympic Games in Rio gave her the incentive to seriously pursue para athletics. She enrolled at the Nippon Sport Science University to educate herself about sports and athletics.
In 2017, she participated in the Ottobock Running Clinic with Heinrich Popow, which was the start of her career as a professional para track and field athlete.
Tomomi Tozawa, Para-Leichtathletin und Ottobock Botschafterin“Sports made a positive change for me and brought light and happiness back to my life. The amazing performances of so many Paralympians and starting to participate in sports myself gave me self confidence. Today, there is hardly anything I can’t do in everyday life. Now I want to encourage people who have negative feelings like I used to have. As an Ottobock Ambassador, I can do that even better.”
Debut in Tokyo
At her first Paralympic Games in her hometown of Tokyo, she took fourth place in the long jump and finished in the top 10 in the 100 metres.
Heinrich Popow, who supports the Japanese Para Athletics Team, makes an important contribution in preparing for the Games, especially when it comes to improving the running technique and technology of sports prostheses.
Key facts
Nation: Japan
Year of birth: 1999
Sport: Para athletics – 100 m and long jump
Classification: T63
Coach: Yoko Mizuno
Club: Fujitsu
Victories and achievements
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games:
4th place in the long jump
8th place in the 100 metres
World Para Athletics Championships Dubai 2019:
Bronze medal in the long jump
Asian Para Games Jakarta 2018:
Bronze medal in the long jump
29th Japanese Para Athletics Championships Takamatsu 2018:
Gold medal in the long jump