Para-athlete Maya Nakanishi ends career with final jump in Oita
Version 2: The updated report adds coverage from TBS NEWS DIG, which confirms the event took place in Oita City and gives 2006 as the year of the workplace accident, and includes its headline description of Nakanishi as a supportive older sister after retirement; other details are unchanged.
In short
Maya Nakanishi, a 41-year-old para-athlete from Yufu City, Oita Prefecture, competed in her final event on October 3 in Oita after announcing her retirement in September. She recorded 4.69 meters in the long jump, held alongside able-bodied athletes, and advanced to the top eight before her sixth and final career jump, Nippon TV News reported. A five-time Paralympian, 2019 world champion and Asian record holder, she thanked her hometown supporters and said she plans to be involved in coaching.
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Maya Nakanishi, a 41-year-old para-athlete from Yufu City, Oita Prefecture, competed in her final event on October 3 in her home prefecture of Oita, after announcing her retirement. NHK News reported that Nakanishi, a leading figure in para athletics who has competed in five consecutive Paralympic Games, took part in her last competition in her hometown and said she was grateful to finish in Oita supported by many people. Nippon TV News said she chose the hometown meet as the final stage of her career, and TBS NEWS DIG reported that the event was held in Oita City and ended a 20-year career. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Nippon TV News reported that Nakanishi competed in the long jump alongside able-bodied athletes. She recorded 4.69 meters on her second jump and advanced to the top eight for the fourth round and beyond, but did not improve her distance. Her sixth and final jump was the last of her competitive career, and she was in tears. She said the experience of finishing in her hometown of Oita would remain very significant for her. [ 2 ]
Nakanishi lost her right leg below the knee in a workplace accident 20 years ago, Nippon TV News reported; TBS NEWS DIG said the accident was in 2006. Nippon TV News reported that she placed in the 100 and 200 meters at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, then focused on the long jump. She won gold at the 2019 World Championships and in the following year jumped 5.70 meters, updating her own Asian record. The mark, set when she was 35, remains unbroken, according to the report. [ 2 , 3 ]
Nippon TV News reported that Nakanishi had faced difficulties raising funds, saying in 2012 that it was wrong that athletes could not buy spikes or attend world championships for lack of money. She sold calendars featuring her own photographs, taken by photographer Takao Ochi, to raise funds. Ochi said she had a bold approach to life and helped erode and break down the barrier between disabled and able-bodied people, the report said. Nakanishi said she had received far more criticism than praise but endured it, believing that the path she took would one day help others, and that looking around her now she felt what she had done was not wrong, according to Nippon TV News. [ 2 ]
After retiring, Nakanishi indicated she would be involved in coaching and said she intended to keep taking on challenges, adding that everyone has the right to challenge themselves and that she wanted to be someone who could create many paths, Nippon TV News reported. TBS NEWS DIG headlined its report with a quote, “片足を差し出しても守りたい”, and described her post-retirement role as that of a “寄り添うお姉さん”, or supportive older sister, without giving further details in the summary available. NHK News did not report her result or her post-retirement plans. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
Nakanishi is a five-time Paralympian and 2019 world champion whose Asian long jump record of 5.70 meters, set at age 35, remains unbroken, according to Nippon TV News. A photographer quoted by the outlet said she helped break down barriers between disabled and able-bodied athletes. She has said she will remain involved in the sport through coaching, though the documents give no further details on that role.
Key facts
- Maya Nakanishi, 41, from Yufu City, Oita Prefecture, competed in her final event on October 3 in her home prefecture of Oita. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She had announced her retirement before the event; Nippon TV News said she announced it in September. [ 1 , 2 ]
- She has competed in five consecutive Paralympic Games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She lost her right leg below the knee in a workplace accident; Nippon TV News said it was 20 years ago and TBS NEWS DIG said 2006. [ 2 , 3 ]
- She placed in the 100 and 200 meters at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, then focused on the long jump, according to Nippon TV News. [ 2 ]
- She won gold at the 2019 World Championships and set an Asian record of 5.70 meters at age 35 that remains unbroken, Nippon TV News reported. [ 2 ]
- In her final long jump, held alongside able-bodied athletes, she recorded 4.69 meters on her second jump and advanced to the top eight before her sixth and final career jump, according to Nippon TV News. [ 2 ]
- She said she intends to be involved in coaching and to continue taking on challenges, Nippon TV News reported. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Maya Nakanishi competed in her final competition in her home prefecture of Oita. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She had announced her retirement before the event. [ 1 , 2 ]
- She has competed in five consecutive Paralympic Games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She expressed gratitude to the people who supported her in her hometown. [ 1 , 2 ]
- She is from Oita Prefecture. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She is 41 years old. [ 2 , 3 ]
- She lost her right leg in a workplace accident. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The event took place on October 3. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- The name and exact venue of the competition in Oita. The documents say the event was in Oita City but do not identify the meet or stadium.
- The date in September when Nakanishi announced her retirement. Nippon TV News says she announced it in September but does not give a day.
- Her final placing in the long jump. Only Nippon TV News reports her jumps and it does not give a final ranking.
- Details of her post-retirement coaching role. Nippon TV News says she indicated she would be involved in coaching but gives no specifics; TBS NEWS DIG’s headline refers to her as a supportive older sister without further details in its summary.
- The criticism Nakanishi said she faced during her career. Nippon TV News mentions bashing but does not say what it concerned.
- The context of the TBS NEWS DIG headline phrase “片足を差し出しても守りたい”. The phrase appears only in the headline and summary available, with no supporting article text explaining who said it or what it referred to.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- On October 3, NHK News reports that Maya Nakanishi, who has announced her retirement, competed in her final competition in her home prefecture of Oita. [ 1 ]
- On October 5, Nippon TV News reports that Nakanishi retired on October 3 after her final long jump in Oita, her hometown. [ 2 ]
- On October 6, TBS NEWS DIG reports that Nakanishi ended her 20-year career at a meet in Oita City on October 3, and headlines its report with her last jump in tears and a post-retirement role as a supportive older sister. [ 3 ]