The 161-centimeter Taiki Kawayoke pushed ahead in the 20-kilometer cross-country skiing course on Monday at the Beijing Winter Paralympics.
Kawayoke, who won gold medal in the event, was likened by his high school teacher to an American car with large engine. The 21-year-old used his powerful strides to finish the first in the men's long-distance standing event, showing off his top-level ability on the world stage.
Kawayoke has a big arm swing that he uses in a running-like motion as he skis without poles. He jumped out to the front at the start and was all alone for much of the race, pumping his right fist when as he reached the finish.
Kawayoke was born without portions of his fingers and toes, but he has never complained and said things such as, "I can't."
He practiced until he could ride a bicycle and do a spin on a horizontal bar. Kawayoke discovered cross-country skiing at 6 when he joined in a sports club in his hometown of Toyama.
When he was in a higher grade as an elementary school student, he found it amusing to catch up to skiers who lost speed on the uphill portions of the course and zip past them.
At 13, Kawayoke participated in the World Cup for para athletes, finishing 11th, and was overwhelmed by the level of competition. After that, he started participating in national tournaments.
He joined the ski club at Toyama Prefectural Oyama High School and trained in earnest with Ryo Hirose, who competed at the Beijing Olympics.
Their advisor Yasuhiro Ohata, 58, recalled their dominant physical feats. "No one in the school could beat them in a 1,500-meter sprint," Ohata said.
At one point, Kawayoke said he did not want to go to a para training camp because he didn't want to be labeled among the disabled, having been in competitions against Hirose and other able-bodied athletes.
But the older members of the team Kawayoke persuaded, saying there was no need to choose one or the other, so he decided not to quit para skiing. He continued competing against able-bodied athletes at the inter-high school competition and at national athletic meets.
He appeared at the 2018 Pyeongchang Paralympics in his second year in high school and competed as the team's anchor for the mixed relay event. The team fell just a step short of a medal.
Using this bitter experience as a springboard, Kawayoke trained hard and steadily improved, eventually winning gold at the World Championships in February of the following year.
Winning Paralympic gold on Monday has made him Japan's top skier in name and reality.
"I think I was able to show I have grown since four years ago," Kawayoke said. "I've gained a lot of confidence in myself."
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