NAGOYA - Just a year after giving birth and only months after returning to competition, Japan's Uran Sawada competed in the women's long jump T12 event for athletes with visual impairments at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games on Friday.
The 35-year-old rejoined the national team with support from the government-backed Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, which began assisting her during her pregnancy.
Sawada, who has retinitis pigmentosa, finished fifth at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021.
"I thought that once I gave birth, my performance would decline and I would retire from the sport," she said.
Despite those doubts, she continued training while pregnant and after the birth of her child with support from specialists.
After giving birth to her daughter Rino in October last year, Sawada endured pain for about six weeks.
"I was barely able to manage daily life. I really wondered whether everything would be okay," she said.
But training before childbirth helped minimize losses in strength and fitness. She gradually increased her workload, resumed track practice in April and returned to competition in May.
The Japanese Paralympic Committee has introduced a system guaranteeing up to two years of financial support for female athletes' training and competition activities after childbirth.
"Two years is enough time not only to come back but also to improve performance and return to a national-team level, which I think is very positive," Sawada said.
