Junichi Kawai

Junichi has competed in five summer paralympics winning a total of 21 medals, five gold nine silver and seven bronze. His first games came in 1992 when he competed in the 400m freestyle and won bronze in the 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke and 200m Medley and silver in both the 50m and 100m freestyle. In 1996 in Atlanta he competed in the 100m breaststroke and butterfly and won bronze in the 200m Medley, silver in the 100m backstroke and gold in both the 50m and 100m freestyle. In the 2000 Summer Paralympics he defended his 50m freestyle title but slipped to second in the 100m freestyle but also won a gold as part of the Japanese 4 × 100 m medley team and added a further two silver medals in the 100m backstroke and 200m medley. 2004 would see him win his third consecutive gold at the 50m freestyle, he also won silvers in the 100m butterfly and freestyle and bronze in the 100m backstroke and the 4 × 100 m freestyle as well as competing in the 200m medley and 4 × 100 m medley. In his fifth games in 2008 he lost out to Spaniard Enhamed Enhamed in the 50m freestyle, losing for the first time in 4 games in the 50m freestyle he added a bronze in the 100m butterfly as well as competing in the 100m backstroke. [1]

In 2016, Junichi was inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame.[2]

• Junichi Kawai at the International Paralympic Committee