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3082-Teruyo Tanaka photo

Teruyo Tanaka

Japanese flag
Japan
Athletics
3
4
1

Biography

Impairment information

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries
Origin of Impairment
Acquired
Classification
T52, F52

Further personal information

Occupation
Business Owner
Languages
Japanese

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport?
She began wheelchair racing in 1988 in Nagoya, Japan.
Why this sport?
She took up the sport as part of her rehabilitation.
Club / Team
Team TIR: Suzuka, JPN

International debut

Year
1989
Competing for
Japan

General interest

Hobbies
Making desserts. (Athlete, 09 Nov 2019)
Memorable sporting achievement
Winning gold in the T51 800m at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta. (SportsDeskOnline, 19 Apr 2021; Athlete, 09 Nov 2019)
Hero / Idol
Japanese wheelchair racer Tomoya Ito. (Athlete, 09 Nov 2019)
Injuries
She has damaged the rotator cuff in both shoulders during her sporting career. (asahi.com, 26 May 2019)

She sustained injuries to her right arm after the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, which was a major factor in her taking a break from competition for seven years. (arsvi.com, 17 Sep 2008)
Awards and honours
She received the Gifu Prefecture Citizen Honorary Prize in Japan in 2008, 2000 and 1996 and was presented with the Toki City Mayor Prize in 2008 and 1996, along with the Aichi Prefecture Governor Citation Award in 2008 and 2000. (tanakateruyo.com, Oct 2008)

She was given a Citation Award by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2008 and 2000 and received the Nagoya City Sports Achievement Award in 2008 and 2000. (tanakateruyo.com, Oct 2008)
Milestones
At the 2012 Paraympic Games in London she became the first female Japanese athlete to compete in Para athletics at five editions of the Paralympic Games. She was also the oldest female Japanese athlete to compete in Para athletics at the 2012 Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 22 Apr 2021)
Ambitions
To win a medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (yomiuri.co.jp, 17 Dec 2018)
Impairment
Her impairment is the result of a traffic accident in 1983. (Athlete, 09 Nov 2019)
Other information
HEALTH ISSUES
In 2015 she was diagnosed with an epidural haematoma in her skull. She was in hospital for eight weeks and restarted training in July of that year. She also had an operation on her eardrums in January 2015. (asahi.com, 26 May 2019; blog.tanakateruyo.com, 04 Jul 2015, 06 Jan 2015)

Results

Unit Date Rank
Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games (Atlanta, United States of America)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 200 m T51 Heat 1 4
Women's 200 m T51 Final Round 6
Women's 400 m T51 Heat 1 3
Women's 400 m T51 Final Round 6
Women's 800 m T51 Final Round 1
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (Beijing, China)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 200 m T52 Final Round 4
Women's 100 m T52 Final Round 3
Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games (Sydney, Australia)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 1500 m T52 Final Round 2
Women's 800 m T52 Final Round 2
Women's 800 m T52 Heat 1 1
Women's 200 m T52 Final Round 2
Women's 200 m T52 Heat 2 2
IPC Athletics World Championships Birmingham 1998 (Birmingham, Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 1500 m T53 Final Round 2
Women's 200 m T53 Final Round 1
Women's 800 m T53 Final Round 1
2011 IPC Athletics World Championships (Christchurch, New Zealand)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 100 m T52 Final 2011-01-22 3
Women's 200 m T52 Final 2011-01-24 3
Women's 400 m T52 Final 2011-01-26 3
Women's 800 m T52 Final 2011-01-28 3
London 2012 Paralympic Games (London, Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 200 m T52 Final Round 2012-09-01 5
Women's 100 m T52 Final Round 2012-09-05 6
World Para Athletics Championships London 2017 (London, Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 400 m T52 Final 1 2017-07-14 1
Women's 100 m T52 Final 1 2017-07-19 1