Barclays : rsquo; Paralympian colleagues prepare to strike gold in Tokyo

Preparing for the opposition

Taking part in wheelchair rugby is not for the faint-hearted. It's a fast-paced, contact sport, played on an indoor court by mixed gender teams of four. Combining elements of rugby, basketball and handball, players are actively encouraged to use their wheelchairs to block and hold opponents. For both Misaka and Shimakawa, discovering the game was a way of recovering their independence.

'When I was 21, I was in a traffic accident that damaged my cervical vertebrae and left me using a wheelchair,' says Shimakawa. 'It turned my life upside down. After leaving hospital, I decided to do something physically active and started wheelchair athletics. When a friend invited me to play wheelchair rugby, I wasn't sure because I disliked group sports. But I quickly became fascinated by the noisy fun it involved, and I've now been competing for 22 years.'

Misaka now helps to manage Japan's wheelchair rugby team, alongside his new role as a chairman of Japan's Paralympic Committee.

When an occupational therapist introduced me to wheelchair rugby, I found a new goal in life.

Hiroyuki Misaka

Barclays colleague and former Paralympic coach

Wheelchair rugby offered Misaka a new way of developing his passion for sport. 'I was born in Higashiōsaka, Osaka Prefecture, where rugby is very popular. I tried many sports before choosing rugby,' he recalls. 'But an accident during a game in high school left me using a wheelchair. Initially, I felt hopeless about my future - but when a physical therapist introduced me to wheelchair rugby, I found a new goal in life.'

Misaka's experience watching the Sydney Paralympics opening ceremony in 2000 sparked his determination to become a Paralympian. Shimakawa, meanwhile, was selected to represent Japan early in his wheelchair rugby career.

'Being part of the team when Japan became world champions for the first time in 2018 left a strong impression on me,' he remembers. 'It was the dream I'd been chasing for more than 10 years, and beating the powerful US team in the semi-final was the kind of game you never forget.'