HIGHLIGHTS
Mio Okada: Aiming for the podium in middle-distance running as her hometown Tokyo hosts the Deaflympics
Mio Okada is the Deaf Japan record holder in the categories of 800m, 1500m, and 1-mile. She took bronze in both the 800m at the 5th World Deaf Athletics Championships in Taiwan and the 1500m at the 24th Summer Deaflympics in Brazil in 2022. How does she feel now as the TOKYO 2025 DEAFLYMPICS, her third time to participate in the Deaflympics, quickly approaches? We asked about her thoughts and motivation ahead of the event.
What first attracted you to track and field?
“I became interested through my parents, who both have hearing loss. My father was a sprinter and long-jumper, while my mother was active in javelin. Since I was a child, I’ve always been good at athletics and particularly enjoyed running. But my junior high school didn’t have a track and field team, so I joined the volleyball team. I started track and field when I entered high school.”
What drew you to the middle-distance running events you specialize in?
“The reason for my choice initially was pretty simple: sprints are over in a moment, and long-distance running is just so long… So I thought middle-distance running was the perfect fit for me. But once I started middle-distance running, I realized it was far more difficult than I had imagined. There is tremendous strain placed on both the heart and lungs due to the need to fully use all the muscles in your body. Middle-distance running requires excelling at both the speedy starts of sprints and the endurance of long-distance running. The pleasure of middle-distance running is strategically engaging in races as you consider that burden. In fact, even for the same distance, athletes can have completely different ways of attacking the race. For example, some athletes start with a burst of speed and transition to their more regular pace, while others start with a slower initial pace but then place their energy into winning by sprinting at the end of a race. With such variety, the outcome is uncertain until the very end. While I’m good at overtaking in races, every athlete uses their own particular skills in approaching a race, which is what makes middle-distance running so interesting.”
In your life as an athlete, you must have faced challenges. How did you overcome them?
“The first big hurdle I faced was in my first year of high school when I had just started in track and field. I injured my shin and could barely even stay standing. All my teammates were getting results in the tournaments we had set as our goals, while I couldn’t even practice. That situation was just unbearable. I wondered if I wasn’t fit for middle-distance running. I considered switching to javelin or some other event, and asked my parents what they thought. They gave me the advice that ‘You need to face yourself and not run away from your injury. Doing that will surely benefit your future.’ Then they cheered me up by telling me, ‘In high school alone you still have two years left, don’t give up!’ That gave me the courage to continue in middle-distance running, and I was able to set a new Deaf Japan record in my second year of high school.”
During your time at Japan Women’s College of Physical Education, in addition to participating in para-athletic tournaments, you also competed in events including the Kanto University Women’s Ekiden and the Kanto Inter-University Track & Field Championships (often called “Kanto Inkare” in Japanese).
“My biggest goal when I entered university was to compete with non-disabled people at Kanto Inkare. I practiced relentlessly and finally got the chance to compete when I was a 4th year student, which was my final opportunity to compete as a student. Actually, I was the first person to compete in a female track event who had graduated from a school for the deaf, so they set up a white starting light set to be illuminated at the same time that the starting pistol was fired, which allowed me to seamlessly start the race with the other athletes.”
Your effort became a big step forward for deaf athletes. What gives you the drive to keep on striving and taking on challenges no matter what the situation?
“It’s the desire to improve myself. I’ll be honest, I’m always asking myself, ’Why are you doing such a difficult thing?’ But it’s what I have to do. I believe that by overcoming these difficulties and hardships I can meet a new me. Really, in continuing to do track and field, most things don’t go that amazingly. For Kanto Inkare, I was only able to compete once over four years. And in that one attempt I was eliminated in the preliminaries. Things don’t go perfectly. I think taking that one step forward and progressing even a bit is more important than seeking perfection. So I keep practicing day after day. I think that’s what is important and is a lifestyle true to myself.”
You’ve participated in the Deaflympics twice, in 2017 and 2021. What makes the Deaflympics different from other competitions?
“The security is so strict, it’s not at all like a regular competition [laughs]. The first Deaflympics I participated in was in Samsun, Turkey, and I could really feel the energetic and open atmosphere firsthand. There were lots of people, both locals and from Japan, who came to cheer for me, and the stands were packed. I was really amazed by how animated and lively the Deaflympics were.”
The last Deaflympics were held in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, during Covid. There must have been a lot of restrictions.
“There were. I had planned to enter 3 events, but when the time came for the 800m, my main event, the Japanese team decided to withdraw from the competition. I had a lot of confused feelings then, something like a sense of emptiness or utter helplessness. I didn’t really know where or how to engage with those feelings. And for a while I couldn’t really get my head back into practicing. But after some time it was announced that the Deaflympics would be held in Tokyo, and I finally felt able to push forward again.”
And now the TOKYO 2025 DEAFLYMPICS are almost here.
“Not being able to perform to my fullest last time, I’m completely fired up for this time. And with Tokyo, my hometown where I was born and raised, playing stage to the event this time, I’m beyond excited.”
Everyone around you must also be very excited to see your performance.
“Yeah. I’m so thankful that so many people reach out to say, ‘I’ll be there to cheer for you.’ At the Tokyo Deaflympics venue, I really want to make use of this amazing chance to be in front of all my supportive family and friends, and everyone who has come on this journey with me, and I want to show them my style of tenacious running. My goal is to get gold. Up until now I’ve gotten silver and bronze in international competitions. This time for sure, on the wonderful stage that is Tokyo, I want to get the ultimate prize.”
There will be a lot of spectators at the Deaflympics. Is there a way you recommend they should cheer?
“As a new thing for the TOKYO 2025 DEAFLYMPICS, a style of visible cheers using sign language has been proposed. It was developed primarily by deaf athletes and other members of the deaf community to allow all individuals, whether they can hear or not, to deliver their support to the athletes. Since everyone can participate in the signed cheers, I hope everyone shows their strong support to the athletes.”
People from all over the world will be coming to see the competition. If you have any, could you share what spots you’d recommend in Tokyo?
“When my good friend, an athlete from Ukraine, visited me two years ago, the place she most enjoyed was Asakusa. She said that there you could enjoy both modern Tokyo and the Tokyo of the past. And of course, Mt. Fuji is the symbol of Japan. It’s a bit far from Tokyo, but we were both moved by the site of Mt. Fuji when we gazed upon it during a visit to Gotemba. Also, when we decided to go for a refreshing jog around Asakusa along the Sumida River, seeing the river and all the bridges was great. Running around the Toyosu area in the evening and at night is also really nice, as you get to see the romantic night view of the big city and Tokyo Bay. Tokyo has a lot of places to see, so I hope everyone enjoys seeing both the competition and the sights of Tokyo.”
＜Profile＞
OKADA Mio
Born in Tokyo in 1997. Born with hearing loss, attended a school for the deaf until the end of high school. Began track and field when she entered high school. At the All-Japan Track and Field Championships for Deaf Schools, won the 800m and 1500m three times in a row. After high school, entered Japan Women’s College of Physical Education. Placed 6th in the 800m and 7th in the 1500m at the Samsun Deaflympics 2017. Took bronze in the 1500m at the 24th Summer Deaflympics in Brazil in 2022, and in the 800m at the 5th World Deaf Athletics Championships (Taiwan). Holds the Deaf Japan records for 800m, 1500m and 1-mile. Belongs to Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting.
