At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Kae Kurahashi helped secure her country’s maiden gold medal in wheelchair rugby.
At home in Tokyo, she’s already helping inspire other young women with a disability.
The two-time Paralympian – and Japan’s only woman on the wheelchair rugby team – is an active participant at NPO J Camp, a Japan-based organization supported by Play Academy with Naomi Osaka, that supports young people with a disability through wheelchair basketball camps.
With funding support from Play Academy with Naomi Osaka – an initiative in partnership with Naomi Osaka, Nike and Laureus Sport for Good to get more girls moving – J Camp launched a new project in 2024 called “Push for Future” that focuses specifically on supporting girls with a disability.
This year, Push for Future hosted a Leadership Program, where Kurahashi was among other players and coaches trained on being role models for girls with and without disability through wheelchair sports. Those trained leaders will then act as facilitators to support other girls in the program playing wheelchair sports.
A university trampoline gymnast, Kurahashi injured her neck in a sporting accident and was introduced to wheelchair rugby during rehabilitation and began playing in 2014. Since then, she made history as Japan’s first woman on the national team, helping them secure their first World Championship title in 2018, bronze at their home Paralympics in 2020 and redeeming that with gold in 2024.
“I had so much fun playing today. I was able to have so much fun even without telling myself to have fun. It was amazing how we were able to show everything we’ve worked on,” Kurahashi said about her experience at Paris 2024 on Paralympic.org.
Visit Play Academy’s website to learn more about how J Camp is helping advance gender equality in Japan.
