LIFE & CULTURE

COMRADESHIP BRINGS POWER TO

PARA ATHLETES
A gold medalist for Germany in para athletics,Heinrich Popow now serves as a technical coachto the Japanese team for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
With extensive experience and knowledge
as a para athlete, he has been striving to support
Japanese athletes for the event.
At the World Para Athletics Championships
held in Dubai in 2019, the Japanese long jumpteam delivered outstanding performances. Heinrich
Popow—who won a gold medal in the 100-meter
sprint at the London 2012 Games and another one
in the long jump at the Rio 2016 Games—supportedtheir success. As a technical adviser, he has beenworking alongside Japanese athletes as they aim for
the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Popow had his left leg amputated above the knee
as a result of osteosarcoma (a bone cancer) at the ageof nine. A very sporty child, he began playing parasports after the amputation, and achieved remarkablesuccess, including breaking world records in boththe long jump and 100-meter sprint. However, as
an amputee, he was disheartened by the lack of
prosthetic products available for sports use. Thatis why, after retiring in 2018, he became a qualified

GERMANY
JAPANprosthetist. He says, “I am always looking for ways tocreate an environment in which we can play sports
without any worry about prosthetic products.”
Popow’s decision to accept the role of Japanesenational team coach in 2019 was driven by hisfriendship with Japanese para athlete YAMAMOTO
Atsushi. The 39-year-old Yamamoto won silver medals
in the men’s long jump at both the Beijing 2008 Gamesand the Rio 2016 Games, and is going to compete in
the upcoming the Tokyo 2020 Games as well. Popowsays, “Atsushi and I shared our experiences as paraathletes, giving advice to each other after competitions.
Rather than rivals, we were fellow professional athletes.
We both still have a responsibility to keep pushing thedevelopment of the Paralympic movement.” Since theCOVID-19 pandemic prevented him from visiting
Japan to coach players in person, Popow has continued
to actively give the Japanese athletes technical advice

Left: Popow adjusts prosthetic
legs to fit the athletes’ bodies ata running clinic: “My job is toadjust the prosthesis to the muscle
mass that changes with training,
so that athletes can use theirbodies to their maximum ability.”
Right: In order to spark an
interest in prostheses, when
visiting Japanese elementaryschools, Popow tells thechildren to feel free totouch his own prosthesis.

HEINRICH POPOW
Born in Kazakhstan in 1983, Popow
moved with his family to Germany at
the age of seven. He competed in his
first Paralympic Games in 2004
(Athens), and has since won two gold
medals. He started working as aprosthetic limb manufacturer in 2007,
and in recent years, began holding
running clinics around the world.

by watching videos of their performances via theInternet and giving them feedback. Through thoseendeavors, he has been teaching the athletes tomaintain their individual performance goals while
helping each other out, just as he and Yamamoto havedone. “Unlike any other team, the Japanese team is
one in which everyone tries to support fellow teammembers who may be in trouble.”
Another mission Popow has committed to with
passion is the running clinics he holds around theworld. At those clinics, he teaches amputees how
to run using sports prostheses. “Sports helped me
to accept my disability and live positively. I wantother people to have that experience.” Popow himself
also often learns from the participants. “In Japan,
people of all ages—even those in their 70s—actively
participate in the clinics. Thanks to those older
participants, I have come to realize that sport is open
to everyone, regardless of age or ability.”
The Tokyo 2020 Games are fast approaching.
While Popow has high hopes for his athletes andis looking forward to meeting them directly andsupporting them in their competitions, he is also
envious that they will experience the Games in theirAt a running clinic, Popow
teaches people how to run
using prosthetic legs. Most
participants do not believe
they are able to run at first,
but after the clinics, they
discover that they can.

home country. “Participating in the Olympics orParalympics in your home country is a wonderfulexperience and they will go down in history.” Though
the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten
the world, limiting the freedom to take part insports, Popow believes that sports are needed now
more than ever. “Sports have immeasurable power,and during such difficult times, there is a profoundsignificance in sharing joy and passion through them.
I look forward to seeing that happen at the Tokyo
2020 Games.”

Comradeship with YAMAMOTO Atsushi (left) encouraged Popow tostart coaching the Japanese team. They continue their efforts to develop theParalympic movement.