Miki Hirai

Miki Hirai ( 平井美喜 born 10 September 1981) is a Japanese wheelchair basketball player. She is a member of the Japan women's national wheelchair basketball team, and the club Kyushu Dolphin. In 2021 she competed in the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

 Life 
At very young age she was diagnosed with cancer. When she was two years old she had surgery. A medical accident caused a spinal cord injury. In grade 10 of high school she was encouraged to watch a wheelchair basketball game. 

After graduation she joined the wheelchair basketball team, Kyushu Dolphin. As a member of the national team, she participated at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. At the 2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Birmingham. The team finished seventh. At the 2014 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship, she finished 9th. She competed at the 2014 IWBF Asian Para Games, and  2018 IWBF Asian Para Games, winning two silver medals.

Due to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, her house in collapsed. She moved to the welfare facility where she used to work, as it became at the time a shelter for victims. She announced to withdrawn from the national training camp the next month. However, her teammates encouraged her to continue playing and she did.  

 References 

 Other websites 

 Miki Hirai (JPN). OCTOBER 17, 2015 - Wheelchair Basketball : IWBF Asia Oceania Championship photo by Shingo Ito/AFLO SPORT

Category:1981 births
Category:Japanese wheelchair basketball players
Category:Living people