Daisuke Ikezaki

Daisuke Ikezaki

Date of birth	(1978-01-23) January 23, 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth	Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
Occupation(s)	Wheelchair rugby player
Rugby union career
Position(s) - International career Years Team Apps (Points) Japan
Medal record Representing  Japan Paralympic Games Wheelchair rugby 2024 Paris Wheelchair Rugby 2016 Rio de Janeiro Wheelchair Rugby 2020 Tokyo Wheelchair Rugby

Daisuke Ikezaki (池崎 大輔, Ikezaki Daisuke, born January 23, 1978) is a Japanese wheelchair rugby player. On the club level, he currently plays for the Tokyo Suns.^[1]

Background

At the age of six, Ikezaki was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an incurable disease that gradually weakens the muscles in the arms and legs.^[2] In 1995, while attending Iwamizawa High School for the Disabled, he started playing wheelchair basketball, but as his arm strength gradually weakened and he was no longer able to play as well as he wanted, he switched to wheelchair rugby in 2008.^[3]

Career

In 2009, Ikezaki joined the Hokkaido Big Dippers. The team placed third in the Japan Championship that year, and he was recognized for his performance and selected as a national training player.^[3] In April 2010, he was selected for the Japanese national team, and in August at the World Championships (Canada), he won the 3.0 class best player award, and the national team also won a bronze medal.^[4] In 2012, he participated in the 2012 Summer Paralympics, where he said, "In London, fourth or fifth place is no good. I want at least bronze. My goal is gold." He played an active role as a key member of the national team, but lost to the United States in the third-place deciding match and failed to win a medal.^[3][5]

In October 2015, Ikezaki won the Mitsubishi Corporation 2015 IWRF Asia Oceania Championship, earning a spot in the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics. Ikezaki was awarded the 3.0 Class Best Player Award and MVP.^[4] In July 2016, he joined Mitsubishi Corporation.^[4] At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, he lost to Australia in the semi-finals, but defeated Canada in the third-place deciding match to win the bronze medal.^[6][7] He was awarded the Hakodate City Honorary Award. On August 10, 2018, Japan defeated the Rio Paralympic champion Australia 62–61 in the World Championship final to win its first title, and Ikezaki was named Most Valuable Player (MVP).^[8] In April 2019, he transferred from Hokkaido TxT Big Dippers to TOKYO SUNS.^[9]

Ikezaki participated in the rescheduled 2020 Summer Paralympics and won a bronze medal.^[10]

References

1. "注目選手 池崎 大輔選手". 日本財団パラリンピックサポートセンター. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
2. <"30歳、世界へのゴング 車いすラグビー・池崎大輔（中）". The Nikkei. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
3. "＜１＞池崎大輔（34）＝札幌市 素早く強く、闘志前面に". 北海道新聞. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
4. "ウィルチェアーラグビー 池崎大輔選手が入社". 三菱商事. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
5. "疾走する、ことばたち～パラリンピックの力～第6回「車いすラグビー 日本を牽引するハイポインターたち」". NHK. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
6. "アメフトのポジションの役割を紹介". 【SPAIA】スパイア. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
7. 宮崎俊哉 (20 September 2016). "ウィルチェアーラグビー悲願のメダル獲得も、すでに思いは4年後へ". スポルティーバ. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
8. "車いすラグビー世界選手権、MVPに池崎大輔 日本、リオ覇者破って初V". SANSPO.COM. 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
9. "池崎大輔選手 TOKYO SUNS移籍のお知らせ". Hokkaido TxT Big Dippers. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
10. "【東京パラリンピック】「日本ラグビー」で2大会連続銅メダル！ 池主将のリーダーシップと仲間たち". rugby-rp.com (in Japanese). 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.

External links

• Daisuke Ikezaki at the International Paralympic Committee