Masae Komiya | |
Birth Date: | 8 May 1975 |
Birth Place: | Fukuoka Prefecture,[1] Japan |
Height: | 167 cm |
Weight: | 57 kg |
Education: | Kyushu Sangyo University |
Disability Class: | B1[2] (formerly B2) |
is a Japanese goalball player with a congenital visual impairment. She was part of the bronze medal-winning Japanese women's team at the 2004 Summer Paralympics.[3] At the 2012 Summer Paralympics she captained the gold medal-winning Japanese women's team. After the game she stated "The day [we waited for] finally came. I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn't finish singing the 'Kimigayo' national anthem."[4]
Her impairment was caused by retinitis pigmentosa, which destroyed her vision in both eyes when she was in primary school.[1] She began playing in 2001. Her coach, Naoki Eguro, introduced her to the sport.[3]