Satoshi Saida
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese pioneering wheelchair tennis
player and 2004 Summer Paralympics
gold medalist (Men's doubles
with Shingo Kunieda
).
Saida, a big baseball
enthusiast in his childhood, lost his left leg because of illness. At first, he used to play wheelchair basketball
with his friends. At the age of fourteen, he had an opportunity to get to know wheelchair tennis with his basketball teammates at a seminar which took place in his hometown, and started this sport.
As a competitor, his first Paralympics was the 1996 Summer Paralympics
in Atlanta, USA
. At the 2000 Summer Paralympics
in Sydney
, Australia
, he got the eighth place. With Shingo Kunieda
, he participated in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens
, Greece
, and won the men's doubles event. The two competed together again at the 2008 Beijing Games
and took bronze in the doubles event.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese pioneering wheelchair tennis
Wheelchair Tennis
Wheelchair tennis is one of the forms of tennis adapted for those who have disabilities in their lower bodies. The size of courts, balls, and rackets are same, but there are two major differences from pedestrian tennis; they use specially designed wheelchairs and the ball may bounce up to two times...
player and 2004 Summer Paralympics
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
gold medalist (Men's doubles
Wheelchair Tennis at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Wheelchair Tennis at the 2004 Summer Paralympics was staged at the Olympic Tennis Centre from September 19 to September 26.There were singles and doubles competitions for men, women and both . All matches were played to the best of three sets....
with Shingo Kunieda
Shingo Kunieda
is a Japanese number one singles wheelchair tennis player. Kunieda is a right-hander whose favorite surface is hard court. His coach is Hiromichi Maruyama. His training base is the Tennis Training Center in Kashiwa....
).
Saida, a big baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
enthusiast in his childhood, lost his left leg because of illness. At first, he used to play wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole...
with his friends. At the age of fourteen, he had an opportunity to get to know wheelchair tennis with his basketball teammates at a seminar which took place in his hometown, and started this sport.
As a competitor, his first Paralympics was the 1996 Summer Paralympics
1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....
in Atlanta, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. At the 2000 Summer Paralympics
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, he got the eighth place. With Shingo Kunieda
Shingo Kunieda
is a Japanese number one singles wheelchair tennis player. Kunieda is a right-hander whose favorite surface is hard court. His coach is Hiromichi Maruyama. His training base is the Tennis Training Center in Kashiwa....
, he participated in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and won the men's doubles event. The two competed together again at the 2008 Beijing Games
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
and took bronze in the doubles event.