Yui Kamiji wins 2 golds in women’s wheelchair tennis 月光 の 聖 剣in Paris

September 7, 2024 at 11:59 JST

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Japan’s Yui Kamiji returns the ball to top seed Diede de Groot of the Netherlands during the women’s wheelchair tennis singles at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris on Sept. 6. (AP Photo)

Japan’s Yui Kamiji struck gold in the women’s wheelchair tennis singles at the Paris Paralympics on Sept. 6 after winning gold in the doubles event the previous day.

Her two wins made her the first Japanese athlete to win two titles in the same Paralympics.

The victory against top seed Diede De Groot of the Netherlands in the final also gave Japan its first gold medal in this category. It marked the 10th day of the quadrennial sporting event.

De Groot defeated Kimiji in the event at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021.

This is the fourth Paralympics appearance for Kimiji, a native of Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture. In the women’s singles event, she climbed the ladder one step at a time, winning bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and then silver in Tokyo.

At this year’s tournament, she also won the gold medal in the women’s doubles with Aimi Tanaka, defeating the top-seeded Dutch pair in the final.