In a skatepark in Tokorozawa, in the Japanese prefecture of Saitama, north of Tokyo, Ryusei Ouchi, cane in hand, probes the terrain to apprehend obstacles.
This 21-year-old blind man doesn't let his handicap stop him from getting on his board.
He discovered skateboarding as a teenager. Since then, he has continued to perfect his technique and does not dwell on his falls which, according to him, are more numerous because of his handicap. While skateboarding makes its first entry as an Olympic discipline at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Ryusei Ouchi is above all hoping for Paralympic recognition.
"I hope that it will be registered as a Paralympic sport"
, he slips.
“But first, someone has to make (skateboard-blind) a sport in its own right. "
A mission that the young man intends to carry out.