Long Jumper. Sprinter. Soft tennis player. Author.  Motivational Speaker.  Paralympian.

Maya Nakanishi was a twenty-one-year-old soft tennis player in her native Japan when her right leg was crushed in an industrial accident.  Learning that rehabilitation would be lengthy and complex, she opted for amputation.  As with most new amputees, it was an emotionally devastating experience.  And as the days passed Maya realized she could no longer play tennis.

“Not only could I not play tennis; at first, I couldn't even walk properly on the prosthetic leg, so I got really depressed.”

But that depression was short lived as she found a new passion in short distance running.  She began to train and made rapid progress.  Within six months, while wearing an Össur Cheetah running blade, she set records for the 100- and 200-meter sprints in Japan.

“It is in my character never to give up.”

In September 14, 2008 at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Nakanishi became the first Japanese woman to be at the start line in a 100-meter race.  She ran 13.93 seconds in the qualifying heat, breaking her own Japanese record, and placed sixth in the final. But that was not enough for Maya.  Within the next year, she began an intense training regimen that would include 100- and 200-meter sprints, and the addition of the long jump. One and a half months after her training began, in her first competition as a long jumper, she jumped to a new Japanese record. 

In 2019, Maya became a member of Team Össur, an accomplished group of elite international athletes and sporting role models.

“I would like to set an even higher goal to win one with a World Record so that I will be able to give impact to children that come to the stadium who chase their own dreams.”