
Muraoka is Japan’s top female sit-skier, with multiple Asia Cup podiums across speed and technical events from the last three seasons.
In 2015, she made her mark on the international scene with her first World Championships podiums alongside the likes of multiple Paralympic and Worlds medallists, Austria’s Claudia Loesch and Germany’s Anna Schaffelhuber.
Diagnosed with transverse myelitis at the age of four, Muraoka has also showed her prowess on the World Cup circuit with a handful of top three finishes as she continues to improve season-on-season.
The teenager was a T54 para-athlete with several podium finishes from national Championships until she decided to swap her racing wheelchair for a sit-ski during 2012-13.
However Muraoka has not entirely turned her back on her track career, stating that she aims to win a medal at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games and go on to represent her country at Tokyo 2020.
Her quest for PyeongChang 2018 gained momentum in 2015-16 when she won the women's giant slalom sitting World Cup globe, as well as finishing second in super-G. Muraoka finished third in the overall women's sitting World Cup.
Her recent performances have placed her in a great position to win her first world titles when she skis at the 2017 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships in Tarvisio, Italy.
Biography
Impairment information
Further personal information
Sport specific information
General interest
In 2018 she was presented with the Tokyo-to Honorary Award and the Tokyo-to Citizen Sports Grand Award in Japan. (sports-tokyo.info, 01 Jun 2018)
In 2018 she received the Fukaya Citizen Honorary Award in Japan. (tokyo-np.co.jp, 29 Jun 2018)
She was flag bearer for Japan at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (paralympic.org, 27 Feb 2018)
She became the first athlete representing Japan to win five medals at a single edition of the Paralympic Winter Games when she claimed one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Mar 2022)
She was involved in Para athletics before she switched her focus to Para alpine skiing. After the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang she decided she wanted to pursue competitive Para athletics again, with the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo approaching. "At first my attitude was one of being slightly envious that the Paralympic Games would be held in Japan. As I had focused all my energies on Pyeongchang 2018, I didn't have any strong feelings for Tokyo 2020. However, after Pyeongchang 2018 was over, I started to feel that I wanted to try athletics again, something I had done as a child, and if there was even the slightest possibility I could compete [in Tokyo], then I wanted to give it a try. I thought that it was the right time to do it as there were no [skiing] world championships and Paralympic Winter Games between 2019 and 2020. I became aware of myself as an athlete after devoting myself to Para athletics for a year. I had been worried, but I enjoyed the 2020 Paralympics because I was able to achieve the dream in athletics that I had when I was little. I had no regrets. I felt refreshed." (nikkansports.com, 05 Sep 2021, 14 Jun 2020; toyotatimes.jp, 18 May 2021; SPORTS BIZ Official YouTube channel, 17 Jun 2020; sportrait-web.com, 29 Jan 2020)
LEADER
She was appointed captain of the Japanese team at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. (hokkoku.co.jp, 16 Feb 2022)
FURTHER EDUCATION
She has studied for a doctoral degree in sports science at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. (nikkansports.com, 14 Jun 2020; waseda.jp, 17 Sep 2021)
Results
Unit | Date | Rank |
---|
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's Super-G Sitting | Final Round | 2014-03-10 | 9999 | |
Women's Slalom Sitting | Final Round | 2014-03-12 | 9 | |
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Final Round | 2014-03-16 | 5 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's Downhill Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-03-04 | 2 | |
Women's Super-G Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-03-05 | 9999 | |
Women's Super-Combined Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-03-07 | 4 | |
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-03-08 | 3 | |
Women's Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-03-10 | 4 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's Downhill Sitting | Race 1 | 2017-01-25 | 3 | |
Women's Super-G Sitting | Race 1 | 2017-01-26 | 3 | |
Women's Super-Combined Sitting | Race 1 | 2017-01-28 | 4 | |
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2017-01-30 | 3 | |
Women's Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2017-01-31 | 4 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's Downhill Sitting | Final | 2018-03-10 | 2 | |
Women's Super-G Sitting | Final | 2018-03-11 | 3 | |
Women's Super Combined Sitting | Final | 2018-03-13 | 3 | |
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Final | 2018-03-14 | 1 | |
Women's Slalom Sitting | Final | 2018-03-18 | 2 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2019-01-22 | 1 | |
Women's Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2019-01-24 | 3 | |
Women's Downhill Sitting | Race 1 | 2019-01-30 | 3 | |
Women's Super-Combined Sitting | Race 1 | 2019-01-31 | 1 | |
Women's Super-G Sitting | Race 1 (from SC) | 2019-01-31 | 2 |