Gearing Up for the Year Ahead: Catching Up with Toyota's International Sports Stars (First Part)
Toyota Times Sports Showcases Global Athletes Ahead of Paris Games
In a special event streamed on YouTube, the Toyota Times Sports program highlighted Global Team Toyota Athletes (GTTAs) from around the world, one year before the Paris Games. The showcase featured athletes spanning 38 countries and regions, and 68 different events.
Ryley Batt, an Australian wheelchair rugby player who has appeared in the past five Games, shared his thoughts in a video message. Adriana Díaz, a Puerto Rican table tennis player based in Osaka, was one of the 13 athletes featured in the showcase. Díaz has been training in Fujiidera, Osaka, while competing in Japan's T.League and has honed her speed and footwork under a coach who also mentored Jun Mizutani.
The second part of the GTTA feature will focus on Japanese Toyota athletes next week (September 8). Shizuka Hangai, a visually impaired judoka, Kippei Taninaka from Japan's men's rugby sevens team, wheelchair tennis player Takuya Miki, para-athlete Hajimu Ashida, and swimmer Ippei Watanabe will be featured.
The showcase also highlighted notable GTTAs competing in Paris 2024 Games, such as Gabby Thomas, a World Champion and triple Gold medalist in the 2024 Olympics, specializing in sprinting events such as the 400m. Marissa Papaconstantinou, a Paralympic athlete known for her unstoppable sprints, was also featured.
Other athletes associated with Toyota's support at the 2024 and 2025 events, although not explicitly listed as part of Global Team Toyota for Paris, include Jaydin Blackwell, a 100m T38 world record holder in Paralympics, known for sprinting, Susannah Scaroni, a Paralympic multi-time medalist specializing in long-distance and marathon races, and Jonah Koech, a middle-distance athlete.
Gabrielle Thomas, an American athlete who won two medals at this year's World Athletics Championships, expressed her ambitions for next year's event and gratitude for the Toyota family. Japanese basketballers Yuta Watanabe and Yudai Baba, table tennis player Tomokazu Harimoto, a recent World Athletics Championships medalist, and paratriathlon world champions were also included in the showcase.
Tomokazu Harimoto discussed his composure, ambitions, and reflections after the Tokyo games during an interview. Hanquinquant, a French paratriathlete and paratriathlon world champion, shared that he appreciates Toyota's Mobility for All concept, which he believes has much in common with the triathlon. As of July 2023, the GTTAs supported by Toyota number 196, with 114 competing in Olympic disciplines and 82 in Paralympic sports.
Li Hao, a Chinese wheelchair fencing gold medalist, reminded viewers that the Games will soon be here once more with the phrase "I will do my best to Start Your Impossible. I am ready. Are you?" The Toyota Times Sports program will stream live on YouTube every Friday from 11:50 (JST).
Basketball was featured among the 68 different events showcased by Toyota Times Sports, highlighting Japanese basketball players Yuta Watanabe and Yudai Baba. Ryley Batt, a Global Team Toyota Athlete (GTTA) from Australia, initially shared his thoughts on wheelchair rugby, but basketball players were also part of the Toyota-supported athletic family.
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