The spirit of a fighter

Visually impaired judo champion has taken plenty of knocks but always gets back on her feet, report Wang Qian and Feng Zhiwei in Changsha.

Standing on the winner's podium at the Borj Al Arab Sports Hall in Alexandria during the 2023 IBSA Judo Grand Prix Egypt in March, Shi Yijie had just amazed the world with an outstanding performance in visually impaired judo.

The 23-year-old woman from Chenzhou, Hunan province, took gold in the women's J1 — 57kg category.

Practicing judo for 10 years, it was her first international competition, where she transformed from a completely unknown judoka to a shining star on the world stage.

"It is the highlight in my life," Shi says, recounting the dizzying moment, adding that it didn't feel real until she touched the shining medal.

"I was really nervous before the first fight. I checked out all the other competitors and the environment, but most of all, I wanted to win. That was my only thought."

Her coach Li Yuehua knows how difficult it was for Shi to beat all the odds to bring home the gold. Li describes the journey as "extremely challenging".

Shi defeated No 1 seed Priscilla Gagne from Canada in the semifinal and, in the final on March 14, she outclassed IBSA World Championship bronze medalist Anzhela Havrysiuk from Ukraine to secure gold for China at the Egyptian tournament.

As a full-contact sport, Li says, visually impaired judo is one of the most demanding and difficult sports for physically challenged athletes, because a competitor has to feel the movement, position and balance without actually being able to see their opponent clearly.

Now back at her judo club in Changsha, Hunan, Shi isn't resting on her laurels. Instead, she is training, busy preparing for matches later this year. Her next competition is the national visually impaired judo championship this month.

The win in Egypt has boosted her confidence and brought her one step closer to her dream.

"My dream is to be a gold medalist at the Paralympic Games. These are my first points on the road to Paris, but my goal now is to be there and fight for gold", she says.

A lesser-known sport, it is an adaptation of the Japanese martial art of judo, but for visually impaired competitors. It is also the only martial arts event in the Paralympics, being introduced for men in Seoul 1988 and for women in Athens 2004. Taking place from March 9 to 18, the 2023 IBSA Judo Grand Prix Egypt featured more than 160 athletes from over 30 countries and regions, all hoping to gather points for world rankings, paving the way to the Paris Paralympics next year.