Maya Nakanishi

Maya Nakanishi is a Paralympic athlete from Japan, competing in category T44 sprint and long jump events. She was born in Yufu, Ōita Prefecture, and played soft tennis competitively. In 2006 while working at a paint factory she was struck by a 5-tonne steel frame. Her right lower leg was amputated below the knee. After finding the transition back to tennis difficult she was encouraged to switch to track and field and quickly found success, setting Japanese records in the F44 category for the 100 and 200 meter events shortly after.