Learning to listen past the external noise to hear myself | Mei Ichinose | TEDxKyoto

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organised by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Mei Ichinose delivering her TEDx Talk

Paralympian and public speaker Mei Ichinose shares her journey of constantly seeking acceptance and happiness by becoming a world class swimmer to learning that the most important and sustainable source for that lies within. Mei Ichinose was born with a congenital right arm deficiency and from the age of one and a half, her parents took her to the nearby Kyoto City Sports Centre for the Disabled, where swimming became a normal part of her life. At age 10 Mei began to swim seriously, and at age 13 she became the youngest swimmer in history to participate in the Asian Games. For Mei, the main obstacle in life was not her short right arm, rather it was society’s perception of people with impairments. Motivated by a strong desire to change this perception, Mei swam in more national and international swimming competitions, eventually competing in eight events at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics. In 2021, she retired from swimming and began modeling, acting, and speaking on topics related to creating a sustainable society for all. Mei also began training as a track and field athlete with a focus more in tune to her own mental and physical health, and not solely for a competitive goal.

一ノ瀬 メイは、先天的に右腕が不自由に生まれ、1歳半から両親に連れられて近くの京都市障害者スポーツセンターに通い、そこで水泳が当たり前の生活の一部となった。10歳で本格的に水泳を始め、13歳では史上最年少でアジア大会に出場した。

メイにとって、人生の最大の障害は右腕が短いことではなく、障害のある人に対する社会の認識であった。この認識を変えたいという強い思いから、メイはさらに国内外の水泳大会に参加し、ついには2016年のリオデジャネイロ・パラリンピックで8種目に出場するまでとなった。2021年、彼女は水泳を引退し、モデル、女優、そしてすべての人のための持続可能な社会づくりに関連する講演活動をはじめる。また、競技としての目標だけではなく、より自身の心身の健康を重視した陸上選手としてのトレーニングを開始した。