Tokyo: 95% blind Japanese skateboarder practices his sport differently

Ryusei Ouchi looks like almost any skateboarder, except for an accessory. The young man uses a cane. “Jido” lost almost 95% of his sight to a disease called retinitis pigmentosa. This does not prevent him from being a regular at the Tokorozawa skate park north of Tokyo. His technique is well established. He puts down his board, climbs on it and pushes with his cane in front. He slides it from side to side to avoid obstacles.

It is not easy to enter this sport where the risk of injury is already numerous. Ouchi must carefully study the site where he trains before starting. He follows the start of the Olympics closely and hopes blind skateboarding will one day become a Paralympic sport.