When Hibiki Toyosaki started swimming at around age 5, he was afraid to dip his face in the water. Now 16, his life centers around the sport as he practices almost every day for national competitions and dreams of competing in the Paralympics.
Diagnosed with an intellectual impairment at an early age, Toyosaki has been patiently coached by instructors at a swimming club in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, where the primary focus is on what he can do rather than what he cannot.
He is fortunate that his hometown has a club that offers programs for people with disabilities, something that can't be said of many local swimming clubs around Japan.