WomensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex & Love
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Women In Sport
  • Podcasts
  • Video
WomensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex & Love
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Women In Sport
  • Podcasts
  • Video
This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack
Watch 0:23

This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack

{headline}

{headline}

Nike Creates Range Of Shoes For Medical Workers

Nike Creates Range Of Shoes For Medical Workers

4 Reasons Why Sam Kerr Is Changing The Game For Women In Sport

4 Reasons Why Sam Kerr Is Changing The Game For Women In Sport

This Is The Top-Selling Sneaker On The Planet Right Now

This Is The Top-Selling Sneaker On The Planet Right Now

4 Running Drills You Should Be Doing

4 Running Drills You Should Be Doing

{headline}

{headline}

Have You Been Pronouncing "Nike" Wrong Your Whole Life?

Have You Been Pronouncing "Nike" Wrong Your Whole Life?

Serena Williams' TikTok Workout Will Have You Sweating In Seconds

Serena Williams' TikTok Workout Will Have You Sweating In Seconds

Australia And NZ Confirmed To Host 2023 Women's World Cup

Australia And NZ Confirmed To Host 2023 Women's World Cup

{headline}

{headline}

These Training Tips From CrossFit Champ Tia-Clair Toomey Will Level Up Your Fitness

These Training Tips From CrossFit Champ Tia-Clair Toomey Will Level Up Your Fitness

Watch Aussie Laura Macaulay Become The First Woman To Ever Surf 'The Right'

Watch Aussie Laura Macaulay Become The First Woman To Ever Surf 'The Right'

This Is The Only Foundation Serena Williams Will Use

This Is The Only Foundation Serena Williams Will Use

Simone Biles Just Pulled Off A Gymnastics Move That’s Never Actually Been Done Before

Simone Biles Just Pulled Off A Gymnastics Move That’s Never Actually Been Done Before

FIFA Backs Australia And New Zealand As Co-Hosts For 2023 Women’s World Cup

FIFA Backs Australia And New Zealand As Co-Hosts For 2023 Women’s World Cup

Why Laura Enever Walked Away From Pro Surfing To Conquer The Big Waves As A Freesurfer

Why Laura Enever Walked Away From Pro Surfing To Conquer The Big Waves As A Freesurfer

Moana Hope And Her Wife Isabella Carlstrom Are Expecting Their First Baby

Moana Hope And Her Wife Isabella Carlstrom Are Expecting Their First Baby

  1. Home
  2. Women In Sport

This Paralympian Wants To Show You Prosthetics Are Beautiful

Drake and Rosalía see it. - by Lizza Gebilagin
  • 14 Feb 2020
This Paralympian Wants To Show You Prosthetics Are Beautiful
Getty and Nike

It’s not every day you’ll find Maya Nakanishi on the runway. Or in New York. Or modelling the latest Nike threads that athletes we’ll be wearing at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Oh, and with Drake, Rosalía and Virgil Abloh casually sitting in the front row.

Edward Enninful, Virgil Abloh, Rosalia, Drake, John Donahoe and Gabby Douglas attend the 2020 Tokyo Olympic collection fashion show at The Shed on February 05, 2020 in New York City
Getty Images

You’ll usually find Maya on the long jump runway. But the fashion kind is where we caught up with the 34-year-old Paralympian last week at the Nike 2020 Forum in NYC.

She was one of a group of athletes from a diverse range of sports, nationalities and abilities to hit the stage with models and dancers, as Nike launched new collections focused on performance and sustainability.

Nike Forum 2020 athletes in New York
Supplied by Nike

It was a massive opportunity for the Nike sponsored athlete, whose list of accomplishments include winning gold for the long jump T64 at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai last November. Because, ever since she had her right leg amputated below the knee after a steel frame collapsed on her at work in 2005, she’s wanted to change perceptions.

“It’s very tough in Japan,” she said. “Everybody feels like we [people with disabilities] can’t do anything.”

Before the accident, Maya was an elite tennis player with aspirations to become number one. When she tried playing tennis after the accident, she found that she was treated differently.

“Everybody was just playing me like [they were] playing with the kids,” she recalled. “That's why I changed my sport to track-and-field.”

Maya quickly discovered she had a gift for track, setting new records in the 100m and 200m sprints in Japan within the first year of competing.

Maya Nakanishi competing in the Long Jump T64 World Para Athletics Championships
Getty Images

She decided to channel the drive she previously had for tennis into her new sport.

“I already had a dream. I really wanted to be the top tennis player in Japan. That helped me,” she said.

“I mean, I just lost my leg. I didn’t lose my heart.”

And just like she did in New York on the Nike Forum 2020 runway, she always makes a concerted effort to proudly show her prosthetic.  

“In Japan, if you have a prosthetic on like me, it’s [seen as] a negative, right? But I try to wear shorts or skirts to show how beautiful is it. Then everybody gets interested. When I walk around town, everybody's asking me, ‘Why do you wear that?’ Especially the kids, [they] ask me, ‘Oh my God, it's a cool leg! Hey, how can I do that?’”

Maya laughed, then explained she tells them, “No, no, no, no. You can’t get it!”

Follow Maya’s Paralympic journey here and check out Nike for more on their Tokyo apparel.

Lizza Gebilagin
Lizza Gebilagin
Lizza Gebilagin is Women's Health deputy editor by day and boxer by night (and early morning). Prior to joining the team, she was deputy editor of body+soul, Cleo and Dolly magazines. She's also represented the NSW state boxing team at national level competitions and is currently completing her Certificate III in Fitness.

Subscribe Now-6 Issues just $39

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Subscribe Now-6 Issues just $39

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Recommended to you

This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack
Watch 0:23

This Simple, Effective Ab Workout Will Shred Your Six-Pack

{headline}

{headline}

Nike Creates Range Of Shoes For Medical Workers

Nike Creates Range Of Shoes For Medical Workers

4 Reasons Why Sam Kerr Is Changing The Game For Women In Sport

4 Reasons Why Sam Kerr Is Changing The Game For Women In Sport

This Is The Top-Selling Sneaker On The Planet Right Now

This Is The Top-Selling Sneaker On The Planet Right Now

4 Running Drills You Should Be Doing

4 Running Drills You Should Be Doing

{headline}

{headline}

Have You Been Pronouncing "Nike" Wrong Your Whole Life?

Have You Been Pronouncing "Nike" Wrong Your Whole Life?

Serena Williams' TikTok Workout Will Have You Sweating In Seconds

Serena Williams' TikTok Workout Will Have You Sweating In Seconds

Australia And NZ Confirmed To Host 2023 Women's World Cup

Australia And NZ Confirmed To Host 2023 Women's World Cup

{headline}

{headline}

These Training Tips From CrossFit Champ Tia-Clair Toomey Will Level Up Your Fitness

These Training Tips From CrossFit Champ Tia-Clair Toomey Will Level Up Your Fitness

Watch Aussie Laura Macaulay Become The First Woman To Ever Surf 'The Right'

Watch Aussie Laura Macaulay Become The First Woman To Ever Surf 'The Right'

This Is The Only Foundation Serena Williams Will Use

This Is The Only Foundation Serena Williams Will Use

Simone Biles Just Pulled Off A Gymnastics Move That’s Never Actually Been Done Before

Simone Biles Just Pulled Off A Gymnastics Move That’s Never Actually Been Done Before

FIFA Backs Australia And New Zealand As Co-Hosts For 2023 Women’s World Cup

FIFA Backs Australia And New Zealand As Co-Hosts For 2023 Women’s World Cup

Why Laura Enever Walked Away From Pro Surfing To Conquer The Big Waves As A Freesurfer

Why Laura Enever Walked Away From Pro Surfing To Conquer The Big Waves As A Freesurfer

Moana Hope And Her Wife Isabella Carlstrom Are Expecting Their First Baby

Moana Hope And Her Wife Isabella Carlstrom Are Expecting Their First Baby

WomensHealth
  • About Paragon Media
  • Contact Paragon Media
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • About Paragon Media
  • Contact Paragon Media
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

Brands

Our Network

  • Paragon Media Pty Ltd
  • Men’s Health
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe Now-6 Issues just $39

Shop This Offer
Subscribe Now