Ikumi Fujii

Ikumi Fujii (born 2 November 1982) is a Japanese wheelchair basketball player. She is a member of the Japan women's national wheelchair basketball team, and her club Scratch. She plays as a forward. She competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Life

Fujii used to play able-bodied basketball as she did in third grade at primary school. When she was 15 years old at middle school she sustained an osteosarcoma and underwent surgery for a prosthetic knee replacement of her right leg. After the surgery she couldn't play basketball anymore. Encouraged by her teacher she started playing wheelchair basketball. When she was 19 years old she had ulcerative colitis and her entire colon had to be removed. When she was 20 years old, she started playing and competing at seriously in Yokohama. She made her debut for the national team in 2005. As Fujii was diagnosed with breast cancer she underwent surgery in September 2017 for the removal of her right breast. She became a member of the "All Star Five Player" at the Emperor's Cup in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She won with the team the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Para Games.

Fujii is married to wheelchair basketball player Shingo Fujii, who competed at the Paralympic Games in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. He is also assistant coach of the women's national team and so he also coaches Ikumi Fujii. They have a son since 2014 named Sora.