Paris Paralympic gold medalist Shi Yijie is the focus of the tenth episode of the second season of Changsha’s youth role model radio drama series, titled “The Sound of ‘Ippon’ in the Dark,” which launched on October 16, 2026, as part of the Changsha Literary and Artistic Creation Support Project.
Childhood Onset of Vision Loss and Entry into Changsha Judo
Born in 2000 into a coal-mining family in Yongxing County, Chenzhou, Shi Yijie experienced a rapid decline in vision at age 10 and lost her sight entirely by age 13 in Changsha. Her mother brought her to blind judo coach Li Yuehua, leading to her enrollment in the Changsha Blind Judo Team. Initially faced with an unfamiliar environment and intense training regimens, Shi considered withdrawing before her coaches and teammates helped her adapt and commit to the sport.
Daily Training Routine and National and International Titles
Blind judo relies heavily on tactile judgment and physical perception, requiring athletes to sense opponents’ positioning and movement through close contact. Shi and her teammates began daily training sessions at 6:00 a.m., often logging more than six hours of practice and sparring with male teammates to build strength and technique. Her career progression includes winning the women’s 63kg division gold at the 10th National Games of Persons with Disabilities in 2019, the women’s 57kg title at the 11th National Games in 2021, and success at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
Paralympic Victory in Paris and the Meaning of ‘Ippon’
At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Shi competed in the women’s J1-57kg division, defeating her American opponent 11–0 in the final to claim the gold medal, the first earned by a Changsha athlete at those Games. The victory earned her a Merit Citation Class I from the People’s Government of Hunan Province. Reflecting on her career, Shi stated that she could not see her opponents but could hear the sound of her own victory, adding that while her eyes were dark, her heart held light.
