Yasuhiro Yamashita, the legendary Los Angeles Olympic judo gold medalist, faces life from a wheelchair following a severe accident, according to a published report. The 69-year-old suffered a cervical spinal cord injury after falling nearly two meters into a rocky hot spring slope during a day trip to Hakone with his family.
The Hakone Hot Spring Accident
The incident occurred on October 29, 2023. Yamashita was relaxing in a rock bath at a Hakone hot spring with his second son when he stood up and suddenly lost consciousness, according to the report. Weighing 108 kilograms at the time, he tumbled headfirst down a steep two-meter drop surrounding the outdoor bath.
A nearby bather rushed over to call out to him. Yamashita recalled finding himself on the steep slope with his head down and both legs pointing upward, completely immobile. As he was carried to an ambulance on a stretcher, he noticed his limbs hanging limply and immediately realized his nerves were severed.
Doctors diagnosed him with a cervical spine fracture and a cervical spinal cord injury, a severe trauma that disrupts brain signals to the limbs. Yamashita was rushed to the intensive care unit, where surgeons performed a major operation to shave a piece of his iliac bone and graft it onto his neck.
Recovery Sustained by Midori’s Words
Yamashita noted that his recovery and current outlook were profoundly shaped by his wife's encouragement during his darkest moments in the hospital. Confronted with the reality of paralysis, he drew strength from Midori's reminder that having life means being kept alive for a purpose.
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