It's an Olympic journey they were destined to make together.
But neither Kai Sakakibara or his sister Saya could have known that shared dream would leave one of them fighting for their life while the other prayed for their recovery.
The reason Tokyo meant so much to them wasn't just the shot at Olympic glory. Born to a Japanese mother and British father on the Gold Coast, the siblings moved to Tokyo when Saya was just one year old and Kai was four.
Kai and Saya about to have a training session in 2017. Source: John Baldock - SBS
The family spent the next six years there and it is also where both siblings discovered the joy of riding bicycles.
Those ties meant Tokyo was always going to be huge for them on many levels. Then in February last year, Kai's Olympic dreams ended when he crashed heavily at a World Cup race in Bathurst. A traumatic brain injury left him fighting for his life as he lay in an induced coma for several weeks.
Thankfully Kai survived but his road to recovery is ongoing. He's had to learn how to walk and talk again but thanks to an invitation to carry the Parlaympic torch he's found a way to be in Japan to watch his sister race.
Speaking from quarantine this week in Tokyo where he and his mother have begun their Olympic odyssey, he told SBS News that getting the chance to watch Saya compete is wonderful.
"The fact she's holding that dream and she's going to represent both of us I think is awesome. I just can't wait to see it."
He won't be able to watch from the stands due to the ban of spectators, but being as physically close as he can be is important to him.
His younger sister Saya will depart her Gold Coast training base for Tokyo next week but she says although she made the right decision to keep competing, she still misses him.
Kai Sakakibara exercises to stay fit in lockdown. The electric attachment device helps to stimulate different muscle groups to help him. Source: Supplied
"It was definitely hard just to go through the daily grind by myself now when we had those years of training, resting, travelling everything together as a team or Kai and I.
"And for that to be taken away so quickly and it was definitely a hard shift; and it was definitely hard to get used to. It's something that I still struggle with."
To receive the offer to carry the Paralympic torch in Fuchu, 20 kilometres to the west of Tokyo, was one thing to look forward to. Being physically able to complete the task is something Kai says has given him a huge boost on his road to recovery.
"The fact that I'm here is one thing, but being able to carry this torch for the Paralympics is another awesome achievement."
Their proud father Martin will be watching his son and daughter's big moment from back home in Sydney.
Mother Yuki says the dedication both children have shown has been wonderful to witness.
"(I'm) very proud of both Kai and Saya. They were searching for the same goal before, now it's a little bit different," she told SBS News.
"But their attitude to achieve their goal is still the same. They put 100 per cent - sometimes 110 percent - of their effort into their work to achieve their goals, so I'm so proud of that."
Before qualifying for the Australian team, Saya had won multiple NSW and National titles. Likewise Kai was even more successful winning two Oceania titles. In 2019, the pair stood on top of the podium at the Oceania titles.
Kai's life-changing injures haven't been made any easier to deal with for his family due to added restrictions during the pandemic. Only one family member at a time can visit him at Sydney's Liverpool Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit where he has spent the last few months.
Martin and Yuki have had to alternate their visits to make sure someone is with him every day.
Saya gets there when she can as she is rarely in Sydney due to her training and hectic competition schedule that included a trip to France earlier this year.
Saya says although his injury is the last thing she wanted to happen, in some ways it has driven her harder to make sure her Tokyo Olympic experience is as successful as it can be.
"It was my kind of way to get away and really focus on making it to the Olympics as Kai can’t make it. It was going to be for the both of us - and I kind of poured my heart and soul into making sure I’m doing everything I can to get there."
And Kai couldn't be happier his sister has a chance to get the success he was denied.
"The fact that she is holding that dream and she is going now to represent both of us.... I think it is awesome and I just can't wait to see it."
Kai and his mother Yuki will leave quarantine on 26 July, three days before Saya competes in the quarter finals in Tokyo.
They will watch the action unfold from his grandmother's house in Fuchu. That same day Kai will also celebrate his 25th birthday. When he carries the Paralympic torch on 23 August, Saya will turn 22.
