At the age of 21, Motohashi was diagnosed as having atrophy of the optic nerve.

He first competed in the 1992 Summer Paralympics, where he ran in the marathon, finishing in 6th place,[2] and won a bronze medal in the high jump.

In the 2000 Summer Paralympics, he moved over to cycling, but failed to win any medals despite competing in four different events.

[3] From 1996, Motohashi worked as an assistant teacher at the Yamagata School for the Blind [ja].

[1][4][5] In the early hours of 15 April 2008, Motohashi was arrested for assault after punching a restaurant worker in the face in Yamagata while under the influence of alcohol.