【Report】Para Athlete (Wheelchair) Race

The third Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2024 kicked off with the wheelchair race at 8:00 am (JST). It was raining with a temperature of 18.9 Degrees Celsius and humidity at 52.7%.

12 men participated in the T53/T54 (wheelchair) with Tomoki Suzuki (Toyota Motors), who won a bronze medal in the marathon (T53/T54) at the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, crossing the finish line at 43:57 for his third consecutive win. He led the pack from the very beginning and raced solely around the 8km mark, finishing more than 2 minutes ahead of second place. “I’m disappointed that I couldn’t break the course record (42:19), but I’m proud to have raced through to the end. I felt the legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games was present throughout the race. The support from the spectators was incredible, and even the general runners cheered and clapped as I passed by. It was a race that left me feeling truly uplifted.”

Suzuki did a good race to win his first bronze medal at the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024 about a month and a half ago, and placed third at the Chicago Marathon just before this race. Although, he is planning to participate in three upcoming marathon events. When asked about his proactive race schedule, he shared his desire to pass on the power of sport to the next generation. “I think you get more attention after becoming a Paralympic medalist. By proactively participating in many events, I believe I can be more visible to children in wheelchairs, and perhaps inspire them to start track and field or whatever a sport!

Hiroki Kishizawa (Hitachi Solutions) placed second with a time of 46:01. He shared his disappointment but also declared his commitment to developing further. “I had my mark on Paralympic medalist Suzuki and wanted to see how long I could keep up with him. The winds were strong, and the rain bothered me, and I fell behind before the 10km point, so I still have some work to do.”

Ryota Yoshida (SUS) placed third at 47:20. Having taken a longer break after placing eighth at the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024. He shared his reaction as well as his prospects in preparing for his next global challenge. “I raced well despite not being able to practice very much. I will work on my physical condition by training with weights.”

In the women’s field, Wakako Tsuchida (willraise), who placed sixth at the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, finished at 53:43 for her second win since the first event. Tsubasa Kina (Ryukyu Sport Support) placed second at 55:49 with Kazumi Takimura (Oracle Corporation Japan) placing third with a time of 1:00:51.

Tsuchida commented with a smile. “This was my first race since the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, but my condition was good, and I started this race hoping to run well. The course conditions were good despite the unexpected weather with the rain right after the start and strong winds, so I was able to enjoy racing to the end. However, I’m not satisfied with my finish time, I enjoy the race in extraordinary Tokyo’s sight and got a lot of energy from the spectators.”

Kina reflected on the race. “I started good but couldn’t pick up speed on the slight downhill and Tsuchida gradually pulled away. I bit disappointed but it was a good race overall to appreciate the joy of racing because all the encouragement from the runners, and spectators calling out my name.”

While both Tsuchida and Kina have declared that the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024 will be their last Paralympics challenge, they both hope to expand the number of Japanese wheelchair women athletes. They also expressed their plans to run the races held in Japan and express the fun of wheelchair racing.

Race Director Masazumi Soejima shared his thoughts on the race. “I’m glad the race finished without incident even though the rain and wind impacted the times. As anticipated, Suzuki used his momentum to win, but Kishizawa kept up with Suzuki up to the 8km , and Yoshida has built up his confidence after participating in the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024. I look forward to their performance on the global stage.” About the women’s field where only three wheelchair athletes participated.”he commented about wanting to increase the number of wheelchair athletes. “We will proactively communicate the appeal of the sport, working side-by-side with the wheelchair athletes.”