【Report】Press Conference (Para Athletes)

A press conference was held for the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2025 at the Japan National Stadium on Friday, October 17, 2025, two days before the race. This is the fourth time the race will be held, and 7 invited para-athletes were in attendance.

There are three invited para-athletes in the wheelchair T53/T54 men’s field. Tomoki Suzuki (Toyota Motor) who has won this event three consecutive times shared his motivation. “I raced in the Chicago Marathon last Sunday and placed third. I hope to race to the end and set a new course record, so that I can give courage to children with disabilities.” Ryota Yoshida (SUS) who placed third last year set his sights. “I also participated in the Chicago Marathon (finished seventh) as preparation for this race. I hope to be able to race on par with Suzuki on Sunday.” Hiroki Kishizawa (Hitachi Solutions) participated in this event for the first time last year placing second. He shared with determination. “I was in India two weeks ago representing Japan at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships 2025 and participated in two track events. I was only able to keep up with Suzuki for the first 5km last year, so I hope to compete for a longer distance this year.”

As for his reason for participating in this event, Suzuki shared, “I hope that a lot of media will cover the event, so that articles are read by children with disabilities around the nation, encouraging them to try track and field or other para-sports.” Yoshida nodded in agreement. “This is a tough course with lots of hills. Being able to participate in this event which was started as a legacy for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, an event I was working toward, is quite significant.” Kishizawa spoke about the importance of this event. “For athletes like me who don’t have much experience, it’s important to participate in as many events as possible. There aren’t many events on the track (in October), so this event can be a test run for a full marathon.”

There are also three para-athletes in the wheelchair T53/T54 women’s field. Wakako Tsuchida (will raise) is hoping for a consecutive win. “I still have the energy to race. This will be my first race since the London Marathon in April, and I also have a new racer, so I feel like I’m starting fresh. I will participate with the mentality of a challenger.” Tsubasa Nakamine (Misato Swimming School) placed second last year and hopes to take back the win from two years ago. She commented with a smile. “To be honest, my condition fluctuates day to day. But I hope to give it my all and race through the city of Tokyo.” Third place finisher from last year, Kazumi Takimura (Japan Oracle) shared her determination. “My last track event was in June, and I spent the hot summer training at the athletics stadium. I hope to show the results of my training at this event. As for my target time, I definitely want to race under 1 hour, my target time from last year that I wasn’t able to achieve.”

When asked about the significance of this event, Tsuchida replied. “October is an opportunity to see the results of the summer training and understand one’s condition at the start of the marathon season.” Nakamine commented “The timing is good. There are events from the end of August through September, and this event is an opportunity to check the adjustments that I’ve been making over the past month based on the issues that were raised at those events.” Takimura added “There are few opportunities to race through Tokyo, so I want to really enjoy it.”

Wheelchair Race Director Masazumi Soejima shared his anticipation for an exciting wheelchair race. “For both the men and women, the first 5km will be a major point with the uphill followed by the downhill. It will be difficult to catch up in the second half on this course, so it should be a great race if they can build up speed in the first part of the race, especially if each athlete is able to give it their best.”

There is one more invited para-athlete. Yutaka Kumagai (Mitsui Direct General Insurance) who won with a world record in the T12 division last year, will be competing in the vision impairment T11/T12 men’s field. He has participated in all three events consecutively, improving his placement from third to second to first each year, and it will be his fourth time this year. He shared his goal with enthusiasm. “I’m aiming to win again this year and also set a personal best so that I can strive for more.” When asked about this event, he replied. “This event allows people with disabilities to not only participate but also compete against the general entry runners. I participate in hopes that I can encourage others with disabilities and perhaps motivate them to run with us.”

Manabu Suzuki of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation Race Director Division shared his prospects for the para-athlete division. “I hope that Kumagai can set a new world record like last year.” He also shared his expectations for newcomers Kosuke Oishi and last year’s T11/T12 women’s second place finisher Manami Waki and Chika Nishimura . There are also two para-athletes competing in the hearing impairment T00 division with Takuro Aoyama and Makiko Yasumoto. “Both athletes will be representing Japan in the Deaflympics which will be held in Tokyo this November. We hope this event will get them off to a good start.”

The wheelchair division will start at 8:00 a.m. JST on Sunday, October 19, 2025, while the vision impairment, hearing impairment and general entry runners will start at 8:05 a.m. There are many athletes with various disabilities participating in this event, aside from the invited athletes, and we ask everyone to cheer them on as they take on this bold challenge.