Tomoki Suzuki will compete in the men’s wheelchair marathon at the Paralympic Games in Paris on Sunday.
19:02 JST, September 8, 2024
PARIS — Japan’s Tomoki Suzuki won bronze in the men’s wheelchair marathon at the Paris Paralympic Games on Sunday. He ran a time of 1 hour, 31 minutes and 23 seconds to win his first medal at the Paralympic Games. He is 3:44 behind winner Marcel Hug of Switzerland.
Suzuki’s bronze is Japan’s first medal for this class (marathon T54 class for men with physical disabilities) in 16 years since Hiroki Sasahara won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“I’m so happy to have won the race,” said Suzuki. “I pushed myself until the end. I’m happy to leave my name, which I got from my parents, in history [of the Paralympics].”
Suzuki was third for most of the marathon, while Hug held the top position throughout the race, leading to his third consecutive Paralympic gold in the event. In the second half, Suzuki closed the gap between himself and China’s Jin Hua, who won silver.
Suzuki overtook Jin at the 35 km mark and held on to beat him at the 40 km mark. However, Jin took over after the 40 km mark and finished second in 1:31.19.
Born in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, Suzuki was left disabled in both legs in a traffic accident when he was 8 months old. He began para-athletics in the fifth grade of elementary school.
In Tokyo 2021, Suzuki won bronze in the universal relay. He also finished seventh in the 1,500-meter wheelchair race at the Paris Games.
