Japanese Kenyan Karasawa, fourth from left, competes in the men’s T11 5,000 meters on the opening day of the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe on Friday.
15:32 JST, May 17, 2024
KOBE – Host nation Japan wasted little time in securing its first medal as the World Para-athletics Championships, which serve as a Paris Paralympic Games qualifier for Japanese athletes, kicked off in Kobe on Friday.
Tokyo Paralympic silver medalist Kenya Karasawa won the bronze medal in the men’s 5,000 meters in the T11 classification for the visually impaired in the morning session at the Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium with a victory in 15 minutes and 3.25 seconds.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 2021 but postponed twice due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held in East Asia for the first time. It runs until May 25.
More than 1,000 para-athletes from around 100 countries and regions will take part in the competition with 168 gold medals at stake, with Japan fielding its largest-ever roster with 66 competitors.
For Japan, competitors who finish in the top two of their event will earn tickets to the Paris Paralympic Games, joining those who finished in the top four at last year’s championships in Paris.
