Wheelchair racer Sato not satisfied with silver; eyes on next goal after loss to younger rival in Paris

PARIS — Paralympian Tomoki Sato trained hard to improve his starting skills in order to win the men’s 400-meter wheelchair race at the Paris Paralympic Games. The 34-year-old threw all his technique and strength into a race that ran under 60 seconds, but could not beat Maxime Carabin, a 23-year-old rising star from Belgium.

“The result was the only thing that mattered,” Sato said, accepting defeat, adding: “It’s just super humiliating.”

Sato won the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics without any rivals in sight. Last year, however, Carabin suddenly appeared on the scene. At the World Championships in Paris last July, the Belgian rewrote the then world record right before Sato’s eyes. In May, Carabin beat Sato by more than four seconds at the World Championships in Kobe.

Since last year, Sato has been training under a Dutch coach. The Paralympian has been looking at his form so that he can move his wheels faster and more efficiently. He has also been striving to improve his racing wheelchair, his partner in the competition.

During Friday’s race, Sato was able to show his progress by not falling behind at the start and keeping the time difference at around one second at the end.

Japanese Paralympians used to dominate the wheelchair race in this category for people with severe physical disabilities due to the high technological level of their wheelchairs.

Even though Sato won silver and his 61-year-old compatriot Tomoya Ito took bronze, he was still not satisfied as a top rider.

“I will definitely [the gold] “Next time,” said Sato, clearly setting his next goal.