Japan aims for record medal haul at Paris Paralympics
Source: – Kyodo News+
Japan is aiming for a record-high medal haul in the Paralympics kicking off Wednesday in Paris, looking to surpass the 52 it won in 2004 in Athens.
Among medal hopefuls is 18-year-old wheelchair tennis sensation Tokito Oda. The world No. 2, with four Grand Slam singles titles under his belt, is tipped as a favorite to win gold.
Japan won 13 gold medals in 2021 in Tokyo. Although wheelchair tennis great Shingo Kunieda retired last year, high hopes are pinned on the performances of 10 powerhouse house athletes in Paris.
File photo shows Japanese wheelchair tennis player Tokito Oda practicing in the French capital on Aug. 26, 2024, ahead of the Paralympics set to open in Paris. (Kyodo)
Among them are swimmer Naohide Yamaguchi, who has an intellectual disability and will compete in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke, and Sarina Satomi, who competes in women’s wheelchair badminton singles. Both are considered frontrunners for gold.
Keiko Sugiura, 53, who won two para cycling gold medals in Tokyo, aims to add to her collection as well as extend her record as Japan’s oldest gold medalist.
Wheelchair racer Tomoki Sato, who took two golds in Tokyo, is also gearing up to continue his Paralympic streak in the French capital and come out on top in the men’s T52 400-meter race.
Japan has sent 175 athletes, its largest overseas Paralympics team ever, joining the ranks of some 4,400 athletes from a record 168 delegations.
Russia has been excluded from the games over its invasion of Ukraine, as has Moscow ally Belarus, although 96 of their athletes have been permitted to compete as neutrals.
The Paralympics, running through Sept. 8, will feature 549 medal events in 22 sports.
As Paris prepares to host its first Paralympics, organizers have promised a dazzling opening ceremony employing the Champs-Elysees and the Place de la Concorde in the heart of the city.
Like July’s Olympic opening ceremony boat parade down the Seine and in keeping with the theme of a “games wide open,” the Paralympic opening ceremony will also be held outside a conventional stadium, with traffic restrictions in place ahead of the event.
Organizers say more than 2 million tickets have been sold for the world’s largest sporting event for people with disabilities.
Speaking at a press conference, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons boasted that the Paris games will be the most “spectacular games ever.”
Related coverage:
Tennis: Tokito Oda wins 2nd straight French Open wheelchair title
Tennis: Kunieda looks to spark wheelchair tennis revolution
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