Paralympics: Japan top United States to win 1st wheelchair rugby gold
Source: The Mainichi
PARIS (Kyodo) — Japan’s wheelchair rugby team clinched Paralympic gold for the first time on Monday after defeating the United States 48-41 at the Paris Games.
The Tokyo Games bronze medalists were facing off against the Americans for a second time in France after beating them by three points in the preliminaries on Friday.
“With the practice I’ve been putting in since the Tokyo Games to become a key player, I feel I helped contribute to Japan’s victory, and I know now I was on the right path,” star Japanese player Katsuya Hashimoto said after the win.
The Americans drew first blood at Champ-de-Mars Arena in the French capital, with Chuck Aoki smashing through Japan’s defenses after just 16 seconds to score his first of 14 tries, an equal team-high total with Paralympic newcomer Sarah Adam.
Japan finally seemed to get the upper hand shortly before halftime, when a steal by Hashimoto led to a try that put his team into the lead for the first time.
From there, Japan gradually widened the margin with Hashimoto and teammate Yukinobu Ike scoring the majority of points. Hashimoto finished with a game-high 19 tries and Ike added 16.
Meanwhile, the team’s only female player, Kae Kurahashi, held down the defense by using her smaller frame to her advantage to wedge herself between the Americans when on breakaways.
After building a sufficient buffer, Japan took full control of the match with a number of assists out wide to Hashimoto, allowing the 22-year-old to stall for time before crossing the try line.
The crowd was ecstatic at the final buzzer as Japan won the gold medal that had long eluded them. The United States’ silver medal means the team continued its record of reaching the podium at every Paralympic Games since the sport was introduced in 2000.
Nicknamed “murder ball” for the way players violently crash into each other with their wheelchairs, Japan have steadily climbed the ranks in wheelchair rugby since their Paralympic debut in Athens 2004, when they finished seventh.
They won back-to-back bronze medals in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo before finally getting over the hump in Paris.
“I feel as though I’ve fulfilled the wishes of everybody involved in rugby in this moment,” Ike said. “When I get back to Japan I want to thank all the people that have supported us,” he added while wearing his medal.
The original article: belongs to The Mainichi .
