Suzuki Grabs Bronze in Men’s Wheelchair Marathon; First Medal in the T54 Class in 16 Years

The Yomiuri Shimbun

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, clocking one hour 31 minutes 23 seconds to win his first Paralympic medal, 3:44 behind winner Marcel Hug of Switzerland.

Suzuki’s bronze is Japan’s first medal for the class — men’s marathon T54 class for physical impairment — in 16 years since Hiroki Sasahara won silver in the 2008 Beijing Games.

“I’m so happy to win the race,” Suzuki said. “I pushed myself until the end. I’m happy to leave my name, given by my parents, in the history [of the Paralympics].”

Suzuki was third for most of the marathon while Hug maintained the top position for the entire race, leading to his third consecutive Paralympic gold for the event. In the second half, Suzuki narrowed the gap between himself and China’s Jin Hua, who went on to win silver.

Suzuki overtook Jin at the 35-km mark and stayed ahead of him at 40-km. However, Jin took over after the 40-km mark to finish second at 1:31.19.

A native of Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, Suzuki became disabled in both legs due to a traffic accident when he was 8 months old. He started to compete in para athletics when he was an elementary school fifth grader.

At Tokyo in 2021, Suzuki won bronze in universal relay. Also in the Paris Games, he finished seventh in the 1,500-meter wheelchair race.