Japan claimed its first-ever Paralympic gold medal in wheelchair rugby on Monday, defeating the United States 48-41 in Paris. The victory at Champ-de-Mars Arena marked a significant milestone for the nation, which had previously earned bronze in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2021 Tokyo Games.
In the mixed-gender wheelchair rugby final, Japan led 24-23 at halftime and extended their lead in the third and fourth quarters. Katsuya Hashimoto was the top scorer for Japan with 19 tries, supported by Yukinobu Ike, who added 16. For the United States, Chuck Aoki and Sarah Adam both scored 14 points.
Japan’s success continued on the badminton court, where Daiki Kajiwara defended his men’s wheelchair badminton WH2 singles title. He dominated the final, defeating Hong Kong’s Chan Ho-yuen 21-10, 21-10. Sarina Satomi also triumphed in badminton, securing her second consecutive Paralympic gold by overcoming Thailand’s Sujirat Pookkham 18-21, 21-13, 21-18 in the women’s wheelchair singles WH1 event.
In athletics, Keiko Onidani made a strong debut by winning silver in the women’s seated discus throw F53 class. Onidani set a new Asian record with a throw of 15.78 meters, finishing behind Brazil’s Elizabeth Rodrigues Gomes, who claimed gold with a Paralympic record of 17.37 meters. Ukrainian Zoia Ovsii took the bronze.
In swimming, Naohide Yamaguchi, the world record holder and Tokyo Games gold medalist, added a bronze to Japan’s tally in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke SB14 category, finishing with a time of 1 minute, 4.94 seconds. Canada’s Nicholas Bennett won the event in 1:03.98, while Australian Jake Michel earned silver with a time of 1:04.27.
