For the first time ever, Japan are the wheelchair rugby Paralympic champions. On Monday, they defeated the U.S. 48-41 in a tense final at the Champs de Mars Arena to claim gold. It’s their third successive medal in the sport after third-place finishes in Rio and Tokyo. Katsuya Hashimoto, 22, led the scoreboard with 19 tries, while captain Yukinobu Ike, 44, went over the line 16 times. After receiving his medal, Ike held it towards the sky. It was his way of dedicating the victory to his three friends who died in an accident when he was 19. Ike’s leg was amputated following the accident.
For Daisuke Ikezaki, playing in his fourth Paralympics, the triumph makes up for the disappointment of missing out on gold in Tokyo. “We made wheelchair rugby history in Rio by winning our first Paralympic medal,” he said. “From there, we tried to grow the popularity of the sport while preparing for our home Games. We wanted to achieve the best results, especially for people struggling with COVID. We weren’t able to do that in the end and felt disappointed. From there, we were able to finally turn another page in wheelchair rugby history. We can’t ask for more — this is the best result.”
Kae Kurahashi Becomes Second Woman To Win Wheelchair Rugby Gold
Ikezaki’s teammate Kae Kurahashi became only the second woman to win a gold in wheelchair rugby. The first was Great Britain’s Kylie Grymes in Tokyo three years ago. “In Japan we still don’t have so many female players, so I hope more people will get to know about the sport and think they want to try it out,” she said after the final. There were five female players on the podium, including Sarah Adam who scored 14 tries for the U.S., who had to settle for silver for the second straight Games. Australia defeated Great Britain to claim the bronze.
Wheelchair Badminton Golds for Sarina Satomi and Daiki Kajiwara
Also on Monday, Sarina Satomi and Daiki Kajiwara both won individual golds in wheelchair badminton. Satomi defeated Thailand’s Sujirat Pookkham in the women’s singles WH1 final for her second consecutive gold in the event. Kajiwara also defended his crown in the men’s WH2 class. He beat Chan Ho Yuen from Hong Kong in straight sets. Team Japan now has five gold medals in total and currently sits 11th in the overall rankings. The other two came in the pool from Takayuki Suzuki in the men’s SB3 50-meter breaststroke and from Keiichi Kimura in the men’s S11 50-meter freestyle.
