Japan Finishes the Paris Paralympics with 41 Medals

Japan finished the 2024 Paris Paralympics with 41 medals: 14 gold, 10 silver, and 17 bronze. A total of 175 Japanese athletes took part in the games. Although the team fell short of  the record 52 it took home from the 2004 games in Athens, it surpassed the 13 gold medals won in Tokyo in 2021.

Athletes took advantage of the new training venue, the Ajinomoto National Training Center in Tokyo constructed in 2019, to prepare themselves for the Paris Paralympics, demonstrating a positive legacy of the Tokyo Games.

Among Japan’s notable performers, Suzuki Takayuki won four medals in swimming in his sixth appearance in the games. Kimura Keiichi, another veteran swimmer, won two gold medals. However, Sugiura Keiko stood out most for her sporting longevity, extending her record as Japan’s oldest Paralympics gold medalist by winning the women’s cycling road race event at the age of 53.

Meanwhile, in wheelchair tennis, Oda Tokito emerged as a new star following the retirement of legend Kunieda Shingo. The 18-year-old won the men’s singles gold medal in his first appearance at the Paralympics. Kamiji Yui took gold in the women’s singles tournament and the women’s doubles tournament with Tanaka Manami.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Kamiji Yui, who won a gold medal in both the women’s singles and doubles competitions. © Reuters.)