Tomoki_Suzuki_(athlete)

Tomoki Suzuki (athlete)

Tomoki Suzuki (athlete)

Japanese wheelchair racer (born 1994)

This article is about the racer. For the soccer player, see Tomoki Suzuki (footballer).

Tomoki Suzuki (Japanese: 鈴木 朋樹, born 14 June 1994) is a Japanese wheelchair racer, who won the 2020 and 2024 Tokyo Marathons, came second at the 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2023 Tokyo Marathons, and came third at the 2017 Tokyo, 2019 and 2023 London Marathons. Suzuki competed in multiple events at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, and won a bronze medal in the mixed 4 × 100 metres relay.

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Personal life

Suzuki was born on 14 June 1994 in Tateyama, Chiba, Japan.[1][2] At the age of eight months, Suzuki was involved in a car accident that left him with paraplegia.[3] He now lives in Tokyo.[3]

Career

Suzuki competed at the 2009 Asian Youth Para Games, whilst at middle school. Whilst in secondary school, he was coached by Paralympian Nobukazu Hanaoka.[2] He is now a member of Toyota athletics club.[2]

Suzuki came second at the 2015 Tokyo Marathon.[4] Suzuki's first senior world championships was the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar.[3] He did not qualify for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.[1][4] He finished second at the 2016 Oita International Wheelchair Marathon.[4] He came third at the 2017 Tokyo Marathon.[4] At the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, Suzuki, Sho Watanabe, Yuki Nishi, and Hitoshi Matsunaga won the 4 × 400 metres relay T53/T54 race, by virtue of being the only finishers.[5] He also came fifth in the 800 metres T54 event at the Championships.[4]

Suzuki came second at the 2018 Tokyo Marathon; he finished one second behind race winner Hiroyuki Yamamoto, in a time of 1:26:24.[6] In the same year, he finished second in the Oita International Wheelchair Marathon, one second behind winner Marcel Hug, and on the same time as third placed Yoo Byung-hoon.[7] He also finished sixth at the New York City Marathon in a time of 1:40:28.[8] Suzuki came third at the 2019 London Marathon, after breaking away from the main group alongside Daniel Romanchuk and Marcel Hug halfway through the race.[9] In doing so, he qualified for the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.[1][2]

Suzuki won the 2020 Tokyo Marathon, after forming an early group with Hiroki Nishida and Sho Watanabe, and then taking the lead 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) into the race.[10] His finishing time of 1:21:52 was a course record, and he won the race by eight minutes and eight seconds.[10][11] After the race, Suzuki said he was disappointed that more top athletes, including Marcel Hug, were unable to race due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] In December 2020, Suzuki was third in the Runner's World magazine World Para Male Athlete of the Year award, behind 2020 London Marathon winner Brent Lakatos, and David Weir, who came second at the 2020 London Marathon, and won the 400 metres event at the 2020 British Championships.[12] Suzuki also won the Australia Day Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Road Race in 2018,[13] 2019,[citation needed] and 2020.[14]

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Suzuki came ninth in the final of the 1500 metres T54 event.[15] He finished fourth in his heat of the 800 metres T54 event, and did not qualify for the final.[16] He was part of the Japanese team that came second in their mixed 4 × 100 metres relay heat,[17] and came third in the final.[18] He came seventh in the marathon T54 race.[19][20] Suzuki came second at the delayed 2021 Tokyo Marathon,[21] and the 2023 Tokyo Marathon.[22] He came third at the 2023 London Marathon.[23]

Suzuki won the 2024 Tokyo Marathon by over five minutes.[24]

References

  1. [1]
    "トラックとマラソンの二刀流" [Dual wield of truck and marathon]. Parasapo. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  2. [2]
    "東京パラリンピックでは二刀流で強豪と渡り合う！ 車いすランナー 鈴木朋樹" [At the Tokyo Paralympics, you can compete with powerful players in a dual wield style! Wheelchair runner Tomoki Suzuki]. Sports Navi. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2021 – via Yahoo Sports.
  3. [3]
    "Tomoki Suzuki". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  4. [4]
    "車いすランナー鈴木朋樹、進み始めた「東京への道」 パラ陸上世界選手権2017" [Wheelchair racer Tomoki Suzuki, "Road to Tokyo" Para Athletics World Championship 2017]. Kan Para Press. 21 July 2017. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  5. [5]
    "Men's 4 × 400 metres relay T53/T54" (PDF). Paralympic.org (pdf). International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  6. [6]
    "Fantastic five for Manuela Schaer in Tokyo". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. 25 February 2018. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  7. [7]
    "Oita International Wheelchair Marathon". All About Japan. 14 December 2018. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  8. [8]
    "Top 10 Finishers At The 2018 NYC Marathon". Women's Running. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  9. [9]
    "Rae Seals World Silver Success in London". British Athletics. 28 April 2019. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  10. [10]
    "Suzuki wins men's and Kina wins women's, both setting new course record! (Tokyo Marathon 2020 Wheelchair Marathon Race Report)". Tokyo Marathon. 3 March 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  11. [11]
    "Birhanu Legese wins Tokyo Marathon title as Suguru Osako sets new national record". The Japan Times. 1 March 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  12. [12]
    "Mondo Duplantis and Jemma Reekie among winners in AW Awards". Runner's World. 3 December 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  13. [13]
    "Madison De Rozario wins fourth GIO Oz Day 10k event in Sydney". The Daily Telegraph. 26 January 2018. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  14. [14]
    "Oz Day 10k wheelchair race steals hearts in Australia Day". Sky News Australia. 26 January 2020. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  15. [15]
    "Athletics - Men's 1500m - T54 - Final results" (PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  16. [16]
    "Athletics - Men's 800m - T54 - Heat 1 results" (PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  17. [17]
    "Athletics - 4x100m Universal Relay - Heat 2 results" (PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  18. [18]
    "Athletics - 4x100m Universal Relay - Final results" (PDF). Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  19. [19]
    "Athletics - Men's Marathon - T54 - Final Results". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  20. [20]
    "Athletics SUZUKI Tomoki". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  21. [21]
    "2022 Tokyo Marathon results". NBC Sports. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  22. [22]
    "Tokyo Marathon 2023 Wheelchair Marathon Race Report". Tokyo Marathon. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  23. [23]
    "London Marathon 2023: Kelvin Kiptum and Sifan Hassan win with superb runs". BBC Sport. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  24. [24]
    "Tokyo Marathon 2024: Manuela Schaer and Tomoki Suzuki triumph". International Paralympic Committee. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
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