The "Oita International Wheelchair Marathon", in which world-class athletes compete, was held in Oita Prefecture on the 21st, and Mr. and Mrs. Akishino were also watched online.
Approximately 130 wheelchair athletes participated in the 40th marathon and half marathon, mainly in Japan.
Among them, Tomoki Suzuki ranked second in the top of the Japanese team in the marathon, and Mr. and Mrs. Akishino also used online to watch the race for the first time in 31 years since the 1990 tournament.
The couple also participated online at the closing ceremony in the afternoon, and Mr. Akishino said, "For those who participated, participation in this tournament will be one of the opportunities to further enhance their competitiveness and new We hope that it will be a milestone in finding our goals. At the same time, we would like to express our deepest respect for the efforts of many stakeholders and volunteers who have supported this competition for 40 years. " Was done.
In the exchange with the players after this, Mr. Akishinomiya said to Suzuki, "I thought it was a really great competition with a great sense of speed. Was it climatically easy to run today?" Suzuki replied, "I was able to run in a warm climate."