In the men's 1500m intellectual disability class at the "Japan Paralympics" where top track and field athletes aiming for the Tokyo Paralympics gather, Daiki Akai broke his own Asian record with a time of 3: 53.35.
This is equivalent to the 3rd place in the world ranking, and is expected to play an active role in the Tokyo Paralympics.
Akai is 22 years old from Nara prefecture.
He started athletics at the age of 10 and trained his running ability at the prestigious Chiben Gakuen High School Ekiden.
Akai, who participated in the men's 1500m intellectual disability class at the "Japan Para Tournament" that started on the 24th in Takamatsu City, took first place at 3:53:35, breaking his Asian record by about 3 seconds. It was.
Yuji Togawa came in second at 3:55:47.
Akai's time is 3rd in the world ranking this season, and Togawa's time is 4th, both of which are expected to play an active role in this year's Tokyo Paralympics.
At the Japan Para Tournament, various measures were taken as the infection of the new coronavirus continued to spread. One of them is the limitation of the audience.
Initially, only Kagawa residents were recruited in advance, and a total of 685 people applied in two days.
However, in response to the spread of the infection, Takamatsu City hurriedly announced that it would be unattended two days before the tournament.
For this reason, on the 24th, only the players' families were allowed to enter the spectators' seats, and the entrances and exits of the stadium and the flow lines were also divided between the players, related parties, and the press.
In addition, when entering the venue, everyone submitted a checklist of body temperature from two weeks ago, and those who completed the temperature measurement on the day were given a portable disinfectant gel and were required to wear a green wristband. It was.