It was a historic day for Japanese triathlon on Saturday as Hideki Uda won a silver medal in the men's PTS4 class, the country's first-ever Paralympic medal in the sport, and Satoru Yoneoka won bronze in the men's PTVI class.

Uda clocked 1-hour, 3-minute, 45-second time and Yoneoka finished in 1:02:20 alongside his guide Kohei Tsubaki at Odaiba Marine Park. Each man's medal was his first at the Paralympic Games.

Hideki Uda crosses the finish line to win a silver medal in the men's PTS4 triathlon at the Tokyo Paralympics on Aug. 28, 2021, at Tokyo's Odaiba Marine Park.

It was an emotional race for Uda, a native of Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, because he felt the presence of his supporters and friends behind him as he was on the course, their hopes and dreams accompanying his every stroke in the water, push on the pedals and stride down the road.

After crossing the finish line, he fell to the ground and cried. Then he got up, draped the Japanese flag around his shoulders and congratulated his fellow competitors.

"When I finished the race, I had a hard time controlling my emotions because I was overwhelmed with various feelings. I felt really happy running that final stretch."

He had traveled a bumpy road to reach the Paralympic stage in his home country.

When he was at the height of happiness, five days after marrying his wife Aki, he was involved in a life-threatening accident at his workplace that cost him his right arm. It was in 2013 and he was 26 years old.

But thanks to the tireless support of his family and friends, he was able to recover. He discovered triathlon in the process of rehabilitation about six months after the accident.

He made his triathlon debut for Japan in 2015 and reached the world's number one ranking in July 2017, according to his website.

After reaching another milestone on Saturday, he called his family and shared the moment.

"It was far from a normal conversation because both (my wife and I) were crying so hard," Uda said after the medal ceremony.

For Uda, 34, the Paralympic Games is a wonderful opportunity to change people's perceptions about what people with disabilities are capable of.

"I have disabilities, but I think this is a good opportunity for people to see me as a legit athlete," Uda said.

"Para athletes engage in the same level of training conducted by able-bodied athletes in terms of the quality and quantity to be on this stage."

With Uda setting the tone, Yoneoka rode the momentum to snatch Japan's second triathlon medal.

Satoru Yoneoka (R) celebrates after winning bronze in the men's PTVI triathlon alongside his guide Kohei Tsubaki on Aug. 28, 2021, at Tokyo's Odaiba Marine Park.

"I was thinking about winning a medal the whole race," said Yoneoka, a 35-year-old Tokyo native.

Yoneoka was born without vision in his right eye and sustained retinal detachment in his left eye as the result of an accident at age 10. He completely lost his vision at age 25.

His guide suggested he give triathlon a go after he dabbled in running marathons. He took up competitive triathlon in 2013.

Reflecting on Saturday's race, he said the key moment was when he entered his fourth and final lap of the run leg, the last of the three disciplines in triathlon.

"I was able to sense the leader up ahead and had the will to chase," he said.

"It was the toughest stretch in the race amid the intense heat but I was able to maintain my pace," said Yoneoka.

Japan's Yukako Hata, 40, finished sixth in the women's PTS2 class and her compatriot Atsuko Maruo, 47, came in 11th in the women's PTVI class.

United States athletes dominated Saturday's triathlon competitions, bagging two gold and one silver.

Brad Snyder won the men's PTVI gold, Allysa Seely won the women's PTS2 gold, and Hailey Danz won the women's PTS2 silver.

Alexis Hanquinquant of France beat Uda and grabbed the men's PTS4 gold.

The sport consisting of three segments -- a 750-meter swim, 20.0-kilometer ride, and 5.0-km run -- was introduced to the Paralympic program at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.