By Takaki Tominaga,
Japanese cyclist Shota Kawamoto gained confidence as he saw improvements in his speed during preparations for the Tokyo Paralympics, but he came up just short of winning his first medal on the Izu Velodrome on Thursday.
He finished fourth in the men's C2 3000-meter individual pursuit at the Shizuoka Prefecture track cycling venue, clocking a 3-minute, 38.947-second time in the bronze medal race.
The 25-year-old competed in five events in both road and track cycling at the 2016 Rio Games. His best finish was eighth, so his effort on Thursday shows the progress he has made over the past five years.
Kawamoto got a lucky break at his home Paralympics when he was elevated one place to fourth after qualifying when a faster rider was disqualified, giving him a shot at winning a medal.
He was about to leave the venue when he heard the news, but said he was quickly able to refocus so he could enter the race mentally prepared.
"I aimed at getting a medal for people who support me," he said.
Kawamoto led early but his Chinese opponent Liang Guihua eventually prevailed. "My legs kind of gave up toward the end," he explained.
The individual pursuit was won by another young star Alexandre Leaute of France, who set a world record of 3:31.478 in claiming victory.
"I'm very, very satisfied and it was work by a whole team," said the 20-year-old.
Leaute said competing in a stadium without spectators did not affect him much because he could hear the cheers of his teammates. Rather than a hindrance, the one-year delay actually proved a godsend.
"I was kind of young a year ago, but now with an extra year of training under my belt, I'm a better racer now," said Leaute, who has hemiplegia on the right side of his body after suffering a stroke when he was being born.
Kawamoto thinks the 3000 individual pursuit is his best chance at a medal but he still has three events left in these Summer Games and has not given up on adding to his tally.
"I thought I left 100 percent on the track. I want to use this experience in preparations for the next race," he said.
Kawamoto acquired his impairment after his left leg was amputated above the knee due to a bone tumor when he was just 2 months old.
The native of Hiroshima Prefecture displayed a love for cycling at a young age but he went on to play para baseball for three years and represented Japan at the 2014 world impaired baseball tournament in Japan.
It was some of his older baseball teammates who made him aware of competitive cycling for disabled athletes, and Taishi Kenjo, the head coach of Japan's para cycling national team, asked him if he is interested in switching.
He was captivated by the speed of para cycling, in which a rider can travel at up to 60 kilometers per hour on the heavily banked indoor track, according to the organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
After taking up two wheels in 2015, he quickly showed his promise and competed at the 2016 Rio Games just eight months after starting competitive cycling.
In preparing for the Tokyo Games, he was strengthening the left side of his body to maximize the capability of the remaining part of his left leg, instead of solely depending on his right leg. He believed it would stabilize his riding form, he said.
"I started para cycling because I wanted to compete at the Tokyo Paralympics and it is my dream to be here," said Kawamoto.
