Tomoki Suzuki (athlete)

Tomoki Suzuki (Japanese: 鈴木 朋樹, born 14 June 1994) is a Japanese wheelchair racer, who won the 2020 Tokyo Marathon, came second at the 2015 Tokyo Marathon and 2018 Tokyo Marathons, and came third at the 2017 Tokyo and 2019 London Marathons. Suzuki has qualified for the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Tomoki Suzuki
Personal information
Native name鈴木 朋樹
Born (1994-06-14) 14 June 1994
Tateyama, Chiba, Japan
Height1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Weight61 kg (134 lb)[1]
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)Marathon
Medal record
Marathon
Representing  Japan
World Para Athletics Championships
2017 London4 × 400 metres
World Marathon Majors
2015 TokyoMarathon
2017 TokyoMarathon
2018 TokyoMarathon
2019 LondonMarathon
2020 TokyoMarathon

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]

References
  1. "トラックとマラソンの二刀流" [Dual wield of truck and marathon]. Parasapo. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  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. "Tomoki Suzuki". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  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. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  5. "Men's 4 × 400 metres relay T53/T54" (PDF) (pdf). International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  6. "Fantastic five for Manuela Schaer in Tokyo". International Paralympic Committee. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  7. "Oita International Wheelchair Marathon". All About Japan. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  8. "Top 10 Finishers At The 2018 NYC Marathon". Women's Running. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  9. "Rae Seals World Silver Success in London". British Athletics. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  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. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  11. "Birhanu Legese wins Tokyo Marathon title as Suguru Osako sets new national record". The Japan Times. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  12. "Mondo Duplantis and Jemma Reekie among winners in AW Awards". Runner's World. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.


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