Shinya Wada lunged over the line of the men's 1500 meters in the T11 category for visually impaired athletes at the Tokyo Paralympics on Tuesday, earning a silver medal for his efforts.
"My thighs are throbbing. But, I'm happy I got silver," he said.
The 44-year-old stood on the podium for the second time at the Tokyo Games, after picking up bronze in the men's 5000 meters on Aug. 27.
Wada, who also won bronze in the 5000 meters at the 2012 London Games, said he struggled at the 2016 Rio Games, finishing sixth in both the 1500 and 5000 meters.
The indefatigable veteran is also competing in the marathon event this year, but he said he focused most on improving his speed on the track for the Tokyo Paralympics.
Wada's efforts have clearly paid off.
In the middle of the 1500 meters final, he injected a burst of pace to move into second and managed to keep his place despite a spurt from Fedor Rudakov of the Russian Paralympic Committee on the final straight.
An encounter with the rising track star Nozomi Tanaka at a training camp in Hokkaido before the start of the Games proved pivotal.
Tanaka became the first Japanese woman to break the four-minute barrier in the 1500 meters at the Tokyo Games, a feat that Wada said motivated him to also try to break the 4-minute barrier.
Although he finished in 4 minutes 5.27 seconds in the Games, he managed to break the Asian record.
After the Tokyo Games, Wada said he plans to focus on long-distance races.
"I don't think I'll compete in the 1500 meters at the next Paralympics. It has been a good ending," he said.
However, his Paralympic campaign is not over just yet. Wada will compete in the marathon on Sunday, the final day of the Games.
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