Japan's boccia team in BC1/2, a class for athletes with cerebral palsy, won its first match at the Tokyo Paralympics, an 8-2 victory over Slovakia on Thursday.
Captain Hidetaka Sugimura, who won the gold medal in the boccia individual BC2 on Wednesday, joined fellow Rio Games silver medalists in the team competition, Takayuki Hirose and Yuriko Fujii, in the first match.
The trio shot well to beat Slovakia in their pool B match at the Ariake Gymnastics Center in Tokyo.
Japan also won its second match, 5-4 against Portugal.
With the addition of 23-year-old Takumi Nakamura, the team is aiming to win gold.
"All of us on Fireball Japan compete only as one," Sugimura said, referring to the team's nickname.
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