Yuki Oya won the silver medal Friday in the men's 100-meter wheelchair race at the Tokyo Paralympic Games with a time of 17.18 seconds.
Oya, who is competing in his first Paralympic Games, was the eighth Japanese athlete in this Games to medal in athletics.
The 39-year-old got off to a quick start and took the lead early on in the race. But Raymond Martin of the United States, the silver medalist in men's 400-meter and 1,500-meter wheelchair races, overtook Oya around the midway section.
Originally from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Oya started using a wheelchair after he suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident when he was 16 years old. He began competing in para athletics in 2005 and his results significantly improved after he switched to short-distance races from medium- and long-distance competitions.
He qualified to compete at the Tokyo Games during his first appearance at the World Championship in 2019, where he placed fourth in the men's 100-meter race.
In July, he broke the Asia record for 100 meters at a domestic meet, with a time of 16.75 seconds, and entered the Games on a high note.
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