Takayuki Suzuki's level-headed judgment and dedication brought him a bronze medal in the men's 50-meter breaststroke SB3 for the physically impaired at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Suzuki, the captain of Japan's swimming team, edged out Italy's Efrem Morelli by a tenth of a second for the medal on Wednesday. He had finished fifth in the qualifying round that morning.
"In the second half [of the preliminary race], I reserved some of my strength and concentrated on form," said Suzuki, 34. He was able to swim in a relaxed manner, changing the timing of his breathing from once every four strokes to once every two in the middle of the race.
Having confirmed which option suited him best, Suzuki took a breath once every four strokes in the final.
The battle for the podium was fierce, as Roman Zhdanov of the Russian Paralympic Committee team -- who set a new world record in the race -- moved out ahead of the others. Suzuki's preparations in the qualifying round appear to have helped him hold on for third.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, Suzuki was 0.04 seconds behind Morelli, finishing fourth and missing out on the bronze.
"I'm glad I was successful this time. I wanted to be back on the podium in this event," Suzuki said with satisfaction at his comeback in the event in which he won gold and bronze medals in the past.
Suzuki has been training in Britain since 2013 under the guidance of a local coach. At one point, he was forced to return to Japan due to the closure of the facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he returned to Britain once the infection situation stabilized. Despite an uncertain future, Suzuki stuck to the path that he believed would lead to his personal growth.
The bronze he secured Wednesday was his sixth medal at five consecutive Paralympics since the 2004 Athens Games, which he participated in as a third-year high school student. Suzuki said he did not want to stop the "tide" begun by Miyuki Yamada, who became Japan's first medalist earlier in the day.
Twenty years younger than Suzuki, Yamada took the silver medal in the women's 100-meter backstroke S2, a class for people with physical impairments.
"I hope the whole team can get a good time tomorrow and the day after, too," Suzuki said.
The veteran swimmer is a reassuring presence at the Games being held in his home country.
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