BEIJING -- Taiki Kawayoke, Japan's flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Paralympics, won a gold medal in para cross-country skiing on Monday.
The 21-year-old is the youngest male gold medalist for Japan at a Winter Paralympic Games, winning the men's long distance classical technique standing race ahead of a pair from China, at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre northwest of Beijing.
A native of Toyama, Kawayoke was born without some fingers and toes. He races without using ski poles, swinging his arms instead.
This was the third gold medal for Japan at these Games, after Momoka Muraoka won a pair of golds in Alpine skiing.
Kawayoke is competing at his second Paralympics, after debuting in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
In his first race at the Beijing Games, Kawayoke looked nimble across the 20-kilometer course, getting a finish time of 52 minutes 52.8 seconds. China won silver and bronze, with Cai Jiayun receiving a time of 54:27.7 and Qiu Mingyang getting a time of 54:29.7.
Kawayoke's best finish in an individual race in Pyeongchang was ninth. He came into the Beijing Games having made rapid progress after winning gold at the 2019 World Championships.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
