Para cycling heads to Aichi-Nagoya with Japan and China carrying much of Asia’s medal hopes, and plenty of proven champions in their ranks. For the host nation, the challenge will be to turn home advantage into gold; for China, it will be about showing that its depth can match Japan’s star power.
With 34 medals up for grabs across track and road events, 82 players from 17 nations are set to compete. But the early focus is likely to fall on a handful of riders who have already shown they can win on the biggest stage.
Sugiura has the home crowd behind her
Few riders arrive with stronger credentials than Keiko Sugiura. The Japanese star is a Paralympic and world champion and has spent years at the sharp end of international competition. She knows how to handle the tactics and pressure of a major championship and now gets to compete in front of a home crowd.
Sugiura will be one of Japan’s leading medal hopes, but she is far from the only home rider carrying expectations.
Shota Kawamoto, the defending Asian Para Games champion in the men’s C1 3,000m individual pursuit, returns to defend his title. Kawamoto will have a busy programme, also competing in the Men’s C1-5 Time Trial and Men’s C1-3 Road Race.
Japan will not want to rely only on its headline names, though. Its wider squad brings international experience across the programme, giving the host nation opportunities to challenge for medals on both the track and road.
China has champion of its own
China’s challenge is built differently. Its strength lies in depth, with riders capable of contending across several classifications.
Their leading names multiple-time Paralympic champions Jianxin Chen and Zhangyu Li, however, are missing. Chen’s Paralympic victories in the T1–2 road race underlined his ability to deliver on the biggest stage, while Li has been a dominant force in track cycling with five Paralympic gold in his glittering cap.
Even without them, China can look to country’s strongest hopes in the velodrome – Wang Xiaomei and Qian Wangwei, who would be leading China’s charge in track and road races in Nagoya. Both the cyclists are two-time Paralympic medallists and multiple-time world champions in time trial and pursuit C1-3, bringing proven pedigree and plenty of major-championship experience to China’s challenge.
South Korea adds to the medal battle
The contest, however, should not be reduced to Japan versus China.
South Korea’s Kim Jung-been will be looking to defend the three titles he won at the previous Asian Para Games. He returns as defending champion in the road race, time trial and 4,000m individual pursuit, making him one of South Korea’s key riders to watch.
India’s para-cycling programme also continues to grow, with Arshad Shaik and Prashant Sudarshan Arkal among the riders looking to push the country further up the Asian pecking order.
Indonesia and Thailand add further depth to the field. In a sport where classification, tactics and race conditions can be as important as reputation, the medal picture could remain open across several events.
