Three finals, three defeats. The Aichi International Arena had brought little joy to Japanese basketball teams until Friday, when the men’s wheelchair basketball side finally gave the home crowd the gold medal it had been waiting for.
Trailing Iran after the opening quarter and pushed hard throughout the contest, defending champions Japan fought back to win 55-47 and retain their Asian Para Games title in Nagoya.
It was a welcome change of fortune at a venue where Japan’s men’s and women’s basketball teams had lost their Asian Games finals to the Republic of Korea, while the women’s wheelchair basketball team had suffered another defeat to China just a day earlier.
This time, the hosts made sure the celebrations belonged to them.
Japan Turn The Tables On Iran
Iran made the stronger start, taking a 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and forcing Japan to chase the game.
The hosts gradually found their rhythm, with Takuya Furusawa sinking an important three-pointer late in the second quarter to help swing the momentum.
But Iran refused to go away.
Only three points separated the teams at the end of the third quarter, setting up a tense finish as the home crowd urged Japan forward.
The defending champions responded with a strong final period, tightening their defence and pulling clear to secure an eight-point victory.
Renshi Chokai was at the heart of Japan’s performance, contributing 13 points and eight assists.
From Paris setback to Nagoya redemption
For Chokai and his teammates, the victory carried significance beyond another gold medal.
Japan had reached the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic final, winning silver on home soil, but struggled to maintain that momentum and failed to qualify for Paris 2024.
“After winning the silver medal, we found ourselves in a situation where we struggled to achieve results,” Chokai recalled.
The disappointment forced the team to rebuild.
Japan showed signs of recovery by finishing sixth at the World Championships in Ottawa in September, emerging as the highest-placed Asian side.
Friday’s triumph provided further evidence of that progress.
Chokai, who recently published his second book, hopes his experiences of dealing with setbacks can resonate beyond sport.
“I hope that by sharing my mindset of not allowing myself to be defeated by setbacks, I can have even a small positive influence on the lives of the people who read it,” he said.
The message seemed particularly fitting after Japan’s journey from missing the Paralympics to celebrating another continental title.
Korea Recover To Claim Bronze
Earlier, the Republic of Korea overcame a difficult start to defeat Thailand 73-64 in the bronze-medal match.
The Koreans were still smarting from their heavy 64-39 semifinal defeat to Japan two days earlier, and their lacklustre first-half performance threatened to leave them without a medal.
Captain Yang Dong Gil knew something had to change.
“We didn’t play well in the first half. We knew we could play better. We needed to regain our confidence. We kept telling each other, ‘We can do this, we can do this.’ And we came back.”
The halftime encouragement worked.
Korea regained the lead in the third quarter before pulling away in the fourth to secure a place on the podium.
A Golden Finish For The Hosts
For Japan, the victory was a fitting reward for a team that had endured its share of disappointments since the Tokyo Paralympics.
The hosts had entered the final determined to defend their crown, but Iran ensured they would have to earn every point.
After three painful final defeats for Japanese basketball teams at the Aichi International Arena, the men’s wheelchair squad finally delivered the result the home supporters had been craving.
And for Chokai, whose career has seen both Paralympic glory and the disappointment of missing Paris, the gold medal was another reminder that setbacks need not define what comes next.
Brief results: Men’s final: Japan beat Iran 55-47 (Renshi Chokai 13 points, eight assists); bronze-medal match: Republic of Korea beat Thailand 73-64.
