History was made as Takayuki Suzuki delivered Japan’s first gold medal of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at the Aquatics Center on Thursday. 

Suzuki, who admitted he feared fatigue would take a toll, won the men’s 100 meters freestyle S4 in a Paralympic record of 1:21:58, one of a number of records that fell in the swimming pool on Day 2. However, at first he didn’t realize how good the result was. 

"I couldn't see the moment I had finished the race, so I didn't know if I was in first place, but when I saw on the score board that I was in first place, I was so happy," said, Suzuki, who picked up a bronze medal in the men's 50m breaststroke SB3 on Day 1.

"I have been racing since yesterday, so I was worried about fatigue, but I tried to be confident, and I hoped I could increase my speed without straining myself. In the last 25m, my competitor was in front and then he started to fall, so I tried not to fall."

Now competing in his fifth Paralympic Games, Suzuki has had a long wait to add to his first Paralympic Games gold medal, which came in the 50m breaststroke SB3 at Beijing 2008.

Germany update

A second day at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics delivered a second bronze medal for Germany on Thursday. Verena Schott from Cottbus pulverized her personal best by six seconds to claim a podium finish in the 200-meter medley with a time of 2:59.09 minutes.

"My emotional world is a bit mixed up," the two-time world champions admitted through the tears. "I don't even know what I'm feeling right now. I'm mega happy and relieved. I wanted it so much."

Gold medals

People's Republic of China's Guo Lingling won gold in the women's -41kg powerlift with a world record lift of 108kg before going on to break it against with a lift of 109kg. 

Spain's first gold came on the cycling track as Alfonso Cabello broke his own world record, originally set in April 2014, to win the men's C4-5 1000m time trial event with a time of 1:01.557 at Izu Velodrome. 

The first day of equestrian events at the Paralympics saw Sir David Lee Pearson and his horse Breezer claim top spot on the podium in the dressage individual event.

In the pool, several gold medals were won, but the show was stolen by the USA's teenage sensation Anastasia Pagonis, who broke her own world record to win gold in the women's 400m freestyle - S11 after clocking in at 4:54.49. 

Other news from Tokyo

Competitions continue to take place mostly without spectators after organizers announced 184 COVID cases linked to the Games. Tokyo 2020 said Thursday that a "stakeholder involved in the Games" has been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19. Japanese media reported that the individual was not an athlete, and does not have severe symptoms.

Most of the cases at the Games are among staff and contractors living in Japan, which is facing a record COVID-19 wave, but Thursday's 15 new cases included two athletes from overseas staying in the Paralympic Village. There have been 13 cases detected in the Paralympic Village so far, including five athletes.