Team USA Wheelchair Rugby Defeated by Japan in Gold Medal Contest, Wins Third Consecutive Paralympics Silver Medal

PARIS – It wasn’t the fairy tale ending that they had envisioned.

Team USA wheelchair rugby bowed to an opportunistic Japanese team in the gold medal contest, 48-41, on Monday night at the Champs-de-Mars Arena. Despite the painful defeat, the U.S. performance marked the third consecutive time that they’ve won a Paralympic Games silver medal.

Co-captains Chuck Aoki and Josh Wheeler were two of six returning silver medalists from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, three years ago.

“I feel so bad for this team – everyone worked so hard to get to this level and we were close, but not close enough,” Aoki told media, after the defeat and receiving his silver medal.

“Honestly, some guys will call it a career after this – we have three silver medals, but I wish we could have brought home a gold medal for those guys.”

The U.S. teammates embraced, holding hands in a circle, sharing a moment after the disappointing loss.

“We talked about holding our heads high and being proud of what we did,” Wheeler said. “Every team here other than Japan would have loved to take home a silver. Second in the world is not bad.”

Aoki echoed similar sentiments.

“This team is just close – the guys picked me up, I was feeling down – as a competitor it’s hard not to feel like you let your team down,” said the four-time Paralympian. “They told me I didn’t and it’s nice to hear that, but I just wish we could have had a better result.”

The U.S. darted out to a successful start leading the contest, 14-11, after the first quarter. However, they would relinquish the lead for the first time with just over a minute left in the second quarter as Katsuyo Hashimoto executed a steal and then scored a try to give Japan the lead, 23-22.

The U.S. would equal their Japanese opponents on multiple occasions in the third quarter and grab the lead one final time following an Aoki try, 25-24. 

You might say that the wheels came off – figuratively and literally – late in the third quarter and throughout much of a mistake-laden fourth quarter. Japanese players capitalized on those opportunities, while 22-year-old Katsuya Hashimoto led the charge offensively, scoring 19 of the team’s 49 tries.

It was certainly not the script that the red, white and blue players wanted to write. Hats off to Japan, who rose to the occasion to win their first-ever Paralympics wheelchair rugby gold medal. They were the superior team on the court, particularly in the third and fourth quarters when they put the game to bed.

“Japan played a phenomenal game tonight – they beat us,” said Wheeler. “In a lot of tournaments this season we’ve beat ourselves, but this one they beat us so congratulations to them. Japan probably played the best I’ve ever seen them play today.”

Aoki and Sarah Adam both notched 14 tries in the losing effort. Aoki, the gladiator that he is on a wheelchair rugby court, accrued 30:31 minutes in the 40-minute game. To no surprise, he was his usual aggressive self, forcing two turnovers and with one steal. He also committed two defensive fouls and was assessed two penalties.

Adam, who has starred for Team USA over the five days of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games tournament was one of two female players competing on Monday night. Having won her first Paralympics medal, the 33-year-old talent hopes to continue to be an inspiration to adaptive athletes.

“It’s a really cool opportunity to have that platform and hopefully be able to reach other females that can be in adaptive sport and benefit from being part of a community like I have,” Adam said. “At the end of the day, I’m just going out there being an athlete with my teammates and family that support me, which keeps me centered and grounded in a way that’s meaningful and impactful.”

At age, 33, Aoki has been a stalwart on Team USA and the poster boy for wheelchair rugby across much of his four Paralympics. The Minnesota rugby star and adaptive sports and disabilities ambassador left the contest with 1:29 remaining, substituted for Josh O’Neill.

“I’m older now, at my first games I was 21-years-old (London 2012) and I felt like a loss was the most devastating thing that could happen in the history of the time, and I know that now it’s not the case and there will be more matches,” Aoki said.

As the fierce and dedicated ageless warrior on the court that he is night in and night out, Aoki conveyed that he is already excited for another shot at gold in four years, at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralmypic Games.

“It’s exciting – we do have a lot of young talent in the U.S. and it makes me feel good about the future of the program. I don’t plan on stopping and hopefully we’re just going to keep grinding forward,” Aoki said.

Asked by Team USA, if L.A. 2028 is in the back of his mind, he quickly shot back: “It’s not in the back of my mind, but the front of my mind – will take a little time to relax, but we’re going for gold in L.A.”