Yuka Takamatsu, right, touches off anchor Tomoki Suzuki in the 4x100-meter universal relay at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sept. 3, 2021, at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. (Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan was elevated to the bronze medal in the newly introduced 4x100-meter universal relay with a time of 47.98 seconds at the Tokyo Paralympics on Friday after China was disqualified from second.

       The mixed-gender and mixed-class competition featuring two men and two women made its Paralympic debut in Tokyo. It is regarded as a symbol of the Paralympic Games and its spirit as it unites people with a variety of disabilities.

       The United States, featuring arguably the world's best female wheelchair racer of all time, Tatyana McFadden, won the race with a world record of 45.52, followed by Britain in 47.50.

       Japan crossed the line in fourth but was moved up one place after the Chinese disqualification.

       "This is the result of reaching the final in the first place, and I'm very happy with winning this medal," said Uran Sawada, 30, the visually impaired runner who completed the first leg.

       Japan reached the final with a 47.94 time, advancing from heat 2 earlier the same day.

       Sawada said the team struggled to get below 48 seconds over the last two years, so going under in both the heat and the final gives hope for the future.

       "If there is no universal relay, I would have never run with (my teammates). This event is full of new discoveries," said Tomoki Suzuki, 27, a wheelchair racer who anchored the team.

       "At these Paralympics, our team became one to target a medal. We made it all together and we achieved it," said Kengo Oshima, 21.

       In an effort to make smoother transitions, coach Daiki Takano said before the final he adjusted the distances at which the athletes start their burst in the changeover zones.

       In the universal relay, athletes physically touch their teammates with their hands rather than passing the baton as in able-bodied relays.

       Changeovers between a runner and a wheelchair athlete can prove tricky as it is difficult to slow the wheelchair if the athlete starts pushing too early for the arriving athlete to make the touch.

       For the Japan team, the competition proceeds in an order of Sawada, in the T12 class, Oshima, T64, Yuka Takamatsu, T38, and Suzuki, T54.

       Sawada acquired her visual impairment due to the result of retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive condition that started affecting her at age six, while Oshima's left leg was amputated below the ankle at birth.

       Takamatsu, 28, has cerebral palsy that predominantly affects her left arm, and Suzuki acquired impairment after he was involved in a traffic accident when he was eight months old, which resulted in paraplegia.

       "This is a symbol of the Paralympics, this is an amazing relay. Everyone made a good performance, individually, with their different impairment," said guide Ryuhei Shiokawa, 29, who ran alongside Sawada in the first leg.

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