Wakako Tsuchida of Japan competes in the women's PTWC triathlon race in the Tokyo Paralympics on Aug. 29, 2021, at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo. (Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Wakako Tsuchida, who competed in the women's PTWC triathlon race earlier in the Tokyo Paralympics, will get a second shot at a medal when she lines up at the marathon start on Sunday.

       Tsuchida, who has been to six summer and two winter Paralympics, is the first Japanese athlete since 1992 to compete in more than one sport at a summertime Paralympics, according to the Japanese Paralympic Committee.

       Though rare for Japan, there are Paralympic athletes who decided two or more sports are better than one, or made the jump between summer and winter sports.

       Tsuchida, 46, is trying to give future Paralympic stars something to emulate by pushing herself to take part in the grueling T54 wheelchair marathon only a week after the triathlon event, which was her first attempt at the three-discipline sport.

       "I hope this sets a precedent that could help other Para athletes," said Tsuchida, who finished last among the athletes in her class who completed the triathlon distance.

       Tsuchida, who has won seven Paralympic medals including three gold, has made history throughout her storied sporting career, with her participation in eight Paralympics a record in Japan.

       She is also the first Japanese Paralympian to win both a summer and winter gold. Apart from Paralympic triathlon and various athletics events, including the marathon, she has won medals in ice sledge speed racing in the Winter Games.

       This year, she took part in the torch procession at the July 23 Olympics opening ceremony.

       As a dual-sport athlete, Tsuchida, who became a wheelchair user when she was 17, is also shouldering additional pressure.

       "It's not easy to compete in a marathon. I know that the level of competition is really high, but I want to challenge myself," she said after her triathlon event on Aug. 29.

       "It's a new challenge for me, so it will come down to how I can prepare physically for peak performance in the days before arriving at the start line, but I hope my experience over the years will come in handy."

       Twenty-seven years since her Paralympic debut at the Lillehammer Winter Games, Tsuchida is still blooming, but also planting seeds for the future.

       The Paralympics marathon events are scheduled for the final day of competition, the day of the closing ceremony.

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