Akeem Stewart is planning two major outings in Tokyo, Japan, next year.

Stewart is a global para athletics star, and is expected to do Trinidad and Tobago proud at the Paralympic Games, scheduled to take place between August 24 and September 5, 2021, in the Japanese capital.

At the 2016 Paralympics, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Stewart captured F44 javelin gold and discus silver. He is also the F43 world record holder in the shot put, discus and javelin with throws of 20.43 metres, 63.70m and 57.61m, respectively.

Stewart, though, is not satisfied with being one of the best para athletes on the planet. The Tobago thrower is also very competitive against able-bodied athletes. In fact, he is the national record holder in the shot put, throwing the 7.26-kilogramme iron ball 20.12m. The para world record is with the 6kg shot.

Now that Stewart has membership in the “20-metre Club”, his next major target is the Olympic qualifying standard. The magic mark that would earn him a spot on the T&T team for the July 23 to August 8, 2021 Tokyo Games is 21.10m. Stewart told the Express that qualification for the Tokyo Olympics is high up on his list of 2021 goals.

“First of all, live to see 2021 and attain the Olympic shot put standard, and also have an injury-free season. As to the Paralympic Games, I want to improve on my discus world record.”

Stewart is based in New Mexico, USA. He is currently at his home in Tobago, however, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 28-year-old said he is keen to return to his US training base.

“I’ll be heading back out, by the grace of God. To be honest, Covid-19 restrictions haven’t affected my training that bad because I’ve built a shot put circle in my front yard. But on the other hand, it affected my strength training because I didn’t have access to the weight room.

“When I came back from the US,” Stewart explained, “I was preparing for Falcon Games; that’s just before I got the news that Falcon Games was going to be cancelled. When I went to the gym, I saw they had a notification on the door stating that no athlete is allowed.”

Gym access or not, Stewart is grasping the opportunity presented by postponement of the Olympic Games from 2020 to 2021 because of Covid-19.

“We the athletes have more time to fine-tune and be more consistent with our technique.”