The Para Athletics World Championships were due to be held in Kobe in 2021, but the event was postponed due to the Covid pandemic. After Paris staged last year's edition, the Para Athletics Worlds have finally arrived in East Asia.

There was a world record in the first track event of the championships courtesy of Brazil's Yeltsin Jacques in the men's T11 5000m final. The visually impaired runner clocked 14:53.97 to beat team-mate Julio Cesar Agripino dos Santos with home athlete Kenya Karasawa third.

There was another Brazil 1-2 in the women's T20 long jump final as Zileide Cassiano da Silva got the better of Debora Oliveira de Lima. Golds for Wanna Helena Brito Oliveira (women's F32 club throw) and a fourth consecutive men's T47 100m triumph for Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos took Brazil's tally to four on the opening day.

Europe won both T72 frame running 100m sprints with Carlo Calcagni of Italy clocking 15.39 to break his own world record. Poland's Magdalena Andruszkiewicz won the women's in a new European record. China swept the podium in the men's T11 long jump with Chen Shichang setting a championship record 6.62m to beat Di Dongdong and Ye Too, and Britain's Hollie Arnold won a sixth world title in the women's F46 javelin.

Arnold's team-mate Hannah Cockroft is seeking to add to her tally of 14 Para Athletics world titles in Kobe. She competes in the women's T34 100m on Tuesday and the 800m on Thursday.

The British wheelchair racer, who also has seven Paralympic gold medals to her name, said, "We have never had the opportunity to race in two major championships in one year. So, for this [World Championships] to be opening my season ahead of hopefully a very successful Paralympic Games is incredibly exciting and very scary too. I have lots of new builds in the start line, lots of new competition and I’m really looking forward to the challenge."

Noah Malone defends his men's T12 100m title on Saturday at his third World Championships in Kobe. "I'm focusing on the 100m and also the [universal] relay. I have a Championships record from last year, but my goal is hopefully to set a world record as well," said the American who races in the universal relay next Friday.

Hosts Japan will hope to improve on their four golds from last year in Paris. Kobe 2024 ambassador Atsushi Yamamoto competes in Sunday's men's T63 long jump where he will bid to add to his tally of world medals dating back to Assen 2006.

“I feel confident and I hope that competing here, in this environment that is familiar to us, can help us show at our best in this World Championships," said Yamamoto. "I want to improve my personal best and hopefully win a medal here."

New Zealand’s Holly Robinson (F46 class) won the javelin Paralympic title at Tokyo 2020 and holds the world record in that event. However, she has recently taken up the shot put and will be competing in just her second major event in the discipline.

“It’s super exciting to be in Kobe. The shot put will be my only event here and I came off from a really good domestic season, so I am really hoping to push some good distances,” Robinson said. “I’ve been competing in the World Championships since 2011 and this year is a really different one for us with two majors in one year, so this kickstarts my international campaign and it will be really good to see where I’m at."

Having won her country's first World Championship medals last year, Mauritius’ wheelchair racer Noemi Alphonse will going for gold after winning T54 100m silver and 400m bronze in Paris. The 28-year-old will contest four events in Kobe starting with Saturday's 800m.

"It is my first time in Japan and it is great to be here," said Alphonse, "Each event has its own story, and Kobe will also be a great story for when we go home. The track looks fast and I hope there will be a lot of records."

The records have already started to fall in Kobe with more certain to be broken before the 2024 Para Athletics World Championships draw to a close on Saturday 25 May.