Unluckily drawing a starting position next to Usain Bolt (Jamaica) in Heat Six, Shuhei Tada held up to the pressure of his World Championships debut as delivered his usual quick start to lead almost the entire way. Bolt ran him down but it took almost until the line for James Dasolu (Great Britain) and Jimmy Vicaut (France) to catch up, but despite taking 4th Tada made it through on time in 10.19. His result showed why track and field is a great sport. Three months ago he was almost unknown college student. Today he lined up next to the best in the world and represented.
Although Cambridge lucked through to the semifinals, he was so far off peak that he looks like a question mark for the 4x100 m. There's a very good chance he'll be replaced by his Rio teammate, alternate Yoshihide Kiryu, who ran 10.05 two weeks ago at a low-key meet in Tokyo after performing poorly at the National Championships in June. With 200 m man Shota Iizuka also not looking 100% there's even a chance that Kiryu could be the only member of the Rio silver medal squad to start the relay in London.
But before that comes Saturday's 100 m semifinals and final. No Japanese man has ever made it to the final, and to get there Sani Brown or one of the others will probably have to deliver the country's first-ever sub-10 clocking. Safe to say TV viewership ratings in Japan will be on the high end for the semis.
London World Championships Day One Japanese Results
London, England, 8/4/17click here for complete results
Men's 100 m Heat 2 (-0.6 m/s)
1. Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (Japan) - 10.05 (PB) - Q
2. Yohan Blake (Jamaica) - 10.13 - Q
3. Zhenye Xie (China) - 10.13 - Q
4. Emre Zafer Barnes (Turkey) - 10.22 - q
5. Emmanuel Callender (Trinidad and Tobago) - 10.25
6. Jan Volko (Slovakia) - 10.25
7. David Lima (Portugal) - 10.41
8. Ambdoul Karim Riffayn (Comoros) - 10.72
Men's 100 m Heat 4 (-0.2 m/s)
1. Bingtian Su (China) - 10.03 - Q
2. Chijindu Ujah (Great Britain) - 10.07 - Q
3. Christopher Belcher (U.S.A.) - 10.13 - Q
4. Aska Cambridge (Japan) - 10.21 - q
5. Joseph Millar (New Zealand) - 10.31
6. Mark Otieno Odhambo (Kenya) - 10.37
7. Jeremy Dodson (Samoa) - 10.52
DQ - Mosito Lehata (Lesotho)
Men's 100 m Heat 6 (+0.3 m/s)
1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) - 10.07 - Q
2. James Dasaolu (Great Britain) - 10.13 - Q
3. Jimmy Vicaut (France) - 10.15 - Q
4. Shuhei Tada (Japan) - 10.19 - q
5. Hassan Taftian (Iran) - 10.34
6. Brendon Rodney (Canada) - 10.36
7. Warren Fraser (Bahamas) - 10.42
8. Diego Palomeque (Colombia) - 10.51
text © 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
photo c/o Ekiden Mania, © 2017 Kazuyuki Sugimatsu, all rights reserved
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