Japanese sprinter Abdul Hakim Sani Brown was eliminated in the semifinals of the men’s 100-meter race on Sunday at the Paris Olympics despite clocking a personal best of 9.96 seconds, illustrating the high hurdles Japan faces in the event.

Sani Brown, 25, was looking to become the first Japanese to make it into the final of athletics' marquee event since Takayoshi Yoshioka in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. But instead he was eliminated in what turned out to be the most competitive non-finals race in the history of the event.

“I didn’t feel like I was going to lose at all. I thought the key point would come around the 70-meter mark,” Sani Brown said.