New national record holder Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, former record holder Yoshihide Kiryu and other top sprinters safely qualified for the men's 100-meter final at the Japan National Championships on Thursday.
But Sani Brown was the center of attention for the 5,600 spectators at Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium, and he surely lived up to their expectations. The 20-year-old finished first in the second semifinal group while matching the meet record of 10.05 seconds.
Newcomer Yuki Koike, the reigning Asian Games 200-meter gold medalist, also delivered a strong performance, running the 100 in 10.09 in the first semifinal race. He finished ahead of Kiryu. Kiryu, whose personal best is 9.98, completed the race in 10.22.