Japanese child prodigy runs 100m in 10sec to break U18 record
Sorato Shimizu's time is a world best for under-18s, surpassing the 10.06sec mark set by American Christian Miller, then 17, in 2023. The run means Shimizu also has the qualifying standard for the World Championships in Tokyo in September, and he rises to joint fifth on Japan's all-time list.
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Rising stars have been breathing new life into the sprint scene over the past year with Gout Gout, an Australian of Sudanese heritage, breaking Peter Norman's 56-year-old 200m domestic record. In June, he then lowered his 20.04sec to 20.02 on his international debut in the Czech Republic. His status is such that his desire to race at next year's Commonwealth Games has been hailed in the Australian media as a 'dagger to the public' after Victoria pulled out of staging the event. It will now be held in Glasgow.
While Jamaica and the United States have traditionally dominated the men's spring scene, plenty of other countries are now nurturing athletes with huge potential. Last year, Great Britain's Divine Iheme, nicknamed 'Lightning' by his mother, recorded a time of 10.30 to set a world best for 15-year-olds. In January he set another age-group global best for the 60m indoors.
The times compare favourably when put alongside the best of any age and era. Usain Bolt started life as a 200m runner, so his teenage times for the 100m can be misleading, but it is fact that his best as a 20-year-old was only 10.03, albeit that he would make a seismic leap in 2008. Noah Lyles, the present Olympic champion, had a best of 10.45 as a 16-year-old. Lyles also clocked 10.00 when competing in the London Stadium last week. As a barometer of brilliance, the fastest man in the world this year is Jamaica's Kishane Thompson with 9.75. Shimizu's time makes him joint 29th in the world this year.
Shimizu's run came at the Inter High School Athletics Meet and eclipsed a 12-year-old high national school record. 'I'm so glad I could get in the 10.00 range,' he told the Japan Times. Japan has never won an Olympic sprint medal.
Transitioning from outstanding prospect to senior star is a potted road that has seen many fall by the wayside, but the junior ranks are undoubtedly flushed with exciting talents as we get deep into the athletics summer.
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