Under-18 100m world record-holder Shimizu Sorato has made Japan’s squad for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The 16-year-old Shimizu, who clocked 10.00 in July at a domestic high school meet, was one of eight selected on Tuesday (2 September) for the men’s 4x100m relay team for the 13-21 September championships at Tokyo’s National Stadium.
Japanese delegation head Yamazaki Kazuhiko admitted Shimizu, who is a second-year high school student in Ishikawa Prefecture, is still very raw but was banking on his untapped potential.
“He ran a 10.00 as a high schooler,” Yamazaki said during the team announcement.
“It’s very difficult for him to run at the senior level on a regular basis given the rules but we are counting on his unknown quantity which allowed him to run a 10.00.
“We wanted to give ourselves as many option as possible.
The seven others picked were: Kiryu Yoshihide, Mori Yuhi, Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, Okami Naoki, Inoue Naoki, Koike Yuki and two-time Asian champion Yanagita Hiroki.
Kiryu, Mori and Sani Brown will run the individual 100m.
Japan are trying to reach the men’s 4x100m podium at the worlds for the first time since2019, and believe Shimizu could be the secret weapon to get them to the promised land.
“He went out in the semi-finals at the trials but he has potential. He does not have the experience of running against world-class seniors, but we are betting on the X-factor,” Yamazaki said.
Among the 80-strong unveiled on this morning by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations was 17-year-old women’s 800m runner Kubo Rin, the cousin of professional footballer Kubo Takefusa.
Kubo is the national record-holder in the race. She became the first female high school athlete to make the world championships team in an individual event in 18 years.