Asian champion Kiryu wins men’s 100m title at Tokyo Olympic stadium

Tokyo, Aug 23 (IANS) Asian champion Yoshihide Kiryu won the men’s 100 metre title here on Sunday in the first track and field event held at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium.

Kiryu, who became Asia’s fastest man in last year’s Doha Asian Championships, clocked 10.14 seconds. Cambridge Aska, who was born in Jamaica to a Japanese mother and Jamaican father, finished second in 10.16, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Tokyo Golden Grand Prix was originally scheduled to take place in May as a test event for the Olympic Games, which have been postponed by one year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The event was held behind closed doors and featured only Japan’s top athletes. The brand new 60,000-seat stadium has staged just one football match since it opened last November.

Kiryu, who along with Aska, helped Japan’s 4x100m relay team win the silver medal at the Rio Olympics four years ago, was excited for the win.

“I am very happy to win,” he said. “I am very confident.”

But Kiryu, the first Japanese sprinter to break the 10-second barrier, was unsure if he could compete on the same track at the Olympic Games next year.

“I don’t feel special to run here. I just want to focus on every run, try my best and improve myself.”Aska was disappointed at the empty seats but spoke highly of the track.

“It is great to run here and I look forward to the Olympic Games,” he said.

–IANS

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