●Nathan Shiga: September 9, 2017

A long-awaited feat was performed at last – as a 21-year-old college athlete broke through the “barrier of 10 seconds” for the first time in history clocking 9.98 sec. at the All Japan Collegiate Athletic Meet in Fukui City, September 9.

People were saying it was a matter of time. They were saying it could be Cambridge Asuka, Kiryu, Yamagata or possibly Shuhei Tada to overcome the hurdle. It turned out to be Yoshihide Kiryu who did it.

Kiryu made a great start that day and sustained his momentum past the midway through till the finish. The Japan national record of 10 seconds sharp held by Kouji Ito was updated by 0.02 second.

Kiryu’s coach Hiroyasu Tsuchie said Kiryu had had a hard time sustaining his motivation to ready himself for the meet in Fukui, adding:

“He had apparently managed to physically shape up and had only his mind to get ready for the meet. That done, he ran his best race no doubt.

“He was overly conscious of running in 9 seconds just as his rivals. Kiryu perhaps felt that way the most, hence he made it.”

Yoshihide Kiryu is a senior at Toyo University, age 21, and in his high school days, at age 18, set the youth world record of 10.21 sec. at the National Athletic Meet. In the 3rd grade in high school, Kiryu clocked 10.01 seconds – one-hundredth of a second shy of the current Japan record of 10 seconds flat.

So, the barrier is overcome. Kiryu and his formidable rivals can now hope to run in the finals of every world competition. Good show, Yoshihide Kiryu.

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