HIROSHIMA – Chisato Fukushima rewrote her national record in posting a comfortable victory in the 100 meters at the Oda Memorial international meet in Hiroshima on Thursday.
Fukushima crossed the line in 11.21 seconds to trim .03 second off her previous record set at the Fuse Relay Carnival meet in Tottori Prefecture last June.
The 21-year-old got off to a strong start at Big Arch and never looked back, coming home ahead of Momoko Takahashi, who clocked 11.35 for second place.
“I am surprised at setting a new Japanese record but my new target is to go under 11.20, and then under 11 seconds.”
Fukushima said a weight increase and an injury-free winter were factors behind setting the new mark.
“I didn’t suffer any injuries during training in the winter and put on 1 or 2 kilograms,” said Fukushima. “I made a good start (today) in my first race of the season.”