Right out of the starting gate, Japan will face its biggest hurdle in one of the main attractions it had set sights on in the athletics competition at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

With 18-year-old rising sprinting star Yoshihide Kiryu pulling out earlier this month due to a pulled left hamstring, the chances of Japan claiming a top podium finish in the men's 100 meters have been dampened, especially with Chinese sensation Zhang Peimeng and his countrymen in the mix.

The 18-year-old Kiryu, who ran the second-fastest time in Japan of 10.01 seconds as a high school student last April, is the latest hope for his country to become the first Asian man to run under 10 seconds, but he'll have to wait for another chance.