Keisuke Ushiro easily secured a place on Japan's team for the upcoming world athletics championships after winning his sixth straight decathlon title at the national championships on Sunday.
Ushiro, who won last year's Asian Games and had already surpassed the qualifying standard for the worlds, took first place with 8,058 points. Asian champion Akihiko Nakamura was second with 7,947 points, giving him a good chance to be named to the team for the worlds.
Megu Hemphill, a 19-year-old university student, won her maiden heptathlon with a score of 5,622 after starting the day in second place. Chie Kiriyama, who was aiming for her third straight national title, was second with 5,536.
The world championships will be held in Beijing in August.
