Up-and-coming sprinter Abdul Hakim Sani Brown's hopes of appearing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August are all but over, the Japan Association of Athletics Federations said Wednesday.

A left thigh injury has forced the 17-year-old to withdraw from the national championships — a Rio qualifier — starting in Nagoya on Friday, virtually eliminating him from contention for a spot on Japan's Olympic team.

"I am really disappointed, I have just got to try and do my best to aim for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics," said Sani Brown, who had complained of discomfort in the thigh during practice on Saturday.

His coach Takahiko Yamamura said, "He (Sani Brown) had a burning desire (to compete in Rio) and I feel bad that I can't have him at the starting line."

Born to a Ghanaian father and a Japanese mother, Sani Brown in 2015 became the first Japanese to capture the IAAF Rising Star Award.

That capped off a breakthrough year that saw him set two meet records at the world youth championships in July, where he posted 10.28 seconds to win the men's 100 meters and 20.34 to take the 200 in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, breaking the 200 record held by Usain Bolt since 2003.

Schwazer tests positive

AP

Former Olympic race walking champion Alex Schwazer is facing another doping case, the Italian track and field federation said Wednesday.

The Gazzetta dello Sport reported Wednesday that Schwazer and the Italian federation (FIDAL) were informed a day earlier that a May 12 retest of a Jan. 1 doping control sample showed positive traces of steroids.