Ryota Yamagata, a member of Japan’s silver medal-winning men’s 4×100-meter relay team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will withdraw from the upcoming Oda Memorial International due to a right ankle injury, a source familiar with the matter said Monday.
The 24-year-old sprinter was scheduled to compete in the 100 meters in the Saturday event at Edion Stadium Hiroshima, where he was looking to be the first Japanese man to break the 10-second barrier.
According to sources, Yamagata will continue to receive treatment on his ankle and hopes to recover in time for the Golden Grand Prix to be held May 21 in Kawasaki.
Yamagata’s personal best in the 100 is 10.03 seconds — the fifth-fastest time in Japan. He was the first runner on the 4×100 relay team that also featured Shota Iizuka, Asuka Cambridge and Yoshihide Kiryu, which set a Japan and Asian record of 37.60 in the Olympic final.
In the men’s 100 meters, Koji Ito’s national record of 10.00 seconds has stood since 1998. Kiryu came closest with a time of 10.01, and Nobuharu Asaharu ranks third with 10.02.
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