Although he had not been the fastest sprinter in Japan, Ryota Yamagata had been recognized by many as the strongest because of his ability to rise to the occasion on bigger stages.
Now he has both titles — and with the Tokyo Olympics set to start in weeks, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Three days after he stunned the Japanese public by clocking a men’s 100-meter national record of 9.95 seconds at the Fuse Sprint in Tottori Prefecture, Yamagata told reporters during an online group interview that he was fortunate and thankful to have achieved the result.