Shimizu achieved a time of 10 seconds at the All-Japan High School Championships.
After making history, Shimizu jumped in the air and dropped his hands to his sides, recreating the familiar celebration of Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Recent records were held by Anthony Schwartz (USA, 10.15 seconds, 2017) and Christian Miller (USA, 10.06 seconds, 2023).
The fastest 100m time by an under-18 athlete currently belongs to American Erriyon Knighton, with 9.99 seconds in 2021. However, this record is not recognized because Knighton ran with a tailwind exceeding 2 m/s.
Shimizu's time is the fifth fastest by a Japanese athlete (including both professional and amateur). The 16-year-old runner also broke the Japanese high school record of 10.01 seconds, set by Yoshihide Kiryu - then a third-year student at Rakunan High School in Kyoto - when he won a silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
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Sorato Shimizu (yellow jersey) runs the 100m at the All-Japan High School Championships at Hotstaff Field Hiroshima Stadium in Hiroshima, Japan on 26/7/2025. Photo: Kyodo
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Sorato Shimizu leaves his rivals far behind. Photo: Kyodo
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Sorato Shimizu celebrates after breaking the under-18 world record for the 100m. Photo: Kyodo
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Sorato Shimizu receives the cup and commemorative medal. Photo: Kyodo
Shimizu's latest achievement qualifies him for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. The Japan Association of Athletics Federations has not yet announced its selection criteria, but the teenage athlete has a good chance of appearing on the international stage before turning 17.
Japan has traditionally excelled in relay events but has lacked individual stars in the 100m. Shimizu is expected to be the next star, following in the footsteps of Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, a 26-year-old of Ghanaian descent.
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Abdul Hakim Sani Brown after breaking the championship record with 10.28 seconds in the 100m at the World U18 Championships at the Olimpico Pascual Guerrero stadium in Santiago de Cali, Colombia on 15/7/2015. Photo: Reuters
Sani Brown gained attention in 2015 when he won two gold medals at the World U18 Championships in Cali, Colombia. In the 100m, he achieved a time of 10.28 seconds, breaking the championship record. More remarkably, he finished the 200m in 20.34 seconds, faster than the legendary Usain Bolt at the same age.
In 2019, while studying at the University of Florida (USA), Brown achieved a time of 9.97 seconds in the 100m, breaking the Japanese national record at that time. In the same year, he also helped the 4x100m relay team win the NCAA championship.
Brown has represented Japan in many major tournaments. At the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene (USA), he became the first Japanese athlete to reach the 100m final, finishing 7th with a time of 10.06 seconds. A year later, at Budapest 2023, he again reached the final and improved his time to 10.04 seconds, finishing 6th overall.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Brown achieved his personal best of 9.96 seconds. He has also achieved 20.08 seconds in the 200m and 6.54 seconds in the indoor 60m.
Hong Duy (according to Marca)
