■Athletics Japan Championships Day 1 Men’s 200m Preliminary (27th, Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata City)

The first day of the Japan Athletics Championships, which also served as the selection for the Paris Olympics, saw Hiba Uzawa (21, 4th year at University of Tsukuba), who is aiming for his first Olympic appearance, record 20.57 seconds (+0.7m) in the men’s 200m qualifying round, placing 5th overall and advancing to the finals on the 28th.

Uzawa started off conservatively in the early stages, but picked up speed around the 100m mark and accelerated. He took the lead at once and finished in first place.

Uzawa won the Shizuoka International Marathon on May 3rd in 20.26 seconds for the second consecutive year. He also won the Golden Grand Prix on May 19th in 20.40 seconds. However, he fell right after the race and was taken to hospital by ambulance. He later revealed on his social media that he was unable to move due to a concussion. At a press conference on the 26th, he said, “I’ve finally been able to run recently, and I think I’ve just made it in time, so I think I can compete.”

The top overall and advanced to the finals was veteran Shota Iizuka (33, Mizuno), who recorded 20.46 (+0.6m). He is aiming for his fourth consecutive Olympic appearance. Hiroki Kamiyama (25, Sumitomo Electric), who is aiming for his first Olympic appearance, advanced to the finals in 20.47 (+0.6m) and placed second overall.