Japan’s Muratake Fifth in 110 Meters Hurdles at Worlds in Tokyo

AP

11:20 JST, September 17, 2025

Tokyo, Sept. 16 (Jiji Press)—Japan’s Rachid Muratake shone in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Tuesday although he fell short of becoming the country’s first medalist in the men’s 110 meters hurdles at the biennial sporting event.

The 23-year-old clocked 13.18 seconds to finish fifth in the day’s final for the track event at the world championships at the Japan National Stadium in the Japanese capital.

Muratake said he has practiced very hard since the end of the 2024 Paris Olympics, voicing his wish to win a medal no matter how many years it takes.

Shusei Nomoto, 29, and Shunsuke Izumiya, 25, both from Japan, were eliminated in the semifinals in the event. Izumiya was fifth in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Yuki Joseph Nakajima, 23, advanced to the men’s 400 meters final, becoming the second Japanese to achieve the feat, after Susumu Takano, who did so in the 1991 world championships in Tokyo. In the day’s semifinal, Nakajima finished second with 44.53 seconds in Heat 3. The final is scheduled for Thursday.

Nakajima said he is really happy to reach the final, adding that he was able to perform as he planned in the semifinal race.

In the men’s high jump final, Japan’s Ryoichi Akamatsu placed eighth with a clearance of 2.24 meters.