Sixteen-year-old Japanese schoolboy Abdul Hakim Sani Brown made an impressive run at the 200m heat at the IAAF World Championships here yesterday
Japan's 16-year-old Abdul Hakim Sani Brown
Beijing: Sixteen-year-old Japanese schoolboy Abdul Hakim Sani Brown made an impressive run at the 200m heat at the IAAF World Championships here yesterday.
Japan's 16-year-old Abdul Hakim Sani Brown. Pic/Getty Images
The teenager advanced to today's semi-finals were clocking 20.35 seconds behind Gatlin to earn the American's respect.
"My race would have been slower but Sani pushed me so much," said the 33-year-old Gatlin, who clocked 20.19 seconds to win the heat.
"This young guy from Japan is phenomenal," added Gatlin.
Sani Brown, who shot to fame in Japan by claiming a sprint double at last month's world youth championships, was almost lost for words.
"It's a dream for me to run at the world championships with these stars," he grinned.
"I'm just very grateful to be here. I was a bit ragged at the end, but I think I can go faster," added the teenage champ.
Born to a Japanese mother and Ghanaian father, Sani Brown insisted he had not felt nervous about racing alongside Gatlin. "To be honest, I didn't feel like I was racing him at all.
It was just a great experience," said the youngster, who was ordered by his mother to choose track over football when in elementary school.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
