Justin Gatlin hails Japanese teen Sani Brown

26 August,2015 08:17 AM IST |   |  AFP

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.

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