Sorato Shimizu

Sorato Shimizu
Personal information
Native name
Shimizu Sorato (清水空跳)
Born (2009-02-08) 8 February 2009
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Sport
Country Japan
SportAthletics
Event
Sprint
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Japan
Asian U18 Athletics Championships
2025 Dammam 100 m
East Asian U20 Championship
2025 Wan Chai 100 m
2025 Wan Chai 4×100 m relay

Sorato Shimizu (Japanese: 清水空跳, Hepburn: Shimizu Sorato; born 8 February 2009) is a Japanese sprinter. He was a gold medalist in the 100 metres at the 2025 Asian U18 Athletics Championships. In July 2025, he ran a world under-18 best time for the 100 metres at the age of 16 years old.[1]

Biography

Shimizu was a student at Seiryo High School in the Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, when he ran 10.37 seconds in the 100 metres at the Japanese Inter High School Championship in 2024.[2][3] He won the 100 metres at the 2025 Asian U18 Athletics Championships in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in April 2025, running 10.38 seconds (+2.3).[4]

He improved his time for the 100 metres to 10.19 seconds whilst competing in July 2025.[2] Later that month, whilst competing in Japan’s Inter High School Championship in Hiroshima at the age of 16 years-old, he won his 100 metres race in 10.00 seconds.[5] The second-placed athlete ran 10.27 seconds, giving him a winning margin of nearly three tenths of a second in the race. With the time of 10.00 seconds, he broke the previous u18 world best time of 10.06 seconds held jointly by Puripol Boonson of Thailand and American sprinter Christian Miller. The time also broke the Japanese high school record of 10.01 seconds set by Yoshihide Kiryu in 2013, and also met the minimum standard for the upcoming 2025 World Championships, due to be held in Tokyo.[6][7] The time also moved him to joint-fifth on the Japanese senior all-time list.[8] He was named as part of the Japanese relay team for the 2025 World Athletics Championships.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Sorato Shimizu". World Athletics. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b "16-year-old sprint sensation Shimizu breaks 100m world record". BBC News. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Athletics: Shimizu logs 10.00 to set U-18 world record in men's 100". Kyodonews.net. 26 July 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  4. ^ "6th Asian U18 Championships". World Athletics. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  5. ^ O'Loughlin, Liam (27 July 2025). "Gout Gout put on notice as Japanese teenager shatters 100m record for under-18 athletes". Nine.com. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  6. ^ McDougal, John (26 July 2025). "16-year-old Japanese sprinter sets 100m record for U18s with staggering performance". Sport Bible. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Japanese High Schooler Sorato Shimizu Clocks 10.00 Seconds in 100 Meters; Time Tops World U18 Best Performance". Japannews. 27 July 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  8. ^ de Villiers, Ockert (27 July 2025). "Japanese teen Sorato Shimizu storms to 100m under-18 world record in Hiroshima". Olympics.com. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Japan's 100m U18 world record-holder Shimizu Sorato picked for World Athletics Championships". Olympics.com. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.