Japanese Kiryu is fastest Asian runner

Japanese teenager Yoshihide Kiryu, the World junior bronze medallist, has clocked a wind-assisted 9.87-second victory at the Texas Relays athletics tournament in Austin, becoming the fastest Asian sprinter under any conditions.

Kiryu on Saturday recorded the result under a 3.3-meter-per-second wind condition, exceeding the allowable 2.0 m/s. So his time is deemed invalid for official purposes. But the 19-year-old's time is the fastest ever electronic performance by an Asian sprinter under any conditions, reports Xinhua.

Kiryu, who holds the world youth best of 10.19 and the Asian junior record of 10.05, finished 0.02 ahead of Clayton Vaughn. Charles Silmon (9.91) and Mark Jelks (9.96) took the third and fourth spots respectively.

The fast times continued later in the day as South Africa's world and Olympic finalist Anaso Jobodwana produced his fastest ever 200m clocking under any conditions. The double World University Games champion stopped the clock at 19.87, helped by a 4.5m/s.

Having broken his own national indoor record four times earlier this year, Canadian pole vaulter Shawn Barber continued where he left off in his first outdoor competition of 2015.

He shared the lead with regular rival Sam Kendricks up to 5.60m, but Kendricks got over 5.70m on his first try. Barber passed to 5.80m, which Kendricks also cleared on his first attempt while Barber needed two tries, as did Jake Blankenship.

Barber again passed the next height, 5.85m, while Kendricks and Blankenship exited the competition with three failures each. Barber then got over 5.90m on his second attempt before rounding out his series with three unsuccessful attempts at 6.00m.

Down in sixth, Britain's Adam Hague equalled the world age-17 best of 5.60m, breaking his own national junior record in the process.

Lorraine Ugen leapt farther than she ever had done before in the long jump, winning with 6.96m. With a series that also included jumps of 6.71m, 6.84m and 6.73m, any one of those marks would have been enough to win.

The 2009 world youth shot put champion Ryan Crouser from the US was another easy winner. His winning result of 21.11m was more than a meter farther than any other competitor managed.

The other standout performer on the infield was Jacorian Duffield, who added four centimeters to his outdoor personal best to win the high jump with 2.31m.

Michael Stigler enjoyed a breakthrough in the 400m hurdles. He won by more than a second with 48.44, smashing his personal best by three quarters of a second.