Rachid Muratake, Japan's 1st 110-Meter Hurdles Finalist, Finishes 5th

Japan's Rachid Muratake finished fifth in the men's 110-meter hurdles final on Thursday, July 8 at the Stade de France.

The 22-year-old Muratake, Japan's first Olympic finalist in the event, crossed the finish line with a time of 13.21 seconds.

In his Olympic debut, Muratake was right in the mix at the end of the race won by American Grant Holloway, who was clocked in 12.99.

Daniel Roberts, also of the United States, took silver 13.085, just 0.003 seconds ahead of Jamaica's Rasheed Broadbell in Saint-Denis, France.

Muratake, a native of Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, was born to a Togolese father and Japanese mother.

Spain's Enrique Llopis was fourth, a hundredth of a second ahead of Muratake.

"I hit the first hurdle but I recovered from the second [and] third one onward, and it really didn't have much impact," Muratake said, according to Kyodo News.

Muratake added that the fifth-place finish left him with mixed feelings.

"I had a mixed expression on my face," Muratake was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "The joy from being on this stage on one side and the frustration from missing out on the medal on the other. Everyone was really fast."

Rachid Muratake Looks Ahead to 2025

Now Muratake has set his sights on winning a medal when Tokyo hosts the 2025 World Athletics Championships at National Stadium.

"I've gained huge experience having run on this stage even just once," he added, according to Kyodo. "I definitely want to win a medal at the world championships next year in Tokyo."

For Holloway, Thursday's triumph at the Paris Olympics was the final piece of the puzzle. The 26-year-old American barely missed out on the gold but took the silver in Tokyo three years ago.

With Thursday's gold medal, Holloway, who led wire-to-wire in the final, can now claim the status at the top 110-meter hurdler in the world.

Holloway is a three-time world champion in the 110 hurdles and the world record-holder in the 60-meter indoor hurdles.

"This was not redemption at all," Holloway told reporters after the race. "Tokyo was three years ago."

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Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.