Shuhei Tada won the men's 100 meters at the national championships Friday, booking his ticket for the Tokyo Olympics along with national record holder Ryota Yamagata as two of Japan's three slots for the race were confirmed.

Tada crossed in 10.15 seconds before 5,000 spectators at Osaka's Yanmar Stadium for his first national title, while Yamagata, who set the national record of 9.95 on June 6, logged 10.27 to finish third. The pair secured their Olympic berths as they had already cleared the qualifying standard of 10.05 before the race.

Shuhei Tada (L) reacts after winning the men's 100-meter final and earning an Olympic berth at the national athletics championships at Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka on June 25, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Bruno Dede came second in 10.19 but has yet to run under 10.05, while Yuki Koike, who has posted a time of 9.98 in the 100, was a close fourth and remains a strong candidate for the final spot.

"I was betting my fate on this race. I was lacking form at the start of spring but I'm glad to have picked up," said a tearful Tada, who earned his first ticket to the Olympics. "There weren't many races I came first, so I'm really happy."

Yoshihide Kiryu and Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, who have run 9.98 and 9.97, respectively, finished fifth and sixth to miss out on the Olympic 100 meters as Tada delivered his trademark blistering start and clung to his lead.

"The level (of fellow runners) was so high that I was almost scared, so I'm happy it ended this way," said Tada, who had run 10.01 when Yamagata set the record earlier in the month.

"My strength is the start so I hope to get out of the pack and show my acceleration in the latter half of the race at the Olympics."

Yamagata pipped Koike to third by the tiniest of margins and was relieved to accomplish his mission, a third straight Olympic ticket.

"I wanted to win, to be honest. But I knew it was going to be a tough race and I'm happy to have clinched my spot," Yamagata said. "I want to renew my record and get to the final (at the Olympics)."

Haruka Kitaguchi punched her ticket to the Olympics in the women's javelin after the national record holder threw 61.49 meters to win her second national title.

Shuhei Tada (far L) runs on his way to winning the men's 100-meter final and earning an Olympic berth at the national athletics championships at Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka on June 25, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo