A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising: an MRI sequence controller configured to acquire an ECG signal from a subject; a first imaging execution unit configured to perform an initial, segmented time-SLIP sequence comprising a plurality of data acquisition cycles, wherein each data acquisition cycle comprises applying a labeling radio frequency (RF) pulse to blood flowing into a myocardium of the subject, the labelling RF pulse being applied when an initial trigger delay D1 has expired after a detected R-wave of the ECG signal, each data acquisition cycle further comprising acquiring multiple non-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) data sets for which the time intervals between labeling and acquiring data are different by performing a segmented cine sub-sequence of an imaging area including the myocardium, the segmented cine sub-sequence being started after an initial black-blood time to inversion (BBTI) delay interval D4 from the initial trigger delay D1 and having a duration D2, the first imaging execution unit being configured to start a subsequent data acquisition cycle when a next R-wave is detected after a recovery time delay D3 has expired after the end of said duration D2 and not to start the subsequent data acquisition cycle when the next R-wave is detected during the recovery time delay D3; an identifying unit configured to identify, on the basis of the acquired multiple MR data sets, a time interval taken by the labeled blood to reach a given position in the imaging area; and a second imaging execution unit configured to perform a further time-SLIP sequence, wherein the identified time interval is used as a BBTI delay interval of said further time-SLIP sequence, said further time-SLIP sequence comprising applying a labeling RF pulse to the blood flowing into the myocardium of the subject, and acquiring non-contrast MR data by imaging the imaging area including the myocardium. an MRI sequence controller configured to acquire an ECG signal from a subject; a first imaging execution unit configured to perform an initial, segmented time-SLIP sequence comprising a plurality of data acquisition cycles, wherein each data acquisition cycle comprises applying a labeling radio frequency (RF) pulse to blood flowing into a myocardium of the subject, the labelling RF pulse being applied when an initial trigger delay D1 has expired after a detected R-wave of the ECG signal, each data acquisition cycle further comprising acquiring multiple non-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) data sets for which the time intervals between labeling and acquiring data are different by performing a segmented cine sub-sequence of an imaging area including the myocardium, the segmented cine sub-sequence being started after an initial black-blood time to inversion (BBTI) delay interval D4 from the initial trigger delay D1 and having a duration D2, the first imaging execution unit being configured to start a subsequent data acquisition cycle when a next R-wave is detected after a recovery time delay D3 has expired after the end of said duration D2 and not to start the subsequent data acquisition cycle when the next R-wave is detected during the recovery time delay D3; an identifying unit configured to identify, on the basis of the acquired multiple MR data sets, a time interval taken by the labeled blood to reach a given position in the imaging area; and a second imaging execution unit configured to perform a further time-SLIP sequence, wherein the identified time interval is used as a BBTI delay interval of said further time-SLIP sequence, said further time-SLIP sequence comprising applying a labeling RF pulse to the blood flowing into the myocardium of the subject, and acquiring non-contrast MR data by imaging the imaging area including the myocardium. <EOS>