Kanemaru Takes Gold at World University Games

by Brett Larner

Yuzo Kanemaru wins the men's 400 m at the 2009 World University Games. Click photo for larger version.

What's in a name? Five-time 400 m national champion Yuzo Kanemaru (Hosei Univ.) scored his first world-level title at the 2009 World University Games on July 9th. Kanemaru, whose name can be translated as 'gold circle,' won his heat in each round before taking the final in 45.68, half a second ahead of Austrian Clemens Zeller and Canadian Daniel Harper. In a post-race interview Kanemaru said, "Winning here was the least of my goals, but I'm still feeling it. I don't need any silver or bronze. To me if it isn't gold it doesn't mean anything. This win opens the door to Worlds." Kanemaru will run the 400 m at next month's World Championships in Berlin and hopes to achieve his goal of a sub-45 clocking this season.

Hurdler Kazuaki Yoshida turned in another solid run in the men's 400 m hurdles, finishing 2nd in the semifinal in 50.24. Teammates Mitsuhiko Abiko and Hitoshi Saito (Tsukuba Univ.) got off to a good start in the men's 200 m, Abiko running the 4th-fastest time in the first round of heats and Saito winning his heat. Both likewise advanced through the second round, but Abiko showed signs of the the apparent damage he suffered at last month's National Championships as he finished 5th in his second round heat, just squeezing into the semifinal in the last time-based slot.

2009 World University Games - Top Finishers
click event headers for complete results
Men's 400 m - Final
1. Yuzo Kanemaru (Hosei Univ.) - 45.68
2. Clemens Zeller (Austria) - 46.12
3. Daniel Harper (Canada) - 46.22 - PB

Men's 400 m Hurdles - Semi-Finals
1. Tristan Thomas (Australia) - 50.11
2. Kazuaki Yoshida (Japan) - 50.24
3. Michael Bultheel (Belgium) - 50.46

Men's 200 m - First Round Heats
1. Seoud Amr Ibrahim (Egypt) - 20.79
2. Gavin Smellie (Canada) - 20.92
3. Sam Effah (Canada) - 20.96
4. Mitsuhiro Abiko (Tsukuba Univ.) - 21.16
-----
20. Hitoshi Saito (Tsukuba Univ.) - 21.46

Men's 200 m - Second Round Heats
1. Seoud Amr Ibrahim (Egypt) - 20.73
2. Gavin Smellie (Canada) - 20.75
3. Ramil Guliyev (Azerbaijan) - 20.87
-----
9. Hitoshi Saitoh (Tsukuba Univ.) - 21.06
15. Mitsuhiro Abiko (Tsukuba Univ.) - 21.27

Men's 20 km Walk
1. Sergey Bakulin (Russia) - 1:20:52 - MR
2. Andrey Ruzavin (Russia) - 1:21:08
3. Moacir Zimmermann (Brazil) - 1:21:35
-----
6. Isamu Fujisawa (Japan) - 1:22:12
13. Yusuke Suzuki (Japan) - 1:25:08

Men's High Jump - Final
1. Eduard Malchenko (Russia) - 2.23
2. Michael Mason (Canada) - 2.23
3. Ivan Ilichev (Russia) - 2.20
-----
5. Hiromi Takahari (Japan) - 2.20

Men's Pole Vault - Qualifying Round
1. Konstantinos Filippidis (Greece) - 5.20
2. Alexander Gripich (Russia) - 5.20
3. Tobias Scherbarth (Germany) - 5.20
-----
9. Takafumi Suzuki (Japan) - 5.20
DNS - Hiroki Ogita (Japan)

(c) 2009 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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