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Takahashi and Eriguchi Medal in Belgrade - World University Games Day Two

by Brett Larner

Newly-crowned 100 m national champions Momoko Takahashi (Heisei Kokusai Univ.) and Masashi Eriguchi (Waseda Univ.) missed out on gold but brought home medals on the second day of the 2009 World University Games. Both runners started the day with wins in their semifinals, Eriguchi's 10.28 standing as the fastest time run at this year's Games although well off his 10.07 PB at last month's National Championships. Eriguchi's teammate Shintaro Kimura, the Nationals runner-up, was eliminated in his semifinal. Takahashi ran 11.52 in the women's final to take silver behind Lithuanian Lina Grincikaite's 11.31 gold medal run. Eriguchi took bronze in the men's final in a near-photo finish with winner Rolando Palacios Cruz of Honduras and silver medalist Amr Ibrahim Seoud of Egypt. Takahashi, Eriguchi and Kimura will go on to next month's World Championships in Berlin.

In the day's other track final, the men's 10000 m, medal hopefuls Ryuji Kashiwabara (Toyo Univ.) and Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Komazawa Univ.) ran strongly but came up short of the medals. Both men ran in the lead group of eight, alternating the lead with each other over the first 4 km. In the last stages Kashiwabara slipped off the back of the pack with Ugandan Joseph Chebet. Going into the last lap the remaining six runners broke down to four when Ugachi and Stsiapan Rahautsou of Belarus were unable to match the leaders' kick. The race came down to a four-way sprint finish in which 1st and 4th were only 0.24 seconds apart, South African Sibabalwe Mzazi taking gold in 28:21.44.

Ugachi finished 6th, just 2 seconds off his PB in 28:25.74, with Kashiwabara a disappointing 8th in 28:38.48. Ugachi, who has repeatedly been beaten by Kashiwabara over the last year and a half in domestic championship races, no doubt took some consolation in living up to his words. In an interview following his loss to Kashiwabara at May's Kanto Regional University Track and Field Championships Ugachi had said he was looking forward to the chance to take the younger runner down at the World University Games. Ugachi will double in the 5000 m later this week. For Kashiwabara, who had the second-best PB in the field going into the race, the disappointment will serve as motivation in the upcoming half marathon event.

In other track results, medal contender and five-time national champion Yuzo Kanemaru (Hosei Univ.) comfortably won his semi-final in the men's 400 m to advance to the finals. His teammate Hideyuki Hirose narrowly missed out on advancing after finishing 4th in his semi. Kazuaki Yoshida advanced to the next round in the men's 400 m hurdles after winning his first round heat.

Detailed results coming shortly. In the meantime, complete results are available here.

2009 World University Games - Top Finishers
click division headers for complete results
Men's 10000 m
1. Sibabalwe Mzazi (South Africa) - 28:21.44
2. Denis Mayaud (France) - 28:21.50
3. Lungisa Mdedelwa (South Africa) - 28:21.52
4. Alexey Reunkov (Russia) - 28:21.68 - PB
5. Stsiapan Rahautsou (Belarus) - 28:25.31
6. Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:25.74
7. Joseph Chebet (Uganda) - 28:37.87
8. Ryuji Kashiwabara (Toyo Univ.) - 28:38.48

Women's 100 m - Semi-Finals
1. Lina Grinkaite (Lithuania) - 11.37
2. Tina Murn (Slovenia) - 11.52
3. Maria Aurora Salvagno (Italy) - 11.57
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7. Momoko Takahashi (Heisei Kokusai Univ.) - 11.62

Women's 100 m - Final
1. Lina Grinkaite (Lithuania) - 11.31 - PB
2. Momoko Takahashi (Heisei Kokusai Univ.) - 11.52
3. Sonia Tavares (Portugal) - 11.54

Men's 100 m - Semi-Finals
1. Masashi Eriguchi (Waseda Univ.) - 10.28
2. Seoud Amr Ibrahim (Egypt) - 10.30
3. Rolando Palacios Cruz (Honduras) - 10.32
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12. Shintaro Kimura (Waseda Univ.) - 10.49

Men's 100 m - Final
1. Rolando Palacios Cruz (Honduras) - 10.30
2. Seoud Amr Ibrahim (Egypt) - 10.31
3. Masashi Eriguchi (Waseda Univ.) - 10.33

Men's 400 m - Semi-Finals
1. Christopher Troode (Australia) - 45.79
2. Clemens Zeller (Austria) - 46.33
3. Kacper Kozlowski (Poland) - 46.40
4. Yuzo Kanemaru (Hosei Univ.) - 46.48
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8. Hideyuki Hirose (Hosei Univ.) - 46.84

Men's 400 m Hurdles - 1st Round Heats
1. Micheal Bultheel (Belgium) - 49.78 - PB
2. Jussi Heikkila (Finland) - 50.73
3. Abderrahmane Hamadi (Algeria) - 50.80
4. Viktor Leptikov (Kazakhstan) - 50.99
5. Kazuaki Yoshida (Japan) - 51.15

Women's Long Jump - Final
1. Ivana Spanovic (Serbia) - 6.64
2. Irina Kyrachkova (Russia) - 6.47
3. Ruky Abdulai (Canada) - 6.44
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10. Yoshimi Sato (Japan) - 6.10

(c) 2009 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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