Takezawa Scores 3000 m PB in Saragossa

by Brett Larner

Beijing Olympian Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B), in Europe to chase after the World Championships A-standard in the 5000 m, tuned up at the Gobierno de Aragon Meet in Saragossa, Spain on July 18. Still on the recovery from a plague of injuries over the last two years, Takezawa scored the first significant result of his three and a half month old pro career with a PB of over 5 seconds in the 3000 m. Takezawa clocked a time of 7:49.26, good enough only for 7th but a mark which puts him in good position to achieve his target of setting a World Championships A-standard time before the Aug. 3 deadline.

Takezawa, who has a 5000 m PB of 13:19.00, needs the A-standard to join the Berlin team alongside his teammate Yuichiro Ueno, who has already been guaranteed a spot after both setting a B-standard time and winning this year's National Championships 5000 m. Also in the hunt for an A-standard in Europe is Takezawa's great university rival Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin). Should Takezawa and Sato both succeed in earning A-standard times the Japanese 5000 m squad in Berlin will be made up of the three best young runners the country has produced in recent years.

Click here for complete results from the Gobierno de Aragon Meet.

2009 Gobierno de Aragon Meet - Men's 3000 m Top Finishers
1. Josephat Kiprono Menjo (Kenya) - 7:44.15 - PB
2. Jesus Espana Cobo (Spain) - 7:44.49
3. Francisco Javier Alves Vas (Spain) - 7:45.30 - PB
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7. Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) - 7:49.26 - PB

(c) 2009 Brett Larner
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