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Yoshida and Fuchise Pick up Silver - World University Games Day Four

by Brett Larner

Hurdler Kazuaki Yoshida led the way for the Japanese team on the fourth day of track and field competition at the 2009 World University Games, scoring a silver in the men's 400 m hurdles behind a dominant performance by Australian Tristan Thomas. Thomas clocked 48.75, over a second faster than Yoshida's 49.78. Masumi Fuchise also took silver in the women's 20 km walk as both she and winner Olga Mikhailova of Russia went under the meet record.

Tsukuba University's two entrants in the men's 200 m, Hitoshi Saito and Mitsuhiro Abiko, came up short. Abiko was eliminated in the semifinal, while Saito, obviously in trouble, finished last in the final over two seconds behind the rest of the field.

The men's 5000 m heats brought the day to a close. Komazawa University's Tsuyoshi Ugachi advanced to the final on time, running a conservative race after competing in the 10000 m on Wednesday. Star first-year Akinobu Murasawa of Tokai University, the 2008 national high school 5000 m champion, was a disappointing surprise as he ran only 14:08.31 and failed to move on to the final.

2009 World University Games - Top Finishers
click division headers for complete results
Men's 5000 m - First Round Heats
1. Mirko Petrovic (Serbia) - 13:54.77
2. Boy Moorosi Soke (South Africa) - 13:55.62
3. Diego Borrego (Mexico) - 13:55.85
-----
12. Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Komazawa Univ.) - 14:00.22
16. Akinobu Murasawa (Tokai Univ.) - 14:08.31

Men's 800 m - First Round Heats
1. David Takacs (Hungary) - 1:49.64
2. Lachlan Renshaw (Australia) - 1:50.03
3. Predrag Randjelovic (Serbia) - 1:50.23 - PB
-----
12. Masato Yokota (Japan) - 1:51.15

Men's 400 m Hurdles - Final
1. Tristan Thomas (Australia) - 48.75
2. Kazuaki Yoshida (Japan) - 49.78
3. Michael Bultheel (Belgium) - 49.79

Men's 200 m - Semi-Final
1. Seoud Amr Ibrahim (Egypt) - 20.64
2. Gavin Smellie (Canada) - 20.67
3. Sam Effah (Canada) - 20.75
-----
6. Hitoshi Saito (Tsukuba Univ.) - 20.87
10. Mitsuhiro Abiko (Tsukuba Univ.) - 21.06

Men's 200 m - Final
1. Ramil Guliyev (Azerbaijan) - 20.04 - PB
2. Seoud Amr Ibrahim (Egypt) - 20.52
3. Thuso Mpuang (South Africa) - 20.69
-----
7. Hitoshi Saito (Tsukuba Univ.) - 22.22

Women's 20 km Walk
1. Olga Mikhailova (Russia) - 1:30:43 - MR
2. Masumi Fuchise (Japan) - 1:31:42 - (MR)
3. Olga Povalyaeva (Russia) - 1:33:58

(c) 2009 Brett Larner
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