Liu Feiliang (CHN) (© Getty Images)
The 8th National University Games concluded today in Guangzhou, China. As in the past this meeting, last held in September 2004 in Shanghai, it attracted many elite athletes to compete. The competition is held in two divisions with the sports universities in Division 2 and the universities of each province competing in Division 1. The meeting was held 19-25 July.
DIVISION TWO – Sports universities
Men
The most notable result of the meeting was the national record in the men’s Pole Vault. The record holder, with 5.70m in Eugene 2005, Liu Feiliang, had been struggling a bit lately, but was on fire in Guangzhou. He bettered his season best of 5.45m three times, 5.52m , 5.62m and a second time clearance at the national record height of 5.71m to win the competition before making three unsuccessful attempts at 5.80m. The World Junior Championships silver medallist from Beijing 2006, Yang Yansheng, was second with a 5.42m result.
Li Runrun, who set a 8.22m personal best earlier in July, didn’t have to push himself too much taking an easy win in the division two long jump with a 7.70m jump (7.81m qualification). In a high class Triple Jump Zhu Shujing recorded his first 17m jump of the year with a 17.01m winning leap. Gu Junjie was second at 16.93m.
In the Decathlon the only Chinese to score 8000 points, Qi Haifeng, was only competing to win. He renewed his Decathlon title from the 2004 meet with a low score of 6857 with another favourite, Hong Qingyang, not completing the 10 events.
One of the Race Walking stars of China, 18-year-old Li Gaobo, who was second at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Shenzen with a 1:19:03 season best in March, took the 10000m title in 40:51.75, but had to surrender in hot weather to third place with a 1:29:55.71 time in the 20,000m track walk. This race was won by Zhang Xuezhi, who could only finish fifth in the 10,000m and has a very modest 1:25:50 personal best in the 20km road walk from the same Shenzen meet in March.
The 400m Hurdles title was again taken by Meng Yan. The 26-year-old ran 49.84 in 2004 and now won with almost the same time, 49.85. Shi Dongpeng, already with a 13.24 personal best this season, was a close winner over the 110m Hurdles. Shi had run a commanding 13.63 heat against a strong headwind with second best clocking 14.44 in the heats, but only won 13.79 against 13.81 by 19-year-old Yin Jing in the final, a big personal best for the youngster.
Zhang Peimeng took the 100m/200m titles, but had to fight a strong headwind in both finals winning in modest times of 10.46 and 21.24.
Women
In the women’s division 2 the fastest marathon runner Zhou Chunxiu ran both 5000m and 10000m. Zhou, both events were run in hot weather of more than 30 degrees celsius and the finishing time was never a big factor. Zhou won the 5000m in 16:06.11, but was surprisingly beaten in the 10000m by Zhu Yanmei who set a season’s best 33:06.07 to win the in the final sprint before Zhou’s 33:09.60.
The best women’s result of the meet came in the women’s 400m hurdles where Huang Xiaoxiao won the race by more than two seconds with a season’s best 54.83s. Junior pole vaulter Zhang Yingzhu won her event with a 4.31m clearance also making one unsuccesful attempt at 4.45m height.
Li Ling bettered her season’s best in the shot put with 19.00m result winning before the reigning champion Li Meiju who was second at 18.36m.
The best Chinese walkers were competing, but again the hot weather was a reason for slow times. Jiang Jing, 1:30:22 walker this season, won the 5000m in 22:15.10 and Shi Na was the best over 10000m in 46:01.31.
DIVISION ONE – Provincial universities
Men
Wen Yongyi set a fast personal best in the 100m clocking 10.28. The 400m final was also of a high standard one with 19-year-old Liu Xiaosheng clocking a second career sub-46 seconds race with a 45.87 winning time. Wang Xiaoxu was second with a 46.28 personal best.
In the High Jump, 2006 World Junior champion Huang Haiqiang did only what was needed for the win. He quit the competition having cleared 2.22m and with no other competitiors left.
Su Xiongfeng won the Long Jump with a personal best 7.93m result and Wu Bo, already with a 17.03m personal best in June, won the triple jump with a wind assisted 17.09m result (+2.5). Wu recorded a rare six measured jumps in the competition and jumped twice over 17m with the third best jump being 16.93m.
Women
Liu Qing was a double winner over 800m and 1500m retaking her 2004 title in the 1500m race. Liu Qing won the 800m in 2:05.23 and 1500m in 4:12.34. Only 16.year-old Liu Nian was second in the 1500m with a big personal best 4:13.45.
17-year-old Yang Mingxia was the winner of the 5000m walk in 21:49.51.
This competition was probably a big reason why the best Chinese will not be competing at the Asian Championships. There was too little time left before the National Championships which will be held in Shijiazhuang on the first weekend of August.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
