Halil Akkas of Turkey refreshed the 26-year-old Universiade record in men's 3,000m steeplechase with a gold medal here in Bangkok on Monday.
Akkas set the new record at 8 minutes 20.83 seconds. He slowed his steps five meters away from the finish line and started cheering to the crowd.
The previous record of 8:21.26 was made by American John Gregorek at the Bucharest Universiade in 1981.
Kenya's Barnabas Kirui finished second in 8:22.67 followed by Ion Luchianov of Moldova.
The talented Turkish runner has just won the men's 5,000m gold medal last night on the same track.
Meanwhile, Portuguese female runner Jessica Augusto grabbed the gold medal in 5,000m race in a new games record of 15:28.78, contributing the first athletics title to her motherland.
Ukraine's Tetyana Holovchenko finished second in 15:40.56, and Elizaveta Grechishnikova of Russia was third 10 seconds behind.
The first case of sharing medals in athletics took place in the women's high jump this afternoon, when German jumper Ariane Friedrich and Anna Ustinova from Kazakhstan got the silver medal apiece, as both cleared the height of 1.90 meter in the first attempt.
Another Kazak jumper Marina Aitova was much luckier than her teammate, when she claimed the title in 1.92m.
Men's decathlon, the most challenging and tough event in athletics, also greeted its champion tonight, when German's Jacob Minah won the title in a personal best of 8,099 points after three days of fierce competition.
Hans Van Alphen from Belgium took the second place in his personal best of 8,047 points, and Carlos Eduardo Bezerra of Brazil finished third in 7,920.
Interestingly, all the decathlon athletes jogged along the track together happily after the last event today concluded.
There was no loser in decathlon, said one of the competitors.
In the other track competitions, Tatyana Azarova of Kazakhstan won the second athletics title for her country today in women's 400m hurdles in 55.52 seconds, while Ukraine's female runner Iryna Shtangyeyeva became the champion for women's 200m in 22.95.
Also on the track, South Africa took the men's 400m hurdles gold medal when Petrus Koekemoer first surged across the line in 49.06, and Egyptian sprinter Amr Seowd grabbed the men's 200m gold in 20.74.
The only gold in the field competition was taken by Olga Saladukha of Ukraine, when the jumper cleared 14.79 meters in women's triple jump.
Tomorrow will be the last competition day for athletics, 10 gold medals are on stake.
Source: Xinhua
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