IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

World Athletics U18 Championships

Barbora Malikova in the 400m at the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

Ciara Mageean of Ireland and and Rowena Cole of Great Britain in action

Kevona Davis in the 100m at the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

Watching Yaroslava Mahuchikh compete in the girls' high jump final at the World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017, many probably assumed she had been jumping since she was a young child.
Actually, she has not. Far from it.
&ldquo;I started with the high jump when I was 13,&rdquo; said the Ukrainian, who is only 15 now. And she is now the world U18 champion, and an impressive one at that.
She took the title in Nairobi with an outdoor world age-15 best of 1.92m, equalling the championship record and jumping a full 10 centimetres higher than anyone else, the biggest winning margin in the history of the championships.
And that came in her first major international event. &ldquo;I have only competed outside of Ukraine in international matches before,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;This was my first major championship event. I honestly did not expect to do so well. I'm just very happy that I represented Ukraine well and got my best result here.&rdquo;
That championship record she equalled was set back in 2003 by another Ukrainian, Irina Kovalenko. The country has had great success in the high jump, with six women who have cleared at least two metres, including 1999 world champion Inga Babakova and an even more illustrious list of male jumpers, from Valeriy Brumel to Vladimir Yashchenko to Bogdan Bondarenko.
Has the country discovered a high jumping magic formula?
&ldquo;There is no secret to our success,&rdquo; says Mahuchikh. &ldquo;It all comes from training. Preparation and positive mental approach are the most important things.&rdquo;
But even with so many stars coming from her home country, Mahuchikh says if there is one jumper she is looking up to, it is Maria Lasitskene.
&ldquo;I really like the way she jumps, and I actually think we are similar in a way.&rdquo; And it is true; in some ways, the Ukrainian looks like a younger version of the world champion, with a similar body type and jumping style.
Despite the fact she is already the third best U20 athlete in the world this year and the second best in Europe, she will not be competing at the European U20 Championships taking place in Grosseto, Italy this week. &ldquo;My main remaining goal for this year is the European Youth Olympic Festival in Hungary,&rdquo; she said.
Even looking to next year, Mahuchikh is still keen to focus on competitions within the U18 age group. &ldquo;I want to go to the European U18 Championships and win there,&rdquo; she said. Asked about the World U20 Championships, she only answers with a &ldquo;maybe&rdquo;.
Training in Dnipro, Ukraine&rsquo;s third largest city, with her coach Tatyana Stepanova has obviously been working well for her. Makhuchikh has already improved her best by 16 centimetres this year. Is a two-metre clearance possible, perhaps even next year?
&ldquo;I don't know,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We will just have to see what happens.&rdquo;
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF

Watching Yaroslava Mahuchikh compete in the girls' high jump final at the World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017, many probably assumed she had been jumping since she was a young child.

Precocious newcomer Mahuchikh aims to progress one step at a time

With 10 sets of medals on the line on the final day of the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017, there was plenty of excitement for the 60,000 capacity crowd in the Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.
There was much to cheer about for the crowd, with two more golds for the home team to make up for the disappointments of the previous day, plus the fastest girls' 100m hurdles race ever.
Jackline Wambui was the winner of the girls' 800m final with a world-U18-leading time of 2:01.46 after running the second lap within one minute. Lydia Jeruto Lagat, the fastest entrant in these championships, finished just behind her in a PB of 2:02.06.
Hirut Meshesha of Ethiopia was in front on the first lap, reaching 400 metres in 1:01.53, with Wambui on her shoulder throughout. But then &ndash; having learnt from the mistakes of their teammates in the boys&rsquo; 800m final on Saturday &ndash; the two Kenyans made their move at the 500-metre mark and the Ethiopian had no response.
Wambui maintained the lead throughout, and although Lagat tried to attack on the home straight, she was unable to make an impression on the leader. Meshesha held on to take third place, although a long way between the top two, reaching the line in 2:06.32.
There was a similar story of Kenyan dominance in the boys' 2000m steeplechase final. Leonard Kipkemoi Bett and Cleophas Kandie Meyan ran away from the field early and it was just a matter of which of the Kenyans would take the gold. It was Bett who held the lead in the latter part of the race and he won in 5:32.52, with Meyan second in 5:33.07.
The two Ethiopians were left to fight it out for the bronze medal. Alemu Kitessa took it with 5:42.10, pulling away on the last lap to finish more than three-and-a-half seconds ahead of his compatriot Girma Diriba.
It was a different story, however, in the boys' 3000m. Kenya and Ethiopia were once again fighting it out between themselves, as only the four athletes from those two nations were left in front one kilometre from the finish. Ethiopia's Milkesa Mengesha tried a move on the penultimate lap, but after he appeared to be pulling away, the leading group bunched up again. Some 200 metres from the finish it was first the Kenyans &ndash; Edward Zakayo and Stanley Mburu Waithaka &ndash; then the other Ethiopian, Selemon Barega, who started their kicks.
World U20 champion Barega proved to be the one with the most speed and he took the win comfortably in 7:47.16 after a last kilometre of 2:26. Zakayo followed in 7:49.17 and Waithaka took the bronze with 7:50.64.
<h3>Anderson flies like the wind</h3>
Britany Anderson of Jamaica took gold in the girls' 100m hurdles final with 12.72, the fastest ever run by a U18 athlete, albeit assisted by a strong tail wind of 4.1m/s. A technically solid performance and swift running between the barriers took her to a time 0.22 faster than the world U18 best, although of course ineligible for recognition as a world U18 best.
Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France, who beat Anderson's world-leading performance in the semifinals the previous day, looked on course for a win in the final, but a stumble over a hurdle cost her the gold. She did, however, reach the line in second place in 12.80. The second Jamaican, Daszay Freeman, took the bronze, well behind the top two, with 13.09.
In what was a thrilling finish to the action this evening, Brazil, anchored by 400m finalist Bruno Benedito da Silva, won the mixed 4x400m relay to take its only gold of the week. The Brazilians prevailed in 3:21.71, ahead of the more favoured Jamaican and South African teams, with individual champion Antonio Watson unable to make up the deficit and reaching the finish in 3:22.23.
South Africa, with individual gold medallists from the boys' and girls' 400m hurdles and the boys' 200m all on the team, came through for the bronze in 3:24.45, closely followed by Kenya in 3:24.92.
Talea Prepens earned Germany&rsquo;s first ever gold medal in a flat sprint event at the World U18 Championships when winning the girls' 200m. A late charge took her past Spain's Jael Bestue to cross the finish line first in 23.51. The Spaniard took the silver in 23.61. Mizgin Ay, the Turkish winner of the 100m, started well and faded somewhat towards the end, but held on to take another medal, a bronze this time, in 23.76. Lorraine Martins of Brazil took fourth, just as she had in the 100m.
Despite a headwind of -0.7m/s, all three medallists set personal bests.
<h3>Another 1-2 for South African sprinters</h3>
The boys' 200m final was something of a repeat of the 100m, with the same two South African athletes fighting it out for the lead.
The order, however, was reversed this time, as Retshidisitswe Mlenga powered past Tshenolo Lemao to take the win in 21.03. Lemao was not far behind with 21.12, while Luis Brandner took another sprint medal for Germany, taking third place with 21.23.
Cuba&rsquo;s Marisleisys Duarthe, holder of the world U18 best, produced the expected dominant performance in the girls' javelin. After starting off with 57.83m and 57.90m to take a clear lead, she went much farther still with 62.92m in the third round, a distance which no U18 athlete apart from herself has ever bettered with the 500g implement.
Well behind the winner, there was a fierce battle for the minor medals. Dai Qianqian of China was in third for most of the competition, first with 53.55m from round three, then improving to 54.96m in round five, but a final throw of 57.01m by her compatriot Cai Qing relegated her to bronze. Julia Ulbricht of Germany finished just short of a medal with her final-round effort of 54.77m.
Gong Luying won gold for China in the girls' long jump with a consistent series of jumps, topped by 6.37m in the fourth round.
The other medals were decided even later in the competition. Lea-Sophie Klik came through for Germany with a wind-assisted 6.30m in round five to take silver. France's Diane Mouillac had a major improvement on her final jump and the 6.28m she achieved proved just enough to steal the bronze away from Latvia's Kitija Paula Melnbarde by virtue of a longer second-best jump in the competition.
Swirling wind made it difficult for the pole vaulters to reach top heights. There was a victory for the favourite, Matthias Orban of France, the only one to clear 5.00m. He did it on his third attempt, after already being in the lead from Christos Tamanis of Cyprus, the only other athlete left at that height.
Tamanis took the silver with 4.85m, while of the two athletes who ended the competition with 4.70m, Ilya Kravchenko of Ukraine prevailed on countback to take the bronze from the German Daniel Breinl.
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF

With 10 sets of medals on the line on the final day of the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017, there was plenty of excitement for the 60,000 capacity crowd in the Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.

Double delight for Kenya on final day of IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

After missing out to Ethiopia in most of the distance races at the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017, Kenya won the one gold medal they would have wanted more than any other, with Leonard Bett charging to victory in the boys' 2000m steeplechase final on Sunday (16).
Locked in a battle against compatriot Cleophas Meyan all the way to the line, Bett won a sprint finish in 5:32.52, much to the delight of the large crowd which turned out on the last day of action at the five-day showpiece.
Meyan took the silver medal in 5:33.07, chopping nearly three seconds off his personal best, and Ethiopia's Alemu Kitessa came through for bronze in 5:42.10.
&ldquo;The race went as planned and I'm happy our strategy for me to kick in the last 200m worked well,&rdquo; Bett said.
&ldquo;We were not worried about the Ethiopians at all.&rdquo;
It was Kenya's eighth victory in the boys' steeplechase at 10 editions of these championships.
&ldquo;The fans were awesome. They really motivated us,&rdquo; added the gold medallist.
&ldquo;We had to maintain the tradition of steeplechase as a race.&rdquo;
Wesley Botton for the IAAF

After missing out to Ethiopia in most of the distance races at the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017, Kenya won the one gold medal they would have wanted more than any other, with Leonard Bett charging to victory in the boys' 2000m steeplechase final on Sunday (16).

Report: boys' 2000m steeplechase – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

Ethiopia stunned the hosts with a superb middle-distance performance on Sunday (16), with Selemon Barega producing a smart tactical race to win the boys' 3000m final at a packed Kasarani Stadium.
As expected, the race evolved into a four-way battle between the Kenyan and Ethiopian contingents after Ugandan Oscar Chelimo was dropped midway through the contest.
Starting an early drive for home with three laps remaining, Ethiopia's Milkesa Mengesha tried to drop his opponents and opened a small gap.
The chasing trio were able to close him down, however, and world U20 champion Barega drew clear down the finishing straight to win in 7:47.16.
"My strategy was to kick in the last 200m, which went according to plan," said Barega, who earlier this month clocked 12:55.58 for 5000m.
"I intend to compete in more races around the world at any given opportunity to better my time."
The capacity Kenyan crowd were ultimately rewarded for the immense support they showed their athletes as they bolted around the track, with Edward Zakayo grabbing the silver medal in 7:49.17 and Stanley Waithaka taking bronze in 7:50.64.
Mengesha faded in the latter stages to settle for fourth place in 7:55.29, and though he missed out on a medal he managed to clock a personal best, as did all three boys who reached the podium.
Wesley Botton for the IAAF

Ethiopia stunned the hosts with a superb middle-distance performance on Sunday (16), with Selemon Barega producing a smart tactical race to win the boys' 3000m final at a packed Kasarani Stadium.

Report: boys' 3000m – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

Gong Luying took China's third girls' long jump gold in the history of the World U18 Championships with a consistent series of jumps headed by a best of 6.37m. Gong, who entered the final with the best performance this year, added a further two centimetres to her best.
In a close competition for the other medals, Lea-Sophie Klik took the silver for Germany with awind-assisted 6.30m. Diane Mouillac of France finished third with 6.28m, a personal best by 24 centimetres, just ahead of Latvia's Kitija Paula Melnbarde, who lost out on a medal on countback.
Swirling winds, ranging from -2.7m/s to 2.9m/s, made things tricky for the jumpers. Some, however, coped well with the conditions.
Melnbarde of Latvia reached 6.28m, a personal best by 21 centimetres, in round one to take a clear lead. Only Gong was able to get close in round two with 6.24m. The Chinese then did even better on her third jump, reaching 6.29m to move into the lead by a single centimetre. In the same round, Klik improved to 6.20m to move into the bronze medal position.
As it turned out, there were many more good jumps to come in the second half of the final. First the Chinese improved further in round four to extend her lead with a 6.37m. Then came a 6.30m (2.2m/s) from Klik to move into silver with her fifth jump.
Finally, on her last jump, Mouillac, only fifth up to that point with a best of 6.09m, reached 6.28m. This equalled Melnbarde's best, but as the Latvian's second-best jump was only 6.00m, it was Mouillac who would make the podium.
Gong closed out the competition in style with a jump of 6.34m, the second best distance of the competition to confirm her gold was a well-deserved one.
Following gold medals in the pole vault and triple jump, China made history by becoming the first nation to win three girls&rsquo; jumps events at one World U18 Championships.
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF

Gong Luying took China's third girls' long jump gold in the history of the World U18 Championships with a consistent series of jumps headed by a best of 6.37m. Gong, who entered the final with the best performance this year, added a further two centimetres to her best.

Report: girls' long jump – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

Matthias Orban of France lived up to expectations on Sunday (16) by dominating the boys' pole vault final on the last day of the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017.
Having entered the competition with a 5.12m personal best, Orban was the only athlete in the field to clear 5.00m, which was more than enough to clinch the title.
&ldquo;It was a good experience and atmosphere that made the competition interesting,&rdquo; Orban said.
&ldquo;The crowds were fantastic and the cheering kept pushing me to do better.&rdquo;
Christos Tamanis of Cyprus added five centimetres to his personal best to secure the silver medal with a 4.85m performance.
Matching his career record, Illya Kravchenko of Ukraine made it over at 4.70m, edging out Germany's Daniel Breinl on countback to scoop bronze.
In perhaps the biggest surprise of the competition, South Africa's Valco van Wyk settled for fifth position with 4.55m, which was 45 centimetres short of his personal best.
Wesley Botton for the IAAF

Matthias Orban of France lived up to expectations on Sunday (16) by dominating the boys' pole vault final on the last day of the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017.

Report: boys' pole vault – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

Britany Anderson of Jamaica ran 12.72, the fastest ever 100m hurdles time by an U18 athlete, in winning the final.
Although she was helped by a 4.1m/s following wind, Anderson&rsquo;s time was so much quicker than the world U18 best of 12.94 set by compatriot YaniqueThompson, she could well have been capable of breaking that mark in legal conditions.
Taking silver behind the Jamaican was Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France with 12.80, also significantly faster than the world U18 best of 12.94. Anderson's teammate Daszay Freeman finished third in 13.09.
Anderson came to these championships as the fastest in the world with a best of 13.04. This performance, however, was bettered by Samba-Mayela in yesterday's semifinals with 12.98, so it was no surprise to see these two fight it out for gold in the final.
Samba-Mayela looked to be pulling away from her Jamaican rival, but then lost her momentum after hitting a hurdle late in the race. She recovered her momentum well, but the race was lost. Anderson took the win by a clear 0.08 margin.
There was a significant gap to Freeman, who never looked like she could threaten the top two, but made it two medals for her country. Yoveini Mota of Venezuela took fourth place, again well behind Freeman with 13.28, and the second French athlete, Mathilde Coquillaud Salomon, finished fifth in 13.37.
Sevval Ayaz of Turkey, looking like a possible contender after a 13.20 in the semifinals, was a non-finisher after a heavy fall early on in the race.
&ldquo;This gold medal means so much for me, because I have trained very hard this season,&rdquo; the happy winner said after the race. &ldquo;I had a knee injury, but this win made me confident. You can achieve anything you focus on.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It was an incredible race, although I am not so happy with it,&rdquo; said Samba-Mayela. &ldquo;I touched several hurdles on the way and it affected my position.&rdquo;
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF

Britany Anderson of Jamaica ran 12.72, the fastest ever 100m hurdles time by an U18 athlete, in winning the final.

Report: girls' 100m hurdles – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

In the final event of the championships, it was not the hosts Kenya, or indeed the sprint superpowers Jamaica or South Africa who would have the last laugh, but outsiders Brazil who controlled the race from start to finish to win in 3:21.71.
They were given a strong start by Bruno Benedito da Silva, who powered through the opening lap and handed over to teammate Giovana Rosalia dos Santos with an advantage over Kenya, who also elected to run a boy on their opening leg.
However, both teams had girls on the second leg, and it was no surprise to see them being closed down by the charge of Jamaica&rsquo;s Anthony Cox, who brought his team up to second at the halfway mark.
All seven teams elected to run girls on the third leg, at the end of which Brazil held a 15-metre advantage over Jamaica thanks to a strong run by Jessica Vitoria Moreira. Their anchor-man Alison Brendom dos Santos powered through the opening 200 metres, intent not to allow the chasing Antonio Watson of Jamaica a chance to close the advantage.
While the gap narrowed approaching the line, it wasn&rsquo;t nearly enough for the Jamaicans, and Brazil crossed the line in 3:21.71 more than half a second clear of Jamaica (3:22.23).
South Africa&rsquo;s 400m hurdles champion Sokwakhana Zazini unleashed a fantastic finish on the anchor leg to sweep past Kenya&rsquo;s David Sanayek to take bronze, 3:24.45 to 3:24.92. Ukraine took fifth with 3:28.14.
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

In the final event of the championships, it was not the hosts Kenya, or indeed the sprint superpowers Jamaica or South Africa who would have the last laugh, but outsiders Brazil who controlled the race from start to finish to win in 3:21.71.


Report: mixed 4x400m – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

South Africa stormed to another one-two in the 200m final on Sunday, though 100m medallists Retshidisitswe Mlenga and Tshenolo Lemao swapped positions, closing out the nation's dominance in the boys' short-sprint events at the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017.
It&rsquo;s the first &ndash; and last &ndash; time that one nation has managed a 1-2 in both the 100m and 200m at the IAAF World U18 Championships.
Mlenga, who had taken silver in the 100m earlier in the week, won the gold medal in 21.03.
"I came in very focused, having made a mistake in the 100m final, which is my favourite race," Mlenga said.
"I followed my coach's instructions and I'm very happy to have won a gold medal."
Lemao, the 100m champion, covered the half-lap distance in 21.12 to take second place, clipping 0.06 off his personal best.
After settling for eighth in the 100m final, Germany's Luis Brandner earned the bronze medal in 21.23 to equal his career record.
Wesley Botton for the IAAF

South Africa stormed to another one-two in the 200m final on Sunday, though 100m medallists Retshidisitswe Mlenga and Tshenolo Lemao swapped positions, closing out the nation's dominance in the boys' short-sprint events at the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017.

Report: boys' 200m – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

It was a dominant performance by the two Kenyan girls in the 800m final, with Jackline Wambui taking the gold in 2:01.46, equalling the world U18 lead, and her teammate Lydia Jeruto Lagat second in a PB of 2:02.06.
The two home nation athletes left their rivals a long way behind in the two-lap race, with the bronze medallist, Hirut Meshesha of Ethiopia, clocking 2:06.32.
&ldquo;I feel great after the race,&rdquo; the winner said. &ldquo;Coming into the final, I was thinking of nothing but a win.&rdquo;
Lagat was not disappointed with silver. &ldquo;I am overjoyed,&rdquo; she stated. &ldquo;My teammate ran a good race. She pushed me and I managed to attain a personal best.&rdquo;
It was Lagat who had entered the event with the fastest performance this season, but she was beaten by Wambui at the national U18 championships, so it was unclear which one of the Kenyans was the favourite.
Meshesha was the one who took it out on the first lap, with Wambui right on her shoulder throughout. The first lap took 1:01.53 for the leader, but it got even faster in the second half. The two home-nation athletes made the decisive move at the 500-metre mark, moving past the Ethiopian with ease. Within 100 metres, they were already several metres ahead and kept pulling farther away from their rivals.
Wambui was the one in the lead from the moment the Kenyans moved ahead. She maintained the lead through the final curve to enter the home straight in first place. Lagat refused to give up and tried to attack in the final 100 metres, but it was all in vain. Wambui pulled ahead again and crossed the finish line first in 2:01.46, more than five seconds faster than she had ever run before. The winner covered the final lap within one minute, an amazing feat for an U18 athlete.
Lagat was rewarded for her effort with a silver medal and a personal best of 2:02.06.
There was then a big gap back to third, with Meshesha taking bronze nearly five seconds behind the winner, although she, in turn, was more than two seconds ahead of the fourth-placed Milena Korbut of Poland, who reached the line in 2:08.45, with Chaimae Ismaili of Morocco in fifth with 2:09.78.
Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF

It was a dominant performance by the two Kenyan girls in the 800m final, with Jackline Wambui taking the gold in 2:01.46, equalling the world U18 lead, and her teammate Lydia Jeruto Lagat second in a PB of 2:02.06.

Report: girls' 800m – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

Marisleisys Duarthe could have retired from the girls&rsquo; javelin final after the first round and she would have still walked away with the gold medal. But the Cuban continued churning out big throws round after round in an effort to improve on her own world U18 best of 65.44m.
Ultimately she was a couple of metres short of that mark, but she was rewarded with a championship record of 62.92m &ndash; a distance no other U18 girl in history has ever achieved.
She opened with 57.83m and improved on that with 57.90m in round two. Her winning throw came in round three; as soon as her spear landed comfortably beyond the 60-metre line, it was clear that the championship record was living on borrowed time. Moments later, the scoreboard confirmed it: her 62.92m added one metre and 45 centimetres to the previous record set by Australia&rsquo;s Mackenzie Little in 2013.
Although she didn&rsquo;t throw beyond 60 metres again, she rounded out her series with solid efforts of 55.45m, 54.05m and 58.82m, securing Cuba&rsquo;s first world U18 javelin title.
As expected, Chinese duo Cai Qing and Dai Qianqian provided her stiffest opposition. It took a while for them to hit top form, though.
Cai was in fifth place going into the sixth round, but managed to pull out a 57.01m effort with her final throw.
Dai went from ninth to second with her 53.55m throw in round three, narrowly missing the half-way cut off. She consolidated her position in round five with a 54.96m effort before being overtaken by her teammate in round six.
Germany&rsquo;s Julia Ulbricht had been in the bronze medal position from the third round onwards with 53.15m before being bumped out of the medals by Cai. Ulbricht had just one chance with which to respond, and she improved to a PB of 54.77m with her final effort, but it fell just short of a podium position.
Duarthe&rsquo;s teammate Melissa Hernandez was in second place after two rounds, but eventually finished fifth.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Marisleisys Duarthe could have retired from the girls’ javelin final after the first round and she would have still walked away with the gold medal. But the Cuban continued churning out big throws round after round in an effort to improve on her own world U18 best of 65.44m.

Report: girls' javelin – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

Being the youngest in the field didn&rsquo;t deter Talea Prepens, nor did the fact that it was just the sixth 200m final of her fledgling career. The 15-year-old produced her second PB of the championships to win the girls&rsquo; 200m title in 23.51, becoming Germany&rsquo;s first winner of a world U18 title in a flat sprint event.
Having won her heat and semifinal, the latter in a PB of 23.64, Prepens lined up for the final as the fastest in the field. Drawn in lane five, she had 100m champion Mizgin Ay in the lane outside of her and 100m silver medallist Magdalena Stefanowicz further round the bend in lane eight.
Prepens was not intimidated, though. She trailed Ay and Spain&rsquo;s Jael Bestue, in lane four, coming off the bend, but maintained her form well. She soon passed Ay and then overtook Bestue with about 40 metres remaining, running through the line in 23.51.
Bestue finished second in a PB of 23.61, while Ay also set a lifetime best to take bronze, the Turk crossing the line in 23.76.
Brazil&rsquo;s Lorraine Martins replicated her finish from the 100m, once again finishing fourth.
&ldquo;Running on such a big stage is a big experience for me,&rdquo; said Prepens, who would have been too young to compete in Nairobi had she been born just four days later. &ldquo;I feel good having won a gold medal and I&rsquo;m looking forward to more such opportunities in future.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Being the youngest in the field didn’t deter Talea Prepens, nor did the fact that it was just the sixth 200m final of her fledgling career. The 15-year-old produced her second PB of the championships to win the girls’ 200m title in 23.51, becoming Germany’s first winner of a world U18 title in a flat sprint event.

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