Men Javelin 
Throw Final

Poland’s Igor 
Janik had this event sewn up from the start as he threw the winning distance of 
74.16 metres with his very first attempt and was unable to improve on this 
distance with his remaining five attempts, the last of which he fouled.

But that 
first big throw was all it took to win by a narrow margin of 7 centimetres from 
Russia’s Vladislav Shkurlatov, who improved to a personal best of 74.09 metres 
with his first throw to take silver ahead of Korea’s Sang-Jin Jung, who was the 
bronze medallist thanks to his first effort of 73.99 metres, once again a 
personal best.

Men Javelin Throw Final

Men 4 x 400 
metres Relay Final

With the 
Jamaican women’s team finishing our of the medal’s it was down to the Jamaican 
men to save the hosts’ honour in the final event of this 9th edition 
of the IAAF/Coca Cola World Junior Championships.

And the 
though they did not win, the Reggae boys gave a great display of courage to take 
a hard-earned silver and save the day with a national junior record.

Running for 
the hosts in the first leg, Sekou Clarke got off well in a well balanced field 
that included Kenneth Ferguson of the USA, Fujio 
Yamauchi&nbsp; 
for Japan and Miroslaw Sadej for Poland.

Coming up for 
the first exchange, Jamaica and the USA held a slight lead over the rest of the 
teams and Usain Bolt for Jamaica and Darold Williamson got away well. But as the 
leg progressed and the runners were able to fall out of their lanes, it became 
obvious that the young Jamaican giant had already given most of what he had to 
give in the earlier 4 x 100 relay, where he had run Jamaica’s anchor leg.

Coming up&nbsp; to 
the third exchange Williamson held a three metre lead and the Americans had a 
cleaner exchange as Williamson handed over to Ashton Collins.

Jermaine 
Myers took the stick from Bolt and was off in hot pursuit, followed by Yuki 
Yamaguchi &nbsp;(JPN) and Daniel Mazurek (POL).

But for the 
roaring crowd this was a two horse race as the US and Jamaica battled it out on 
the straight to the last exchange.

Last leg 
runner Jonathan Fortenberry for the US took the baton and was away with a 7-8 
metre headstart on the Jamaican anchor Jermaine Gonzales, who try as he may was 
unable to make it back to the American, despite closing the US lead down to 4 
metres as Fortenberry crossed the line in 3:03.71. Gonzales finished for Jamaica 
in a national junior record time of 3:04.06 and Yosuke Inoue came in third for 
Japan in an Asian junior record of 3:05.80.

In 5th 
position, the French team recorded a national junior record time of 3:07.26.

Men 4x 400 metres Relay Final

Women 1500 
metres Final

In a 
thrilling 1500 metres final that saw the lead change several times, Viola 
Kibiwot ran a personal best performance of 4:12.57 to take the honours for 
Kenya.

At the start, 
it was Inna Poluskina of Latvia who made the first break, stepping up the pace 
100 metres into the race and breaking away from the pack, followed by Great 
Britain’s Lisa Dobriskey. The Latvian’s lead was not to last for long, as 
Dobriskey took command of the race to take the leaders through 400 metres in 
1:07.09, with the Latvian dropping back, it was the Kenyan duo of Viola Kibiwot 
and Pamela Kipchonge who moved up to shadow Dobriskey as she continued to make 
the running through 800 metres in 2:18.76.

Coming into 
the last lap but one, the Kenyans decided that it was time to make their moved 
and through the lap gradually edged out Dobriskey, with Kibiwot now in front, 
followed by Dobriskey, Russia’s Olesya Syreva and Ethiopia’s Berhane Herpassa.

Coming of the 
bell for the final lap in 3:25.44, Kibiwot accelerated, as her compatriot 
Kipchonge fell right off the pace and dropped back into the following pack, 
leaving Dobriskey, Herpassa and Syreva in contention just behind Kibiwot.

Coming out of 
the final bend, Herpassa tried to catch Kibiwot, but to no avail as the Kenya 
accelerated to hold her lead and take the tape in a personal best of 4:12.59.

Dobriskey 
tried to stay with Herpassa, but had given too much earlier in the race and was 
passed in the final metres by Syreva, who took bronze in a personal best 
4:14.32.

Women 1500 metres Final

US 
quartet strikes again
21 July 2002 - The tradition wants that the 
four relays be run on the final day of the competition. 
It was the men’s 4x100m 
who offered the best technical results with the American team of Ashton Collins, 
Wes Felix, Ivory Williams and Willie Hordge establishing a new world junior 
record of 38.92.
The four teenagers 
became the first ever to dip under the 39-second barrier as the former world 
best was 39.00 held by another US team of Neal Jessie, Allen Franklin, Stanley 
Blalock and Dennis Mitchell since 1983.
The extraordinary 
performance was the result of the pure talent of the four athletes, the crowd’s 
massive support and the presence of what the world has best to offer in terms of 
junior sprinters.
Indeed, the USA had to 
fight hard to hold off brilliant teams from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
“We were very 
confident,” revealed Wes Felix who ran the second leg. “We were all aiming for 
gold because we know we have talent.”
Felix who was also a 
bronze medallist in the individual 200m turns 19 today and certainly couldn’t 
have hoped for a better present.
“These championships 
have been fantastic for me, two medals and a world record this is my best ever 
birthday.”
The US quartet admitted 
they had troubles with their first and second exchanges but were proud of their 
last exchange which set 100m bronze medallist Hordge on track for gold. 

“The only thing that 
was in my head when I had that relay baton was ‘stop the clock” were Hordge’s 
simple words.
The tactic was simple 
and clear as Williams explained: “my job was to hand the relay baton in first 
position to Willie. I knew that if I did, we would get gold.”
The American sprinters 
may not have noticed that around them both Trinidad and Jamaica were having 
great trouble with their exchanges but they certainly couldn’t help hearing the 
crowd.
“They have been great 
all week long but tonight was special,” commented Felix. “Jamaica is great”
From the stand former 
world record holder Leroy Burrell was a happy man. “I am proud of these boys. 
What they have accomplished is unbelievable. They competed against the best 
athletes in the world and obtained excellent results. They have just ensured 
that US sprinting carries on for years to come. They are the future of the sport 
in our country.”

The tradition wants that the four relays be run on the final day of the competition. 

US quartet strikes again

Men 4 x 100 
metres Relay Final

After a 
magnificent gold for the women’s 4 x100 relay team, the capacity crowd filling 
the National Stadium were all heated up for a repeat victory in the men’s event, 
but this was not to be.

Despite the 
incredible power of the Island’s Fusain Bolt running anchor, the Jamaican was 
unable to catch Willie Hordge running the American anchor leg who profited from 
a three metre advantage at the exchange to take the baton and head home, 
completing the race in a new World Junior Record time of 38.92 seconds.

Just behind 
him Bolt was being chased hard by Trinidad and Tobago’s young star Darrell Brown 
as Brown tried to make up for two poor exchanges by Burns and Holder that had 
cost the Trinidad team five metres at the final handover.

Brown almost 
did, but the young giant from Jamaica held the advantage, giving the hosts 
silver in a national junior record of 39.15 to Trinidad and Tobago’s own 
national junior record for bronze of 39.17, following on from the national 
record set in yesterday’s heats of 39.50.

Men 4 x 100 metres Relay Final

Men 1500 
metres Final

After a great 
women’s 1500, the men could do no less than also put on a great show, and so 
they did.

After an 
initial false start, the race got off cleanly with Germany’s Toni Mohr trying to 
make an initial break before being rapidly reeled in by the pack, with Qatar’s 
Abdulrahman Suleiman taking the leaders past 400 metres in 1:00.09,

With the race 
settling down, the two Kenyan representative, Isaac Songok and Samson Kilpangat 
steeped up into the lead, where Isaac stayed until just before the bell, taking 
the field through 800 metres (2:03.60) and pushing up the pace to 1200 metres 
(3.00.57) with a penultimate lap of 56.97.

As they went 
through the bell, the race turned into a sprint as Suleiman came back and 
sprinted away with Songkok, Nwera and New Zealand’s Nick Willis in hot pursuit.

The pace 
proved too fast for Songok and he gradually fell back as Suleiman and Nwera came 
together out of the final curve and into the home straight, but in a dramatic 
move, with the two running side by side, Morocco’s Yassine Bensghir, who had 
been biding his time behind the leaders, kicked hard and pulled between the two 
to take the lead and hold it to the line which he crossed in a personal best 
time of 3:40.72.

Suleiman won 
the race for silver in 3:41.72, with Nwera taking bronze for Tanzania in 
3:41.75.

Men 1500 metres Final

Women 4 x 100 
metres Relay Final

Team USA, who had been the 
fastest qualifiers yesterday, were running in lane 5 as the Jamaican quartet was 
running in lane 4.

Anneisha McLaughlin – a 
silver medallist in the 200m final – didn’t run the heats but lined up as the 
third leg of tonight’s final. And it was she who made the difference and handed 
the baton to Simone Facey with a massive 5-metre clearance. Facey held on to the 
line under a thunder of applause, which carried on for ten minutes after the end 
of the race, and clocked a new championships record and national record of 
43.40.

Jamaica’s Shimone Simpson 
false started evidently under a lot of pressure. Her second start was good 
enough but USA’s Lauryn Williams who ensured the first leg was a lot faster. She 
neatly handed the baton in first with Jamaica slightly behind. Kerron Stewart – 
fourth in the 100m – ran an excellent back straight but was still trailing 
behind the US quartet. The baton was handed with some difficulty to McLaughlin 
who, once she got going looked like a fury. Not only did she catch the Americans 
but she led them trailing behind. As she handed the baton to Simone Facey for 
the last leg, it was clear that the Jamaican were going to win their second gold 
of the championships.

Jamaica’s 43.40 is the 
second fastest ever ran by a junior 4x100m relay. Only the United States in 1999 
had ran faster in 43.38.

Overshadowed by the USA Vs 
Jamaica battle, Vernicha James of Great Britain powered to the finish and 
grabbed bronze in 44.22.

Women 4 x 100 metres Relay

Women 4 x 400 
metres Relay Final

With two-time world junior 
medallist Sanya Richards injured – she tore her ankle in the heats – the US team 
had to change its plan.

It was decided that the 
line up would be Christina Hardeman, Monique Henderson, Tiffany Ross and 
Lashinda Demus.

Jamaica’s team was 
composed of Prendergast, Morgan, Carlene Robinson and Camille Robinson.

Russia (Mygunova, 
Dryakhlova, Gushchina and Popova) and Great Britain (Wall, Spencer, James and 
Miller) had also strong teams.

In one of the most 
exciting relays, Jamaica was leading after the first exchange with Russia, 
Germany and USA trailing behind in this order. When 400m champion Monique 
Henderson took the baton she decided that she’d run the first half of her lap as 
fast as she could. At the 200m mark she was clearly in the lead but started to 
cramp up. She was gradually caught by Sheryl Morgan who had an advance of one 
metre on Henderson when she handed the baton. 

Robinson was followed like 
a shadow by Ross as 200m champion Vernicha James was handed the baton. James 
effort – probably the best of all the runners tonight – was incredible and the 
ground that she made up massive. While Ross was slowly catching up with 
Robinson, James was rapidly taking the lead. With her, Gushchina of Russia was 
also catching up on the leaders as Germany was definitively out of contention.

At the bell, there were 
four teams on the same line with 400m hurdles champion Demus anchoring for the 
US, Miller for Great Britain, Popova for Russia and Robinson for Jamaica.

Demus was in the lead at 
the 200-metre mark but was then overtaken by Great Britain and Russia. With 150 
metres to go Jamaica had lost touch with the leaders and had lost all chances 
for a medal.

With 80 metres to go, it 
seemed that it would be a finishing sprint between Russia and Great Britain, 
Demus having been blocked in the bend. But 400m hurdles world record holder had 
some energy left in her tank and crossed the line first in 3:29.95. Great 
Britain was second in 3:30.46 and Russia took bronze in 3:30.72. All three teams 
set new national records.

It was a magnificent run 
by all relay teams but the world record remains the property of East Germany in 
3:28.39.

Women 4 x 400 metres Relay Final

Men Pole 
Vault Final

With sixtime 
World Champion and World Record holder Sergey Bubka, IAAF council member, 
watching from the grandstand Ukraine went one, two in the men’s pole vault 
final, with both of the Ukrainian athletes, Maksym Mazuryk and Vladyslav Revenko 
clearing a final height of 5.55 metres, a world leading junior mark for 2002.

With fewer 
failures in his series, Mazuryk was awarded the title, with silver going to 
Revenko.

Four athletes 
cleared 5.40 metres, but the bronze medal went to France’s Vincent Favretto, who 
had a clear series to 5.50, electing to attempt only three heights, 5.20, 5.30 
and 5.40, prior to three unsuccessful attempts at 5.50.

Men Pole Vault Final

Final 
day is magic in Kingston 
David Martin (PA) for 
the IAAF&nbsp;
21 July 2002 – Kingston 
- Rarely has any major athletics championships produced the incredible scenes 
witnessed tonight in Jamaica's National Stadium in Kingston when the host nation 
won the IAAF World Junior women's 4x100 metres gold medal.
Already a 36,000 
sell-out - just before the race started, spectators were trying to climb over 
the walls to watch - a thrilling contest lived up to its billing as the 
Jamaican's beat off a very strong challenge from the United States, with third 
placed Great Britain out of contention.
The winning quartet of 
Sherone Simpson, Kerron Stewart, Anneisha Mclaughlin and Simone Facey, were 
under immense pressure throughout from the Americans, but on each leg there were 
blistering displays, capped by a superb anchor leg from Simone Facey.
The 100m silver 
medallist produced a magical dash up the home straight, fetching the host nation 
across the line in a championship record&nbsp; - and second fastest ever - time of 
43.40.
The United States team 
whose predecessors set the previous world junior record of 43.38 in 1999, 
finished in 43.66 with the Britons running 44.22s their quickest of the year.
When Facey crossed the 
line, the crowd already screaming at fever pitch erupted to a new ear splitting, 
decibel level. The victory also prompted an overwhelmed Jamaican Prime Minister 
P.J. Patterson to celebrate with a congratulatory kiss on the cheek of the 
country's first lady.
Hardly had the 
crescendo of sound died, than the joyous spectators, revelling and sharing their 
side's joy, brought it back to its previous level when the men's 4x100m relay 
got underway. The sense of anticipation of a further gold medal caused another 
cacophonic eruption to every ones' ears.
However on this 
occasion the Jamaican's met their match - although it took a world junior record 
from the United States who with slick baton changing, stormed to victory in 
38.92.
It was the first time 
39 seconds had ever been bettered at junior level, a testament of the skill of 
the American selection of Ashton Collins, Wes Felix, Ivory Williams and Willie 
Hordge. Both runners-up Jamaica and bronze medallists Trinidad and Tobago posted 
new national records of 39.15 and 39.17.&nbsp; 
The relay action 
continued at a momentous level. The women's 4x400m saw the first three teams to 
finish set new national records. Lashinda Demus clinched victory for the United 
States.
The winner of the 400m 
hurdles in a world record time, passed Lisa Miller 30 metres from the line, 
denying Great Britain defending their title. The US ran 3:29.95 the third 
fastest ever achieved, the runners-up 3:30.46 and Russia 3:30.72.&nbsp; 
The US also won the 
men's race clocking 3:03.71 to hold off the challenge of Jamaica who set a 
national record of 3:04.06. Japan were a surprise third in 3:05.80.
Having already won the 
3000m final on Tuesday's opening day, Meseret Defar achieved a marvelous double 
when also improving on the 5000m silver medal she won two years ago in Santiago 
de Chile.
With seven rivals 
together at the bell, a last lap burn-up - and a terrific kick from 150m - saw 
Defar after making her break untouchable, as she won in 15:54.94.
Runner-up was her 
Ethiopian team mate Tirunesh Dibabar who clocked 15:55.99 with Kenya's Vivian 
Cheruiyot third in 15:56.04. 
Caribbean champion Anay 
Tejeda opened the last day's action in fabulous style. But for a following wind 
of 3.4 metres-per-second, she would have smashed the long standing world and 
championship records of 12.84 and 12.96s Aliuska Lopez set in Cuban colours in 
1987 and 1988. 
But it was still a 
mighty impressive win by Tejeda in 12.81. Behind the Cuban gold medallist, 
Poland's Agnieszka Frankowska was a distant runner-up in 13.16. There was also 
plenty of space between her and bronze medallist Tina Klein of Germany who ran 
13.23. 
With the wind again 
over-the-limit (+2.6m/s), Antwon Hicks added to the US domination of the 
championships, winning the 110m hurdles and his country's sixth gold medal in 
13.42. 
China's Asian champion 
Shi Dongpeng finished second in 13.58 ahead of Caribbean silver medallist Shamar 
Sands of the Bahamas who clocked 13.67.&nbsp; 
Surprisingly, given its 
middle distance heritage, a Kenyan had never won the women's 1500m medal. Viola 
Kibiowot winning in 4:12.57 rectified the default. 
The tiny Kenyan 
producing her fastest ever metric mile, easily held of Ethiopia's Berhane 
Herpassa (4:13.59). A personal best of 4:14.32 won the bronze medal for Russia's 
Olesya Syreva.
A dominating sprint 
from Yassine Bensghir to the finishing line with half-a-lap remaining gained a 
second 1500m gold medal for Morocco at the distance, in the last three 
championships.
Clocking a personal 
best 3:40.72 Bensghir destroyed the challenges aimed in his direction with a 
second kick in the final 100 metres from Qatar's Abdulrahman Suleiman silver 
medallist in 3:41.72, with Tanzania's Samuel Newera only 0.03sec in arrears.
This year's leading 
performer Igor Janik took the javelin gold medal. The Pole threw 74.16m in the 
opening round. Runner-up Valdislav Shkurlatov of Russia clinched the silver 
medal with a last round effort of 74.09m. Third was Korea's Sang-Jin Jung who 
couldn't improve on his opening throw of 73.99m.
The pole vault saw a 
world leading performance of 5.55m as Maksym Mazuryk defeated fellow Ukrainian 
Vladyslav Revenko on countback. 
Third was Vincent 
Favretto who clinched bronze with a 5.40m. The Frenchman's better sequence 
gained him the medal from Stavrous Kouroupakis of Greece, Artem Kuptsov from 
Russia and his team mate Jerome Clavier who all cleared the same height.

Rarely has any major athletics championships produced the incredible scenes witnessed tonight in Jamaica's National Stadium in Kingston when the host nation won the IAAF World Junior women's 4x100 metres gold medal.

Final day is magic in Kingston

Women 
Heptathlon Event 7800 metres 

She did it! 
Sweden’s Carolina Kluft ran a spectacular 800 metres to close off the women’s 
heptathlon final event with a new World Junior Record.

Coming into 
this the final event of the series, Kluft needed 909 points to break the 19 year 
old record of GDR’s Sybille Thiele, to do that she needed to run 2:13.95 or 
better.

Well, for the 
young Swede who has charmed the stadium crowd with her performances and her 
personality, that was not enough. Kluft put every ounce of her energy into the 
second lap and drawing energy from the crowd roaring like only an enthusiastic 
Caribbean crowd can she continued to accelerate to the least metres, having run 
most of the race way out in front and crossing the line in 2:13.55, a new 
personal best worth 913 points for a new World Junior Record Mark of 6470 
points, five points better than the previous record.

The silver 
medal went to Olga Alekseyeva (KAZ)with a total of 5727 points and bronze to 
Olga Levenkova (RUS) with 5712.

Women Heptathlon Event 7 - 800 metres

“The 
future of track and field is here in Kingston” says IAAF guest Donovan Bailey&nbsp;&nbsp;
20 July 2002 - Former 100m Olympic champion and 
World record holder Donovan Bailey, who ran his last race in Edmonton a year ago, 
is already thinking about getting back into the sport.
“Since last August, I have focused on building up 
my two businesses – in the fields of investment consultancy and real estate – 
and I now have more than 128 staff working for me. The most sport I have done is 
on the golf course, but I do miss athletics. I was excited to be invited to 
visit the IAAF World Junior Championships, and took the opportunity to meet 
President Diack and discuss some ideas on how to promote the sport in the 
future.”
Bailey, who like another Olympic 100m champion 
Linford Christie was born in Jamaica, has been impressed by the level of 
competition in Kingston, and paid particular attention to the men’s 100m final.
After watching the race from the VIP stand, 
Bailey made a point of personally congratulating Darrel Brown and Marc Burns, 
the gold and silver medallists.
“Congratulations guys, you have just done 
something awesome.”
Winner of the World Youth Championships in 
Debrecen last year, Brown powered to the finish line of the men’s 100m final to 
clock a new Championships record of 10.09. There had been pre-race speculations 
about a possible World Junior record but, because of the slight headwind or the 
pressure of the occasion, that didn’t materialise.
“Darrel is still young, explained Bailey. He has 
time in hands. He’s only 18 and can still break the World Junior record next 
year. But what he has to understand is that a sprinter’s career can be very long 
if one learns how to take one step at a time. I had been around for ages before 
I made my breakthrough at the 1995 World Championships. And a year later I was 
Olympic champion and world record holder.”
It was clear that Brown and Burns, who will both 
attend the University of Auburn, Alabama, were paying careful attention to 
Bailey’s precious advice.
“I think that they will be the future of track 
and field. At the moment we are witnessing a very powerful breakthrough of 
sprinters from Great Britain. Dwain Chambers is doing well and I’m sure he’ll 
keep on running fast. But there is also Mark Lewis-Francis and Christian Malcolm 
who both emerged from these championships. I admire the way Lewis-Francis is 
taking it a little step at a time – [he declined the chance to compete in the 
Sydney Olympics] and this has been paying off. I think Darrel and Marc have the 
potential to do great things in the future, they just need to avoid burning all 
their energy at such a young age.”
Bailey is ready to make a comeback in athletics – 
but has learnt from business that meticulous planning is the key to success.

“For the time being I enjoy being back here in 
Jamaica. It is good to have time to see my old friends before I head back to 
Toronto for the next round of business meetings.”&nbsp;

Former 100m Olympic champion and World record holder Donovan Bailey, who ran his last race in Edmonton a year ago, is already thinking about getting back into the sport.

WORLD ATHLETICS U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Women 100 metre Hurdles Final

Women 5000 metres Final

Men 110 metre Hurdles Final

Kingston World Junior Championships the best of a decade

Only wind denies Tejeda of world record