<ul>
<li>Uță wins 400m hurdles as Ramokgopa completes hurdles silver double</li>
<li>Mancha edges Stegall by 0.04 in dramatic 1500m finish</li>
<li>Relay crowns go to Jamaica and USA</li>
</ul>
Romania&rsquo;s Alexandra Ștefania Uță produced a lifetime best of 55.33 to win the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles on the fifth and final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Sunday (9).
Uță finished more than half a second ahead of South Africa&rsquo;s Tumi Ramokgopa, taking gold with a 0.22 improvement on the PB she set when winning the European U20 title last year.
&ldquo;It is very special to me,&rdquo; said Uță, who now moves to fourth on the European U20 all-time list, just 0.01 behind Femke Broeders-Bol. &ldquo;Both me and my coach wanted this medal and it is great to represent my country in this event because it is very important to me. I wanted to continue the legacy of Ionela T&acirc;rlea.&rdquo;
While Uță took the title, Ramokgopa completed an impressive hurdles double. The South African had claimed silver in the 100m hurdles in 12.96 on Saturday and returned the following day to earn another silver, improving her 400m hurdles PB to 55.88.
&ldquo;It is beyond special,&rdquo; said Ramokgopa. &ldquo;I was in disbelief coming into the home straight. I saw that I was in a medal position and knew I had to give it my all.&rdquo;
Greece&rsquo;s Eleni Iakovaki took bronze in a national U20 record of 55.99.
<h2>Mancha edges Stegall in dramatic 1500m finish</h2>
A slow and tactical start to the women&rsquo;s 1500m eventually gave way to a thrilling finish, with Kenya&rsquo;s Josephine Sembeyo Mancha edging USA&rsquo;s Claire Stegall by just 0.04.
The opening lap took 78 seconds as no one appeared eager to take control, leaving the field tightly bunched. The race became increasingly chaotic, with a fall and a lost spike among the incidents in the pack.
When the pace finally increased, Mancha put herself in contention for gold, but Stegall was closing quickly in the final metres. The US athlete dived for the line, but Mancha held on to win in 4:16.73, with Stegall taking silver in 4:16.77.
Kenya&rsquo;s Caren Chepchirchir earned bronze in 4:17.50, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Elsabet Amare finished fourth.
<h2>Douglas anchors Jamaica to 4x100m gold</h2>
The women&rsquo;s 4x100m final began with drama when Nigeria was disqualified for a false start, but once the race got under way Jamaica and Switzerland produced a close battle for gold.
Jamaica led through the opening exchanges, but Switzerland moved narrowly ahead before the baton reached the anchor runners. Shanoya Douglas then delivered a 10.04 final leg to take Jamaica clear and secure gold in a world U20-leading 42.89.
&ldquo;It has been a long year for all of the Jamaican team, so to win this medal is a great honour,&rdquo; said Douglas, whose championships ended on a high after taking silver in the 100m and 200m.
Switzerland claimed silver in 43.36, while Belgium set a national U20 record of 43.91 to take bronze.
<h2>USA pulls clear for 4x400m gold</h2>
The USA and Australia were closely matched for much of the women&rsquo;s 4x400m final before the defending champions pulled clear over the closing stages.
Ashtyn Lewis gave the USA an early advantage before Olivia Harris handed over just ahead of Australia. Clara Adams then strengthened the US position late on the third leg, leaving Taylor-Nicole Overton to finish the job.
Overton pulled away from Australia on the anchor leg, clocking 51.70 as the USA won in a world U20-leading 3:29.15.
Australia took silver in a season&rsquo;s best of 3:31.39, while Great Britain and Northern Ireland earned bronze with a season&rsquo;s best of 3:32.08.
Ash Wehrly for the World Athletics Media Academy

World Athletics U20 Championships

Romania’s Alexandra Ștefania Uță produced a lifetime best of 55.33 to win the women’s 400m hurdles on the fifth and final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Uță and Mancha strike gold as Jamaica and USA win relays in Oregon

<ul>
<li>Rosselli throws US U20 record of 66.39m on final attempt to snatch discus gold</li>
<li>Dia clears 5.80m for pole vault gold as Louison-Roe wins high jump title</li>
<li>Abdel Hamid wins Egypt&rsquo;s first ever world U20 gold medal with javelin victory</li>
</ul>
Late-round drama provided a fitting finish to the field events at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26, with Simon Rosselli and Viktoria Angelova both producing winning performances with their final attempts on Sunday (9).
Aseel Osama Abdel Hamid also saved her best throw of the competition until the sixth round to complete a historic victory for Egypt, while the two pre-event favourites in the vertical jumps delivered on expectations. Zackaria Dia produced one of the highest-quality performances of the final day to win the men&rsquo;s pole vault with 5.80m, and Izobelle Louison-Roe upgraded her Lima silver to high jump gold.
<h2>Rosselli delivers discus gold with final throw</h2>
Simon Rosselli saved his best for last in the men&rsquo;s discus, producing a US U20 record of 66.39m with his sixth and final throw to snatch the gold medal.
Rosselli had made a solid start to the competition but had fallen out of the medal positions as the contest progressed. With one attempt remaining, the US thrower responded under pressure and sent the discus beyond all of his rivals to take the title.
Estonia&rsquo;s Sten-Erik Iir had led before Rosselli&rsquo;s final-round effort after improving his PB to 65.42m, but ultimately had to settle for silver. Jamaica&rsquo;s Joseph Richard Salmon &ndash; the pre-event favourite &ndash; took bronze with his second-round throw of 64.37m.
<h2>Dia secures gold with 5.80m</h2>
World U20 leader Zackaria Dia lived up to expectations in a high-quality men&rsquo;s pole vault final, clearing 5.80m to secure gold for France.
Dia entered the championships with a world U20-leading PB of 5.82m and came within two centimetres of that mark in Eugene to take the title.
Estonia&rsquo;s Henri Apri pushed him hard, improving his national U20 record to 5.75m to claim silver. USA&rsquo;s Jaxon Jerabek also produced his best when it mattered, setting a PB of 5.60m which initially earned him bronze, but he was later disqualified and so the third place on the podium went to his teammate Isaiah Whitaker. Whitaker cleared 5.45m and claimed the medal on countback.
<h2>Abdel Hamid makes history for Egypt</h2>
Aseel Osama Abdel Hamid made history in the javelin, becoming the first Egyptian woman ever to win a medal at the World U20 Championships &ndash; and making that medal gold.
The African U20 record-holder was already in front going into the final round, but finished the competition in style by improving to 59.82m with her last throw to become Egypt's first ever world U20 champion.
Croatia&rsquo;s Vita Barbic took silver with 56.60m, while&nbsp;Tai Yu-Chin of Chinese Taipei earned bronze with 54.34m.
<h2>Louison-Roe upgrades Lima silver to gold</h2>
After claiming silver in Lima two years ago, Australia&rsquo;s Izobelle Louison-Roe returned to the World U20 Championships as the favourite and this time went one better.
The world U20 leader cleared 1.92m to secure the high jump title, adding gold to the silver she won in 2024.
Hungary&rsquo;s Lilianna B&aacute;tori took silver with 1.90m, while Spain&rsquo;s Aitana Alonso also cleared 1.90m to take bronze on countback, equalling the Spanish U20 record in the process.
<h2>Angelova saves best for last</h2>
Viktoria Angelova provided another dramatic final-round victory in the women&rsquo;s triple jump.
The Bulgarian &ndash; who had recently won the European U20 title &ndash; arrived in Oregon as the world U20 leader with a PB of 13.98m but found herself needing to respond on her sixth and final attempt. She did exactly that, jumping 13.91m &ndash; into a -1.9m/s wind &ndash; to move into first place and secure the world U20 title.
Romania&rsquo;s Daria Vr&icirc;nceanu took silver with a season&rsquo;s best of 13.70m, while Spain&rsquo;s Ana Estrella De Leon also produced a season&rsquo;s best, jumping 13.58m for bronze.
<h2>Hegemann holds off K&auml;rh&auml; for hammer gold</h2>
Germany claimed two medals in the women&rsquo;s hammer final as Clara Hegemann and Nova Kienast finished first and third.
Hegemann moved into the lead with 68.99m in the fourth round and that mark proved enough for gold, holding off world U20 leader Pinja K&auml;rh&auml; of Finland.
K&auml;rh&auml;&rsquo;s best of 68.51m came in the second round and secured silver, while Hegemann&rsquo;s German teammate Kienast produced a season&rsquo;s best of 67.89m to take bronze, just 39 centimetres ahead of USA&rsquo;s Burklie Burton.
Sofiah Gravley for the World Athletics Media Academy
&nbsp;

Late-round drama provided a fitting finish to the field events at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Rosselli and Angelova save best for last as Dia soars 5.80m in Oregon

<ul>
<li>USA set world U20 4x100m record of 38.16</li>
<li>Michal Rada adds 400m hurdles gold to 2024 silver</li>
<li>Bakr El Asri dominates 3000m steeplechase</li>
</ul>
USA stormed to a world U20 record of 38.16* to get 4x100m gold on the final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Sunday (9).
Blake Hamilton, Dillon Mitchell, Kyler Brown and Tate Taylor teamed up to smash the world U20 record of 38.51 that was set by South Africa when winning the world U20 title in Nairobi in 2021.
Taylor received the baton in the lead and blazed the anchor leg to take his team to a dominant win. It completed a gold medal treble for the 18-year-old at Hayward Field as he won the 100m on Thursday and the 200m on Saturday.
Hamilton secured his second medal of the championships, adding relay gold to his 200m silver.
Great Britain &amp; NI got 4x100m silver, matching the European U20 record of 38.90, while Jamaica clinched bronze in 39.01 &ndash; a second medal for 100m silver medallist Gary Card.
&ldquo;It means a lot winning this gold medal,&rdquo; said Taylor. &ldquo;We knew we were ready for something special.&rdquo;
Brown added: &ldquo;This is a fast team; we never had a thing like this before. We were very excited here yesterday and now we have the gold.&rdquo;
USA&rsquo;s relay success continued in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m &ndash; the final event of the championships.
Quincy Wilson, Cameron Tucker, Alexander Osayemi and Jayden Deleon teamed up to run a world U20 lead of 3:01.39 &ndash; the fifth-fastest U20 performance in history &ndash; to successfully defend the title for the third successive time after dominating the race. Deleon and Wilson added the title to their respective gold and silver medals from the individual 400m.
South Africa earned silver, 400m bronze medallist Leendert Koekemoer running a strong anchor leg to cross the finish line in an African U20 record of 3:02.76.
France earned the third place on the podium with a national U20 record, finishing two seconds back in 3:04.80.
&ldquo;It means a lot being able to run with these guys,&rdquo; said Wilson, who formed part of USA&rsquo;s gold medal-winning 4x400m squad at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. &ldquo;They have been working hard all weekend. Just knowing how much they work and sacrifice means a lot to me.&rdquo;
That final gold for USA further strengthened the host nation&rsquo;s place at the top of the medal table in Oregon with 12 gold, seven silver and five bronze medals.
<h2>Rada upgrades silver to gold</h2>
Czechia&rsquo;s Michal Rada won 400m hurdles gold, setting a European U20 record of 48.59 to add this title to the world U20 silver medal he won as a 17-year-old in Lima in 2024.
Another 17-year-old secured silver this time, Japan&rsquo;s Taiju Goto running 49.23 to finish runner-up ahead of South Africa&rsquo;s Matodzi Ndou in 49.90.
&ldquo;It was a super hard race because of the headwind, and the competitors were world class,&rdquo; said Rada. &ldquo;This is the sweetest reward I could have. It was amazing &ndash; winning a gold medal and then seeing my family crying, I knew I had to go over to them. This medal is half for them.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a791163ad26de9917e6832e.jpg" alt="Michal Rada celebrates his 400m hurdles win in Oregon" />
<div>
Michal Rada celebrates his 400m hurdles win in Oregon (&copy; World Athletics Media Academy <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Benjamin Fox)
There was a dramatic end to the 3000m steeplechase, won comfortably by Spain&rsquo;s Bakr El Asri who had time to celebrate on his approach to the finish line.
El Asri ran 8:28.35 to win by more than four seconds ahead of Kenya&rsquo;s Emmanuel Lemiso Someki who earned silver with a PB of 8:32.81.
Spain&rsquo;s Marti Torregrossa was clear in third place but Kenya&rsquo;s Nicholas Kitum Losiwareng charged into medal contention on the final lap and pushed his way on to the podium, pipping Torregrossa 8:38.05 to 8:38.13.
Kenya earned two more medals in the 1500m, Wilson Chepkwech winning gold in a PB of 3:37.46 ahead of his teammate David Kapaiko Sekento who ran a PB of 3:38.32 to earn silver.
The medallists all raised their game for this final, Morocco&rsquo;s Osama Er Redouani also setting a PB of 3:39.68 to finish third.
Sandra Vasquez-Ramirez for the World Athletics Media Academy
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
&nbsp;
</div>
</div>

USA stormed to a world U20 record of 38.16* to get 4x100m gold on the final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Taylor anchors USA to world U20 4x100m record in Oregon

The final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 promises a busy finish to five days of competition at Hayward Field, with relay teams battling for medals and more individual titles to be decided.
Here are some of the events to watch as the championships draw to a close.
<h2>Relays take centre stage</h2>
The USA head into the men&rsquo;s 4x100m final after clocking the fastest time in the opening round, setting a season&rsquo;s best of 38.87. Switzerland followed with a national U20 record of 39.32, while defending champions Jamaica also progressed with a season&rsquo;s best of 39.51.
With several teams separated by relatively small margins, Jamaica will face a tough challenge as they look to retain the title they won in Lima two years ago.
Australia produced the fastest performance of the opening round of the women&rsquo;s 4x100m, setting an area U20 record of 43.44.
Jamaica followed closely with a season&rsquo;s best of 43.61 as they continue their pursuit of a fourth successive world U20 title in this event. Nigeria ran 43.65, the USA clocked 43.67 and Switzerland 43.99, setting up what should be a closely contested final.
The USA came to Oregon seeking a third successive men&rsquo;s 4x400m title and showed their strength in the opening round, leading the qualifiers with a world U20-leading 3:04.55.
South Africa were not far behind, setting a season&rsquo;s best of 3:05.08, while Jamaica ran 3:06.44 and Australia 3:07.04 &ndash; also season&rsquo;s bests &ndash; to book their places in the final.
The defending champion USA team also led the way in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m, clocking 3:32.66 in the opening round.
Italy set a national U20 record of 3:33.63, with Australia close behind in 3:33.68 and Great Britain and Northern Ireland running 3:33.82. With little more than a second separating those four teams, the final could produce a close battle for the medals.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/oregon26/news/preview/wu20-oregon-26-preview-relays" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Oregon 26 relays preview</a>
<h2>Discus rivals ready for final showdown</h2>
The men&rsquo;s discus final should also provide plenty of competition after several athletes produced their best performances in Saturday&rsquo;s qualification round.
Austria&rsquo;s Stefan Gaisbauer led qualifying with a PB of 63.11m, while Italy&rsquo;s Francesco D&rsquo;Angelo was close behind after improving his own best to 62.63m.
Jamaica&rsquo;s NACAC U23 champion Joseph Richard Salmon qualified with 62.10m but heads into the final with the best PB in the field at 67.55m. If he can get close to that mark, he should be firmly in contention for gold.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/oregon26/news/preview/wu20-oregon-26-preview-throws" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Oregon 26 throws preview</a>
<h2>Fine margins in 400m hurdles finals</h2>
Mariam Kareem produced the fastest performance of the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles semi-finals, lowering her United Arab Emirates U20 record to 56.39.
South African champion Tumi Ramokgopa and Germany&rsquo;s Rebekka Feirle could provide strong opposition after both clocked 56.80 in the same semi-final, with Feirle setting a PB. Romania&rsquo;s Alexandra Ștefania Uță was also impressive, winning her semi-final in 56.87.
With less than half a second separating the four fastest qualifiers, the medals remain very much up for grabs.
The men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles also looks set to produce a competitive final.
Japan&rsquo;s Taiju Goto was fastest in the semi-finals, clocking 49.19, while USA&rsquo;s Miller Warme was next quickest with 49.48. South Africa&rsquo;s Matodzi Ndou followed with 49.66 and Czechia&rsquo;s Michal Rada, the world U20 silver medallist in Lima two years ago, won his semi-final in 49.67.
With all four heading into the final in strong form, another close contest looks likely.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/oregon26/news/preview/wu20-oregon-26-preview-hurdles-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Oregon 26 hurdles preview</a>
Sandra Vasquez-Ramirez for the World Athletics Media Academy

The final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 promises a busy finish to five days of competition at Hayward Field

Three things to watch on day five in Oregon

<ul>
<li>Belo da Silva scores world U20-leading PB of 8112 to win decathlon</li>
<li>Inzoli beats McGroder by just 1cm in long jump as Krutilov&aacute; wins pole vault</li>
<li>Ayachi takes high jump gold after three athletes clear 2.21m</li>
</ul>
Fine margins and big performances defined another evening of field-event action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday (8).
Sweden&rsquo;s Liam Belo da Silva produced the most commanding performance of the night, breaking 8000 points for the first time to win the decathlon, while the men&rsquo;s high jump and long jump delivered much tighter contests. Just one centimetre separated gold and silver in the long jump, and three athletes cleared the winning height in the high jump before countback decided the medals.
There was further drama in the women&rsquo;s pole vault, where Nicole Krutilov&aacute; held her nerve to take the title with a 4.45m clearance.
<h2>Belo Da Silva dominates decathlon</h2>
Liam Belo da Silva delivered across two days and 10 events to win the decathlon with a PB and world U20-leading 8112, breaking the 8000-point barrier for the first time.
The Swedish athlete had entered the championships as the world U20 leader with 7981 points and gradually took control of the competition, despite having to contend with a nagging heel issue throughout the two days of action. One of his strongest moments came in the high jump, where his 2.15m clearance equalled the championship decathlon best and helped propel him into the overall lead.
Belo da Silva continued to build his advantage on the second day. After clocking 15.12 in the 110m hurdles, he produced another championship decathlon best in the discus, throwing 51.95m. A 4.80m clearance in the pole vault left him 133 points clear with just the javelin and 1500m remaining.
While Belo da Silva was strengthening his grip on gold, the javelin transformed the battle for the other medals.
The Netherlands&rsquo; Mikai Snoek produced a huge PB of 70.25m, six metres farther than everyone else. Japan&rsquo;s Kiichi Miyashita was next best with a PB of 64.42m, while Czechia&rsquo;s Adam Juli&scaron; threw a season&rsquo;s best of 59.92m.
That left Juli&scaron; second overall going into the 1500m, with Snoek just 13 points behind and France&rsquo;s Kilian Trochain also still in the medal hunt. Belo da Silva, meanwhile, held a commanding lead.
The final event therefore became as much a battle for silver and bronze as it was the conclusion of Belo da Silva&rsquo;s title bid.
Belo da Silva clocked a season&rsquo;s best of 4:39.51 to finish with a national U20 record of 8112, comfortably securing gold.
Behind him, Snoek ran 4:38.53 to overhaul Juli&scaron; in the closing standings. The Dutch athlete finished with a PB of 7887 points for silver, just 10 points ahead of Juli&scaron;, who also set a PB with 7877. Trochain finished another 21 points back in fourth with 7856.
<h2>Inzoli hangs on by one centimetre</h2>
Just one centimetre separated gold and silver in a dramatic finish to the men&rsquo;s long jump.
Italy&rsquo;s Daniele Leonardo Inzoli took an early lead with 7.93m in the opening round before improving to 7.97m with his second attempt. He didn&rsquo;t register another legal mark, recording four consecutive fouls, but his early effort continued to hold up.
Australia&rsquo;s Mason McGroder &ndash; who earned world U20 bronze in Lima two years ago at the age of 15 &ndash; kept the pressure on. He improved to 7.94m in the third round and matched that mark in the fourth, before producing his best jump when it mattered most.
On his sixth and final attempt, McGroder soared to a PB of 7.96m &ndash; falling just one centimetre short of Inzoli&rsquo;s mark and giving the Italian the world U20 title.
India&rsquo;s Shahnavaz Khan, who entered the championships as one of the leading contenders after jumping 8.30m earlier this year, moved into third with 7.84m in round three. He came close to improving with 7.83m in the fifth round but ultimately had to settle for bronze.
<h2>Ayachi wins three-way high jump battle</h2>
Younes Ayachi lived up to his status as world U20 leader to claim the men&rsquo;s high jump title, but he was pushed all the way in a closely fought final.
Nine athletes remained in contention after clearing 2.17m, but the medals were ultimately decided at 2.21m, with Ayachi, India&rsquo;s Basant and Great Britain&rsquo;s Otis Poole all clearing the height.
Ayachi produced the cleanest series of the competition, clearing 2.06m, 2.12m, 2.17m and 2.21m on his first attempt. With neither he nor his rivals able to negotiate 2.24m, that flawless record secured gold for the Algerian.
Basant equalled his PB of 2.21m, clearing it on his second attempt to earn silver and become the first Indian high jumper to win a medal at the World U20 Championships.
Poole, meanwhile, saved his best for when it mattered. After clearing each of the first three heights at the first time of asking, the Briton needed three attempts at 2.21m but eventually sailed over to set a PB and secure bronze.
<h2>Krutilov&aacute; keeps her cool for pole vault gold</h2>
Nicole Krutilov&aacute; produced a composed performance to win the women&rsquo;s pole vault title with a 4.45m clearance.
The Czech athlete needed two attempts at her opening height of 4.10m, but from there she was flawless, clearing 4.25m, 4.35m, 4.40m and 4.45m at the first attempt. With the title already secured, she then had three attempts at 4.50m but was unable to go higher.
Ukraine&rsquo;s Olha Belchenko remained in contention deep into the competition. She cleared 4.40m to equal her PB, but could not follow Krutilov&aacute; over 4.45m and took silver.
The battle for bronze came down to countback after USA&rsquo;s Kylie Neira and Australia&rsquo;s Jamison Harding both improved their PBs to 4.35m. Neira cleared the height on her first attempt, while Harding needed all three, giving the US athlete the final place on the podium.
Morgan Hoopes for the World Athletics Media Academy

Fine margins and big performances defined another evening of field-event action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday

Belo da Silva breaks 8000 as jumps titles go down to the wire in Oregon

<ul>
<li>D&eacute;j&agrave; vu as Madeline Cooper matches world-leading time</li>
<li>Mia Maxwell sweeps the sprints</li>
<li>Yordanos Tsigab and Shito Gumi of Ethiopia go 1-2 in 3000m</li>
</ul>
Madeline Cooper equalled her world U20 lead to win the 100m hurdles and Mia Maxwell completed a sprint double to add to USA&rsquo;s gold medal haul at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday (8).
There was a sense of d&eacute;j&agrave; vu for Cooper as she ran 12.91 &ndash; matching the world U20-leading PB she set to win the US U20 title on the same Hayward Field track in June.
This time the performance secured her a world title. South Africa&rsquo;s Tumi Ramokgopa got silver in 12.96, competing in the 100m hurdles final just over an hour after racing in the 400m hurdles semifinals and also qualifying for that final on Sunday.
Tiana Marshall of Jamaica ran a PB of 12.97 to take home the bronze as she held off Switzerland&rsquo;s Jil Sanchez &ndash; a dramatic final that ended with an emotional reaction from Marshall.
&ldquo;I just went out there to have fun. In the rounds I was tired and getting beat, but now in the final I believed in myself, my coaches and my abilities,&rdquo; said Cooper, who also ran in the 4x100m heats during the morning session. &ldquo;It feels amazing because we have so many hurdlers on this USA team so getting to be a part of that is crazy. It means so much to be a part of this history.&rdquo;
<h2>Maxwell gets golden sprint double</h2>
Two days on from her 100m win, Mia Maxwell returned to take the 200m title in a PB of 22.37 to complete the sprint double.&nbsp;
She became the fifth woman to win a world U20 100m and 200m double and the first since Briana Williams of Jamaica in Tampere in 2018.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Shanoya Douglas also repeated her position from the 100m, getting a second silver medal in 22.68.&nbsp;
Mariah Maxwell got bronze behind Douglas in 22.77, creating a unique double medal win for the Maxwell twin sisters.
It was the first time that one nation had claimed all four sprint titles at the World U20 Championships as Tate Tayor also won the men&rsquo;s 100m and 200m for USA.
&ldquo;At the beginning of this year I was going through mental and physical struggles, so to have this moment and share it with my family is really special,&rdquo; said Mia. &ldquo;It was just amazing. I was trying to execute and have fun. It has been a really long weekend and a really long year overall.&rdquo;
<h2>Tsigab and Gumi go 1-2 for Ethiopia</h2>
Yordanos Tsigab and Shito Gumi got gold and silver for Ethiopia in the 3000m, kicking away over the final 60 metres to pass Uganda&rsquo;s Charity Cherop. Tsigab won in a PB of 8:43.65 and Gumi took silver in 8:45.06. Cherop clinched bronze in 8:45.59 after leading for most of the race.
Tsigab was the only one of the medallists who had not contested the distance double &ndash; Cherop and Gumi went 1-2 in the 5000m final on Wednesday. Behind them in the 3000m, Carmen Cernjul set a Swedish U20 record of 8:52.60 to finish fourth.
Slovenia&rsquo;s Živa Remic ran 2:03.03 to win a competitive 800m final that saw the top three separated by less than half a second. She went straight to the front and was joined by Ioulianna Roussou of Greece, taking control early on.
They were side by side at the bell, before Roussou gained a narrow lead and Remic ran around her, kicking wide to take the win.&nbsp;
Roussou was second in 2:03.08, while Great Britain's Shaikira King closed well to take home bronze in 2:03.52.
At the age of just 16, Remic has already won a world U20 gold and European U20 silver. She adds this latest title to the European U18 crown she claimed in Rieti last month. She will still be eligible to compete at the next World U20 Championships in 2028.
The women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles semifinals also took place on Saturday, with 100m hurdles silver medallist Ramokgopa among those to qualify for Sunday&rsquo;s final. Mariam Kareem of United Arab Emirates ran a national U20 record of 56.39 to go quickest overall in the semifinals, while Ramokgopa won her heat ahead of Rebekka Feirle of Germany as they both clocked 56.80, split by just 0.005. Romania&rsquo;s Alexandra Ștefania Uță won her heat in 56.87.
In addition to Kareem&rsquo;s performance, three other athletes set national records to make the final: Duru Iklim Kadanali of T&uuml;rkiye with 56.91, Eleni Iakovaki of Greece with 57.10 and Rania El Hamdaoui of Morocco with 57.36.&nbsp;
Bahamas&rsquo; Kei-Mahri Hanna and Shevaughn Thomas of Jamaica will both also be in the final but USA&rsquo;s Natalie Dumas will not join them after she tripped over the eighth hurdle and fell.
Sofiah Gravley for the World Athletics Media Academy
&nbsp;

Madeline Cooper equalled her world U20 lead to win the 100m hurdles and Mia Maxwell completed a sprint double to add to USA’s gold medal haul at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Cooper and Maxwell claim gold to add to USA’s medal haul in Oregon

<ul>
<li>Le'Ezra Brown matches world U20 110m hurdles record</li>
<li>Tate Taylor runs championship record to claim sprint double</li>
<li>Italy set world U20 mixed 4x100m record in electric final</li>
</ul>
USA&rsquo;s Le'Ezra Brown equalled the world U20 110m hurdles record* and Italy improved the world U20 mixed 4x100m record* at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday (8).
During an action-packed penultimate session, USA&rsquo;s Tate Taylor completed a sprint double by winning the 200m in a championship record of 19.83.
The spotlight was on Brown in the 110m hurdles and he ran a blazing 12.72 to equal Sasha Zhoya&rsquo;s world U20 record set when the French athlete won the 2021 world U20 title in Nairobi. Brown started quickly and finished strongly to win gold ahead of Japan&rsquo;s Jeremy Koga (12.97) and USA&rsquo;s Zacchaeus Brocks, who equalled his PB of 12.98.
Brown&rsquo;s 12.72 followed his North American U20 record of 12.89 in the heats and his wind-aided 12.82 in the semifinals. His historic performance saw him beat a field that set four national U20 records. Norway&rsquo;s Anthony Johnsen (13.00) and Bahamas&rsquo; Jahcario Wilson (13.08) both ran national U20 records to place fourth and fifth, respectively. Following them was Brazil&rsquo;s Odair Goncalves in an area record (13.15) and Koray Uygun in a Turkish U20 record (13.20).
&ldquo;It is crazy. I felt it in my warmup. I did one acceleration and my coach told me I was ready,&rdquo; said Brown. &ldquo;I was running good and I just knew it was going to happen. It is big, we have been talking about this for some time. I want to be a national champion and be running at LA 28.&rdquo;
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<h2>Taylor completes sprint double</h2>
USA&rsquo;s Taylor achieved the fifth men&rsquo;s 100m and 200m double in the history of the World U20 Championships, setting a championship record of 19.83 to win the 200m.
He closed fast, pulling away over the last 100m. Taylor&rsquo;s compatriot Blake Hamilton went stride for stride with Taylor for the first 100m and held on to finish second in 20.31, clinching a US top two.
NACAC U23 Champion Jayden Green took home bronze for Barbados in 20.55, edging out Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Makaelan Woods by 0.03. Japan&rsquo;s Tomoro Ide was fifth in 20.67 and Jamaica&rsquo;s Gary Card, the 100m silver medallist, finished sixth in 20.74 .
&ldquo;It means a lot,&rdquo; said Taylor. &ldquo;I am super proud of myself and this team and the guy next to me (Blake Hamilton).&rdquo;
Hamilton said: &ldquo;Second in the world is something not a lot of people can say. Also running next to Tate is something not a lot of people can say.&rdquo;
<h2>Italy break record to claim gold in inaugural mixed 4x100m</h2>
Italy started a thrilling night of finals off with a bang, setting a world U20 record to win the inaugural world U20 mixed 4x100m final.&nbsp;
Edwin Fermin Galvan, Elisa Valensin, Francesco Pagliarini and Kelly Doualla combined to run 41.21 to break the world U20 record of 41.60 set by Great Britain &amp; NI in the heats. That had beaten the world U20 record of 41.64 set by Australia in the first heat, as the event made its debut at the World U20 Championships.
Great Britain placed second in the final in 41.38 &ndash; a time that beat their previous record from day two in Oregon. The United States were third, just 0.01 behind Great Britain.
<h2>Bouchajda narrowly defeats Williams in tightly contested 800m</h2>
Imad Bouchajda won Morocco a first ever world U20 800m title in front of a fired up Hayward crowd. After a well-judged race, Bouchajda crossed the line in 1:44.64 to narrowly beat Australia&rsquo;s Daniel Williams (1:45.36).&nbsp;
Spain&rsquo;s Alejandro Rios finished strongly to claim the bronze in 1:46.25. Uganda&rsquo;s Shafeck Murungi stormed away from the field in the opening stages but he ran out of steam in the second half and finished eighth.&nbsp;
<h2>Favourites cruise into 400m hurdles final</h2>
Asian U20 champion Taiju Goto didn&rsquo;t miss a beat in the 400m hurdles semifinals, running 49.19 to win his heat and punch his ticket into the final. Czechia's Michal Rada, the 2024 world U20 silver medallist, cruised to a 49.48 heat win and USA&rsquo;s Miller Warme ran a 49.48 to win another heat. South African U20 record-holder Matodzi Ndou also comfortably qualified, running the third-fastest time of the round. US U20 winner Keenan Davis also advanced to the final.&nbsp;
Owen Bogert for the World Athletics Media Academy
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
&nbsp;

USA’s Le'Ezra Brown equalled the world U20 110m hurdles record* and Italy improved the world U20 mixed 4x100m record* at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

World U20 records by Brown and Italy, Taylor runs championship record in Oregon

Australia&rsquo;s Isaac Beacroft roared to a world U20 5000m race walk record of 18:40.37* on the fourth morning of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday (8).
The 19-year-old turned the tables on China&rsquo;s Pu Huajia, who beat the Australian to the U20 title at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Bras&iacute;lia in April. Timing his finish to perfection, Beacroft picked up the pace again on the final lap and Pu couldn&rsquo;t respond, finishing three seconds back in an Asian U20 record of 18:43.70.
The drama continued beyond the finish line as Japan&rsquo;s Naoto Roppongi completed the distance in third place but was handed a time penalty for three red cards and so bronze went to Italy&rsquo;s Nicol&ograve; Vidal in a PB of 18:56.19. After that 30-second penalty, Roppongi finished fourth in a PB of 19:24.43.
Ireland&rsquo;s S&eacute;amus Clarke finished fifth in 19:28.27, India&rsquo;s Nitin Gupta was sixth in 19:32.30 and Mexico&rsquo;s Osvaldo Miramontes set an area U20 record of 19:34.07 in seventh.
It was a second major victory for Beacroft in just over a week as he won the 10,000m race walk at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on 31 July. He improved on his fourth-place finish at the 2024 World U20 Championships in Lima, adding this title to the U20 title he claimed at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, also in 2024. Despite his nation's race walk success, Beacroft became the first athlete from Australia to win a race walk title at the World U20 Championships.
"Coming into the race, I thought that it was going to take a world record performance to win and it did," said Beacroft, who surpassed the 18:50.00 set as the time to beat for a world U20 record. "So, I was prepared for that in my head and I knew that I was capable, I have seen it in my training.
"Pu Huajia is a lovely man, he is very good to compete against. He is very gracious in winning and very gracious in losing as well. So, I think that is going to be a very long rivalry. I am super excited to continue to do it."
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Italy&rsquo;s Serena Di Fabio dominated the women&rsquo;s 5000m race walk, clocking a championship record of 20:57.57 to win by 20 seconds.
The 18-year-old took control of the race early on and ticked off the laps metronomically, striding away from a chase group featuring France&rsquo;s Chlo&eacute; Le Roch and China&rsquo;s Yang Yutong. Le Roch secured silver in a national U20 record of 21:17.92, while Yang got bronze in 21:31.99 as the next 13 athletes behind Di Fabio all set PBs.
Ibuki Hori closed well to finish fourth in 21:36.62, one place ahead of her Japanese teammate Harumi Tabata in 21:57.99
Di Fabio started as the world U20 leader thanks to the European U20 record of 20:42.74 she set in Caorle in July. She became Italy&rsquo;s first race walk winner at the World U20 Championships and went one better than in the U20 race at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Bras&iacute;lia where Yang beat the Italian by 10 seconds.
Yang crossed the finish line in fourth place but already had the bronze secured as Tunisia&rsquo;s Imen Saii had earlier received three red cards and was subject to a time penalty.&nbsp;Saii was later disqualified.
Le Roch gained her first global medal after finishing fourth at the World Race Walking Team Championships in April and eighth in the 10,000m race walk at the last edition of the World U20 Championships in Lima.
"It is a big motivation knowing that Italy has so much history in race walking. I have the opportunity to meet and train with some good Italian race walkers, it is an honour," said Di Fabio. "I am going to celebrate with my team, I am actually the team captain. It is a big responsibility. I wanted to do this role in the best way possible and I think I did."
<h2>Belo da Silva leads decathlon</h2>
Sweden&rsquo;s world U20 leader Liam Belo da Silva topped the decathlon by 133 points with two events to go, despite visibly dealing with some foot pain. He started the day in second place and dropped to sixth after clocking 15.12 in the 110m hurdles, which was led by Hungary&rsquo;s Zal&aacute;n Zemen with a championship decathlon best of 13.70.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a77c0328e6db23eccf80e4c.JPG" alt="Liam Belo da Silva in decathlon discus action" />
<div>
Liam Belo da Silva in decathlon discus action (&copy; World Athletics Media Academy <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Zara Linneman)
But Belo da Silva was preparing for another championship decathlon best of his own and he launched himself into the lead with a PB of 51.95m in the discus &ndash; more than five metres farther than any of his rivals. He then cleared 4.80m in the pole vault to hold on to the lead with only the javelin and 1500m to go.
Kilian Trochain of France moved into second place with 6621 after clocking 13.88 in the 110m hurdles and clearing 4.80m in the pole vault, while Sweden&rsquo;s David Berglund moved into third place on 6619, his performances including 5.00m to top the pole vault. France&rsquo;s Mael-Bephassou Lannurien, who was second to&nbsp;Belo da Silva on the entry list, ended day one in the lead but dropped to seventh ahead of the last two events after clocking 13.99 in the 110m hurdles, throwing 35.84m in the discus and clearing 4.00m in the pole vault.
<h2>Relays heat up</h2>
USA ran a world U20 lead of 3:04.55 to make a statement in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m heats. The team won the third heat ahead of South Africa, anchored by individual 400m bronze medallist Leendert Koekemoer, and Jamaica as they respectively clocked 3:05.08 and 3:06.44. Australia won the second heat in 3:07.04 from Poland and Zimbabwe, the latter in a national U20 record of 3:08.56, while Botswana won the first heat in 3:08.22 to also make the final along with France and Germany.
The host nation also led the heats in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m, clocking 3:32.66 to top the first round ahead of Italy, who won the second heat in a national U20 record of 3:33.63. Germany won the third heat in 3:34.35 ahead of Slovenia in a national U20 record of 3:35.60 and they will be joined in the final by Australia, Great Britain &amp; NI, Nigeria, Jamaica and India.
Australia set an Oceanian U20 record of 43.44 to storm into the women&rsquo;s 4x100m final. Jamaica were second in 43.61 and 17-year-old Oluebube Ezechukwu finished fast for Nigeria to edge USA by just 0.02 for the final qualification place from that race, 43.65 to 43.67. Switzerland won the first heat in 43.99 from Belgium and Spain in respective national U20 records of 44.33 and 44.54. Germany won heat two in 44.09 from Trinidad and Tobago and Canada.
USA did make the men&rsquo;s 4x100m final, going quickest in the heats with 38.87. Switzerland were second in that heat in a national U20 record of 39.32. Great Britain &amp; NI (39.38), Trinidad and Tobago (39.40) and Jamaica (39.51) were the other heat winners, while Belgium clinched the sole non-automatic qualifying spot with a national U20 record of 39.45.
A total of 13 athletes achieved the automatic qualification mark of 60.50m, setting the tone for a competitive discus final. Austria's Stefan Gaisbauer led with his PB of 63.11m, while Francesco D'Angelo also threw a PB of 62.63m. Jamaica&rsquo;s Joseph Richard Salmon, who has thrown 67.55m this year, had two fouls but then launched himself into the final with a 62.10m third attempt.
Three athletes achieved the automatic qualifying mark of 13.35m to soar into the triple jump final &ndash; Romania&rsquo;s Daria Vr&icirc;nceanu (13.60m), Sweden&rsquo;s Johanna Sund&eacute;n (13.58m) and Germany&rsquo;s Antonia Bronnert (13.43m). Bulgaria&rsquo;s 17-year-old Viktoria Angelova (13.03m), who topped the entry list, also did enough to advance to the final.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
</div>
</div>

Australia’s Isaac Beacroft roared to a world U20 5000m race walk record of 18:40.37 on the fourth morning of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Beacroft sets world U20 record to claim race walk crown in Oregon

A packed day four awaits at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26, with 13 titles set to be decided across the track and field. Here are three things to look out for on Saturday.
<h2>Race walks make an early start</h2>
The first finals of the day start bright and early, with the women&rsquo;s 5000m race walk at 9:30 followed by the men&rsquo;s event at 10:10.
For the first time in World U20 Championships history, both race walks will be contested over 5000m, replacing the 10,000m distance used at previous editions.
Italy&rsquo;s Serena Di Fabio leads the women&rsquo;s entries with a world U20-leading 20:42.74, the only sub-21-minute performance in the field. But she will face strong opposition from Yang Yutong, who finished 10 seconds ahead of Di Fabio to win the U20 race at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Brasilia earlier this year.
France&rsquo;s Chloe Le Roch and Tunisia&rsquo;s Imen Saii are also among the leading contenders, along with Yang&rsquo;s Chinese teammate Sun Xiaoxue.
India&rsquo;s Nitin Gupta heads the men&rsquo;s entries after clocking a world U20 best of 18:54.37 in Bengaluru in April. But China&rsquo;s Pu Huajia will be another major threat after his dominant victory at the World Race Walking Team Championships, where he won the U20 race by 49 seconds.
Australia&rsquo;s Isaac Beacroft, winner of the U20 race at the 2024 World Race Walking Team Championships, arrives in Eugene fresh from winning the Commonwealth 10,000m race walk title in Glasgow. Peru&rsquo;s Jos&eacute; Duvan Ccoscco Sueldo, Italy&rsquo;s Alessio Coppola and 2024 world U20 silver medallist Emiliano Barba of Mexico are among the other athletes to watch.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/oregon26/news/preview/wu20-oregon-26-preview-combined-events-race-walks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Oregon 26 race walks preview</a>
<h2>Sprints return to centre stage</h2>
The 200m finals will be among the last races of day four, with some familiar faces returning to the Hayward Field start line.
Tate Taylor, the 100m winner here in Oregon, will start as favourite for the men&rsquo;s title after running 19.75 at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field last month, beating Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo and moving to third on the world U20 all-time list.
Taylor was fastest in Friday&rsquo;s semi-finals with 20.34, while fellow US sprinter Blake Hamilton ran 20.38 to advance. Jayden Green clocked 20.46 to become just the second Barbadian athlete to reach a world U20 200m final, while Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Makaelan Isiah Randall Woods set a PB of 20.47.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Gary Card also advanced, setting up another head-to-head between the gold and silver medallists from the 100m.
In the women&rsquo;s 200m, Jamaican sprinter Shanoya Douglas will look to improve on the bronze medal she won in Lima two years ago. The world U20 leader, who claimed 100m silver earlier this week, was fastest in the semi-finals with 22.53.
Mia Maxwell, the 100m champion earlier in the week, will aim to complete a sprint double, with her twin sister Mariah also advancing to the final. Jamaica&rsquo;s Sashana Johnson set a PB of 22.92 in her semi-final, while Italy&rsquo;s Margherita Castellani improved her national U20 record to 22.99.
Antigua and Barbuda&rsquo;s Tyra Fenton also booked her place in the final, clocking 23.25.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/oregon26/news/preview/wu20-oregon-26-preview-sprints" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Oregon 26 sprint events preview</a>
<h2>Relay action heats up</h2>
The mixed 4x100m final will crown its first world U20 champion on Saturday, while the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s events get under way with their opening rounds.
When the mixed 4x100m made its World U20 Championships debut on Thursday, Australia set the first world U20 record with 41.64 in the opening heat. The mark lasted only a matter of minutes before Great Britain and Northern Ireland lowered it to 41.60 in the second heat.
Italy also impressed with 41.74, while the USA ran 41.82 and Nigeria clocked 41.91. With little separating the leading teams, the first world U20 mixed 4x100m title remains wide open ahead of Saturday&rsquo;s final at 18:05.
The men&rsquo;s 4x100m heats should be equally competitive, with Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Australia, Jamaica, China, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA among the teams to watch.
Switzerland heads into the women&rsquo;s 4x100m with the fastest mark among the entered teams this year, having clocked 43.32. Jamaica have run 43.76 and Germany 43.92, making them the other two teams in the field to have broken 44 seconds this season.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/oregon26/news/preview/wu20-oregon-26-preview-relays" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Oregon 26 relays preview</a>
Colin Ernst for the World Athletics Media Academy

A packed day four awaits at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26, with 13 titles set to be decided

Three things to watch on day four in Oregon

<ul>
<li>Emmanuel Kiprono threatens world U20 3000m record</li>
<li>Jayden Deleon pips Quincy Wilson to 400m title</li>
<li>Almaz Yohannis and Wosane Asefa secure steeplechase 1-2 for Ethiopia</li>
</ul>
Championship records were set by Emmanuel Kiprono and Jayden Deleon on the third evening of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Friday (7).&nbsp;
Kenya&rsquo;s Kiprono stole the show in a 3000m full of lifetime bests, setting a championship record and moving to second on the world U20 all-time list with 7:28.28. He was just 0.09 off the world U20 record set by Yomif Kejelcha &ndash; now the senior world record-holder in the 10km and half marathon &ndash; in Paris in 2016.
Some 20 seconds later, France's Alois Abraham finished second to clinch silver in 7:47.79. The bronze medal went to Ojiro Honda, setting a Japanese U20 record of 7:48.49.&nbsp;
The next eight finishers all set PBs, including Chien Tzu-Chieh who ran a national U20 record of 7:51.18 for Chinese Taipei, finishing sixth.
Kiprono had been determined to go for gold after getting U20 silver at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee in January.
&ldquo;I went back to training, did well, and got a chance to represent Kenya at the World Championships. I am so excited that it worked for me today and I won the gold medal,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When I woke up this morning, I was feeling so good and I knew something special was coming. I am going to train and prepare for the 2028 Olympics.&rdquo;
<h2>Deleon wins at Hayward again</h2>
USA&rsquo;s Deleon also set a championship record, running 44.47 to win the 400m and once again gain victory over Olympian Quincy Wilson. Just two months ago, the pair respectively finished first and second at the US U20 Championships on the same track.&nbsp;
Wilson improved to a season's best of 44.62 on Friday, but it wasn't enough to get revenge on Deleon. South African U20 record-holder Leendert Koekemoer became the fourth man from his country to reach the 400m podium during the past four World U20 Championships, clocking 44.96 to continue his country's impressive dynasty in the discipline.
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<h2>Ethiopia shows up big in the steeplechase</h2>
The Ethiopian duo of Almaz Yohannis and Wosane Asefa proved their country's dominance in the steeplechase. The winning time of 9:15.81 by Yohannis is a world U20 lead and it moves her to eighth on the world U20 all-time list.&nbsp;
Asefa ran a season's best of 9:30.50 for silver and Kenya's Anatasha Cheptoo took home bronze, running 9:37.18. Unfortunately, her teammate Mercy Chepngeno Koskey, who was in fourth place, fell at the water jump on the penultimate lap and needed medical assistance. Sweden's Majken S&ouml;derlund Larsson and Czechia's Ema Berkov&aacute; both set national records, running 9:48.01 and 9:49.06 to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
<h2>Kuś digs deep</h2>
Poland's Anastazja Kuś upset US favourite Ataja Stephane-Vasquez in the final 100m to take home 400m gold and set a national U20 record, breaking a 13-year-old mark set by Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz at the European U20 Championships in Italy. Kuś&rsquo; 51.06 was the first time she dipped under 52 seconds in this competition, and it came at the perfect moment.
Stephane-Vasquez got silver for USA in 51.36. Tianna Springer became the second athlete from Guyana to ever claim a medal at the World U20 Championships, clocking 51.76 for bronze. The first was also won in the women&rsquo;s 400m, in 2012.
<h2>Records fall in 110m hurdles semifinals</h2>
Two area U20 records and two national U20 records were set in the semifinals of the 110m hurdles. Running faster than all of them was USA's Le'ezra Brown, who ran a wind-assisted 12.82 (2.7m/s) after clocking a North American record of 12.89 in the heats, but he clutched his left calf as he walked off the track.&nbsp;
Japan's Jeremy Koga posted the only other sub-13 time &ndash; 12.90 to win his semifinal and set an Asian U20 record. He was closely followed by USA&rsquo;s Zacchaeus Brocks, who clocked 13.00. Anthony Johnsen ran a Norwegian U20 record of 13.07, while Jahcario Wilson clocked a Bahamian U20 record of 13.17 and Brazil's Odair Goncalves ran a 13.19 South American U20 record.
Among the top qualifiers for the 100m hurdles final were South Africa's Tumi Ramokgopa, who ran 13.02 in heat two, and Jamaica's Tiana Marshall, who matched that time in heat one. Switzerland's Jil Sanchez followed closely at 13.07. In heat three, Germany's Daryl Ndasi ran a PB of 13.10 to advance. US athletes Madeline Cooper and Tori Goodson also qualified for the final.
USA's Paige Sheppard led the way in the women's 800m semifinals, running 2:01.97. Shaikira King, Ioulianna Roussou and Habtam Gebeyehu were the next three athletes to run sub-2:03. Ethiopia's Derartu Shibiru ran a PB of 2:03.41, and a diving finish from Poland's Roza Olchawa also secured her a spot in the final.
Three lifetime bests were set in the top four spots of the men's 800m semifinals. Kenya's Nashon Pkiach ran the sole sub-1:46, a PB of 1:45.82. Uganda's Shafeck Murungi won his own semifinal in 1:46.41 and Spain's Alejandro Rios crossed the line looking up to the sky, clocking 1:46.66. Morocco's Imad Bouchajda, Slovenia's Benjamin Lako&scaron;eljac and Kenya's Collins Tajewou were among the other top qualifiers.
<h2>200m finals are set</h2>
Every qualifier for the men's 200m final ran sub-21 in the semifinals. USA&rsquo;s world U20 100m champion Tate Taylor (20.34) and Blake Hamilton (20.38) cruised to semifinal wins. Jayden Green was second behind Hamilton in 20.46, becoming the second Barbadian athlete to ever qualify for a world U20 200m final. Trinidad and Tobago's Makaelan Isiah Randall Woods ran a PB of 20.47, Japan's Tomoro Ide clocked 20.63 and Portugal's Pedro Afonso set a national U20 record of 20.66. Jamaica's Gary Card also advanced, setting up a rematch against Tate Taylor after his silver-medal finish behind the US sprinter in the 100m.
Jamaica and the USA flexed their might in the women's 200m semifinals. Jamaica's world leader Shanoya Douglas came in first in 22.53. The Maxwell twins, Mariah and Mia, were not far behind, respectively running 22.78 and 22.87. Jamaica's Sashana Johnson ran a PB of 22.92, slotting her into fourth place overall in the semifinals. Margherita Castellani continued the young Italian sprinting showcase, setting a national U20 record of 22.99 at just 17 years old.
Colin Ernst for the World Athletics Media Academy
&nbsp;

Championship records were set by Emmanuel Kiprono and Jayden Deleon on the third evening of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Kiprono and Deleon break championship records in Oregon

<ul>
<li>Michael-Andre Matthew Edwards wins back-and-forth triple jump battle</li>
<li>Jan-Hendrik Heymans gets javelin gold with PB performance</li>
<li>Chen Jiawei dominates hammer with 79.16m</li>
</ul>
Michael-Andre Matthew Edwards and Jan-Hendrik Heymans clinched victory with world U20-leading PB performances during the third evening of action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Friday (7).&nbsp;
The fight for the triple jump top spot was a back and forth between Jamaica and USA. The fight really began when Jamaica&rsquo;s Edwards jumped a PB of 16.71m in the fifth round. USA&rsquo;s Miles Nesmith answered with 16.79m &ndash; a second consecutive PB jump after his 16.54m from the fourth round, while China&rsquo;s Wang Zhuoyue sat in third place on 16.36m.
But Edwards had a response of his own &ndash; 17.08m from his final attempt to become the first U20 athlete this year to surpass 17 metres.
Nesmith jumped 15.89m in the final round and so got silver ahead of Wang, who was just 10cm shy of his PB. He was unable to improve in the second half of the competition, suffering some discomfort during his fifth jump before retiring from the contest.
PBs were also set by the next three athletes: Italy&rsquo;s Francesco Efeosa Crotti (16.24m), China&rsquo;s Cai Ziqi (16.12m) and Bulgaria&rsquo;s Zinga Rafael Barbosa Firmino (15.96m).&nbsp;
&nbsp;&ldquo;I didn't even know I made it. After the fifth round, I got my groove,&rdquo; said Edwards. &ldquo;I look up to all the triple jumpers, so it's good. It's great to follow in their footsteps and win a world title. I'm doing everything there is to do.&rdquo;
<h2>Heymans dominates javelin</h2>
South Africa&rsquo;s Heymans started as the javelin favourite and he proved the form book right as he won with a throw of 80.50m &ndash; adding more than three metres to the PB he held going into the championships.&nbsp;
The 19-year-old set a PB of 79.42m in the fifth round but he improved by another metre with his last attempt, achieving the fourth-farthest winning mark in World U20 Championships history.&nbsp;
Heymans gained an early lead with 76.92m from his first throw. That would have been enough for him to win but he surpassed 76 metres with each of his next five attempts.
India&rsquo;s Ashish Yadav got silver with a throw of 74.09m from his third attempt of the night. Addison James got bronze, throwing a national record of 73.89m to become Dominica&rsquo;s first ever world U20 medallist.
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<h2>World leader becomes world champion</h2>
After setting a world U20 lead in qualification, China&rsquo;s Chen Jiawei finished top in the hammer again, throwing 79.16m. Chen consistently threw beyond 76 metres throughout the event, putting himself ahead of his rivals from the start.
He opened with 78.47m and then improved to 79.16m in the final round. Chen had earned himself the position of world U20 leader with 80.39m during qualification on the first day of the competition on Wednesday (5).&nbsp;
He continued China&rsquo;s strength in the throws, getting a second gold to go with his teammate Su Yixin&rsquo;s discus title from Thursday.
USA&rsquo;s 17-year-old Kayden Hulet and Great Britain&rsquo;s Wyatt Larkins earned themselves PBs to secure medals. Hulet earned silver with a throw of 77.55m, while Larkins placed third with 75.38m.
Both Hulet and Larkins raised their game. Hulet added more than four metres to his PB throughout the competition, improving to 73.71m, 74.68m and then 77.55m in the final round.
Larkins added more than two metres to his PB, throwing his 75.38m in the first round.
<h2>Lannurien leads decathlon overnight</h2>
France&rsquo;s Mael-Bephassou Lannurien leads the decathlon by 99 points ahead of Sweden&rsquo;s world leader Liam Belo da Silva &ndash; 4258 to 4159 &ndash; at the end of the first five events.
Lannurien started the session in seventh place and soared into second after clearing a PB of 2.12m in the high jump. But in a battle between the top two U20 decathletes in the world this year, Belo da Silva equalled the championship decathlon best by clearing 2.15m, launching himself into the lead. South Africa&rsquo;s Daniel von der Heyden, who held the lead after the morning session, moved down into third.
They returned for the 400m &ndash; Lannurien winning his race in 48.00, the second-fastest of the day behind Kacper G&oacute;ralczyk&rsquo;s 47.94 &ndash; to move into top spot. Belo da Silva ran 50.95 to see him end the day in second place ahead of Von der Heyden (4133).
Ash Wehrly for the World Athletics Media Academy
&nbsp;

Michael-Andre Matthew Edwards and Jan-Hendrik Heymans clinched victory at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 

Edwards and Heymans win gold with world U20 leads in Oregon

<ul>
<li>Le'Ezra Brown runs 12.89 area record in 110m hurdles heats</li>
<li>Daniel von der Heyden takes early decathlon lead</li>
<li>Both 100m champions cruise into 200m semifinals</li>
</ul>
Le'Ezra Brown improved his own North American U20 110m hurdles record to 12.89 to highlight the heats during the third morning of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on home soil on Friday (7), despite hitting the final hurdle.
Securing his place in this evening&rsquo;s semifinals, the 19-year-old strengthened his position at second on the world U20 all-time list, surpassing the 12.95 he set, also during the heats, at the US U20 Championships on the same Hayward Field track in June.
Only France&rsquo;s Sasha Zhoya has ever gone quicker with the 12.72 he clocked to win the world U20 title in Nairobi in 2021. Brown&rsquo;s 12.89 (0.1m/s) is faster than the title-winning times at all editions of the World U20 Championships except for that 2021 edition.
He will look to maintain that momentum in the semifinals and should all go to plan he will return for the final on Saturday looking to retain the title for USA and follow in the footsteps of the 2024 champion Ja'Kobe Tharp, now holder of the senior world record.
Among those joining Brown in the semifinals are Zacchaeus Brocks, who won the US U20 title ahead of Brown and who won his own heat in 13.11, as well as France&rsquo;s Ewenn Vernack, who set a PB of 13.22.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Tiana Marshall led the 100m hurdles heats, running 13.10 to dominate her race. Tumi Ramokgopa of South Africa won her own heat in 13.16 the day after securing a semifinal spot in the 400m hurdles. Danai Theodora Bakogianni also got herself a 100m hurdles semifinal place thanks to her Greek U20 record of 13.61.
<h2>Von der Heyden takes decathlon lead</h2>
After the first three events in the decathlon, 101 points separate the top two athletes. Daniel von der Heyden of South Africa leads the event with 2609 after topping the shot put with 16.05m. He clocked 10.82 in the 100m, later setting a PB of 7.17m in the long jump &ndash; his first time surpassing seven metres.
Sweden&rsquo;s David Berglund moved up nine places after throwing 15.39m in the shot put, putting him in second after the morning session with 2508. Nikolaos Kosmopoulos of Greece finished the morning in third with 2459, just six points ahead of Czechia&rsquo;s Adam Juli&scaron;.
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Many of Thursday&rsquo;s 100m medallists returned to the track for the 200m heats.
Jamaica came out on top of the women&rsquo;s heats, 100m silver medallist Shanoya Douglas running 22.88 and Sashana Johnson setting a PB of 22.95.
USA&rsquo;s 100m champion Mia Maxwell won her heat in 23.30 and will be joined in the semifinals by her twin sister Mariah after a competitive first round. Nigeria&rsquo;s Oghene Success Oyibu (23.04) will also be one to watch as she qualified along with her teammate Oluebube Ezechukwu (23.34).
Amir Thompson of Barbados went quickest in the men&rsquo;s 200m heats in 20.49. Tomoro Ide of Japan made a statement in heat three as he ran a PB of 20.53 to finish ahead of Jamaica&rsquo;s Gary Card.&nbsp;
Card, the silver medallist in the 100m on Thursday, was initially disqualified from that 200m heat due to lane infringement but his performance was later reinstated following a successful appeal.
US favourites Tate Taylor, who won the 100m title, and Blake Hamilton also made it through to the semifinals with no issue. They respectively won their heats in 21.02 and 20.54. Three athletes achieved national U20 records &ndash; Switzerland&rsquo;s Emile Mumenthaler (20.62), Guyana&rsquo;s Tishawn Easton (20.66) and Hong Kong China&rsquo;s Koo Cheuk Fung Jasper (20.86) all automatically qualifying thanks to those record-breaking performances.
<h2>World leader Louison-Roe advances</h2>
A total of 14 athletes secured their places in the high jump final after clearing 1.79m in qualification. They include world U20 leader Izobelle Louison-Roe from Australia who returns after winning world U20 silver in Lima in 2024.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s hammer started strong, USA&rsquo;s Burklie Burton ending qualification on top with a PB of 68.03m. Five automatic qualifying athletes threw beyond 64 metres, including Finland&rsquo;s Pinja K&auml;rh&auml; who blew her group away with her opening mark of 67.51m. Clara Hegemann (66.88m), Nova Kienast (64.75m) and Polina Dzerozhynska (64.39m) will join them in the final.
Six athletes in the women&rsquo;s javelin automatically qualified for the final after throwing beyond 52.50m. Croatia&rsquo;s Vita Barbić achieved the top mark with 56.29m. Živa Križ was overjoyed when she did enough with her final attempt to also advance, celebrating with supporters in the crowd after her final throw of 49.22m.&nbsp;
The men&rsquo;s long jump saw all four automatic qualifiers set PBs. Italy&rsquo;s Daniele Leonardo Inzoli surpassed eight metres (8.15m), while USA&rsquo;s Quincy Isaac jumped 7.91m. Mason McGroder of Australia soared 7.83m, improving the PB he set at the last edition of the World U20 Championships in Lima when he got bronze with 7.80m. Ukraine&rsquo;s Adam Bilokon also qualified after jumping 7.77m.
Sofiah Gravley for the World Athletics Media Academy
&nbsp;

Le'Ezra Brown improved his own North American U20 110m hurdles record to 12.89 to highlight the heats during the third morning of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Brown breaks North American U20 record on third morning in Oregon

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