Mia Maxwell wins the 200m to complete a sprint double in Oregon (© Getty Images)
- Déjà vu as Madeline Cooper matches world-leading time
- Mia Maxwell sweeps the sprints
- Yordanos Tsigab and Shito Gumi of Ethiopia go 1-2 in 3000m
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 on Saturday (8).
There was a sense of déjà vu for Cooper as she ran 12.91 – 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’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 Saturday.
Tiana Marshall of Jamaica ran a PB of 12.97 to take home the bronze as she held off Switzerland’s Jil Sanchez – a dramatic final that ended with an emotional reaction from Marshall.
“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,” said Cooper, who also ran in the 4x100m heats during the morning session. “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.”
Maxwell gets golden sprint double
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.
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’s Shanoya Douglas also repeated her position from the 100m, getting a second silver medal in 22.68.
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’s 100m and 200m for USA.
“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,” said Mia. “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.”
Tsigab and Gumi go 1-2 for Ethiopia
Yordanos Tsigab and Shito Gumi got gold and silver for Ethiopia in the 3000m, kicking away over the final 60 metres to pass Uganda’s Charity Cherop. Tsigab won in a PB of 8:43.56 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 – 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’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.
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’s 400m hurdles semifinals also took place on Saturday, with 100m hurdles silver medallist Ramokgopa among those to qualify for Sunday’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’s Alexandra Ștefania Uță won her heat in 56.87.
In addition to Kareem’s performance, three other athletes set national records to make the final: Duru Iklim Kadanali of Türkiye with 56.91, Eleni Iakovaki of Greece with 57.10 and Rania El Hamdaoui of Morocco with 57.36.
Bahamas’ Kei-Mahri Hanna and Shevaughn Thomas of Jamaica will both also be in the final but USA’s Natalie Dumas will not join them after she tripped over the eighth hurdle and fell.
Sofiah Gravley for the World Athletics Media Academy
