The wait is almost over. The Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium is ready to welcome the world&rsquo;s best teenage athletes for the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22, taking place from 1-6 August.
The action-packed six-day programme gets under way on Monday with two finals, decathlon competition and a whole host of qualification rounds and heats.
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<h3><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/cali22/highlights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full daily highlights at a glance</a></h3>
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Here are three things to follow on day one. 
<h2>First crown to be claimed</h2>
The first winner of the&nbsp;World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 will be crowned in the women's 3000m. Aged just 15, Tsiyon Abebe has already made a mark on the world U18 all-time list and now the Ethiopian talent looks to leave an impression on the world U20 stage.
Racing at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat at the start of June, Abebe clocked 8:44.82 to improve on the 9:09.5 she recorded to win the Ethiopian U20 title in March. That performance in Rabat moved her to ninth on the world U18 all-time list and makes her the quickest on the start line in Cali.
She faces some strong competition for the title, however. Betty Chelangat and Nancy Cherop will be looking to follow in the footsteps of their compatriot Teresiah Muthoni Gateri, who won the 3000m title for Kenya on home soil last year, and they have also dipped below nine minutes for the discipline this year. So too has Abebe's compatiot Bertukan Welde, with 8:59.10 recorded at the Diamond League meeting in Doha. Finland&rsquo;s Ilona Mononen will also be on the hunt for a medal, looking to improve on her fifth-place finish in Nairobi last year. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62e71c944e6e94992dcbcf6f.jpg" alt="Tsiyon Abebe races behind Mercy Cherono and Medina Eisa in the 3000m at the Wanda Diamond League in Rabat" />
Tsiyon Abebe races behind Mercy Cherono and Medina Eisa in the 3000m at the Wanda Diamond League in Rabat (&copy; Geoffroy Van der Hasselt for Diamond League AG)
</div>
<h2>From Oregon to Cali</h2>
Some of the rising stars in action at the recent World Athletics Championships Oregon22 will take to the track again as they go for U20 gold in Cali. Eritrea&rsquo;s Merhawi Mebrahtu and Uganda&rsquo;s Peter Maru both raced in the 5000m heats in Eugene, while Mebrahtu&rsquo;s teammate Samuel Habtom finished 17th in the 10,000m final.
National U20 record-holder Mebrahtu was fifth in the 5000m and fourth in the 3000m at the last edition of the World U20 Championships and will be targeting his first podium place, while Habtom claimed 3000m bronze in Nairobi and then finished one place behind his compatriot in the 5000m final the following day. Maru also seeks a first global medal after finishing fifth in the 1500m in Nairobi last August.
Despite their impressive performances so far, this trio does not feature the fastest in the field &ndash; that top spot is filled by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Addisu Yihune, who finished fourth in Nairobi. He ran his 12:58.99 PB in June 2021 and clocked 13:02.10 to win in Grosseto in May.
In a competitive clash, this quartet will be joined by athletes including Maru&rsquo;s teammate Rogers Kibet, Japan&rsquo;s Keita Sato and Kanya&rsquo;s Samuel Kibathi.&nbsp; 
<h2>10 events, one winner</h2>
Some of the world&rsquo;s best U20 combined events athletes will get their campaigns under way on Monday, when the morning session hosts the decathlon 100m, long jump and shot put, before the high jump and 400m in the afternoon. 
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 Five of the entries have surpassed 7500 points this season, led by Jacob Thelander with the Swedish U20 record of 7823 he achieved in Ljungby in May. Look out for him on Monday afternoon, as the high jump is among his strongest events &ndash; he set a 2.10m PB in that discipline earlier this year and also has a wind-legal long jump best of 7.36m.
Pol Ferrer won this year's Spanish U20 title with a score of 7623, while Yoram Vriezen claimed the Dutch U20 title with a 7592 PB. French teammates Pierre Blaecke and Sacha Rifflart have respectively set PBs of 7584 and 7571 this year.
The winner will be crowned on day two.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

World Athletics U20 Championships

The wait is almost over.

Three things to follow on day one in Cali: on your marks…

More than 1500 athletes from 145 teams are set to compete at the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 between 1-6 August.
Here we take a look at the women's and men's sprint events at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 100m</h2>
Jamaica&rsquo;s Tina Clayton is among the eight athletes in Cali who will be defending the titles they claimed in Nairobi last year and given her performances this season, the 17-year-old looks in form to gain another gold. Clayton dipped below 11 seconds for the first time last month, breaking the Jamaican U20 record with her world U20-leading time of 10.96 &ndash; a mark that puts her fifth on the world U20 all-time list.
Clayton also formed part of Jamaica&rsquo;s world U20 record-breaking 4x100m quartet in Nairobi last year, alongside Serena Cole, Kerrica Hill and her twin sister Tia Clayton. Cole joins Tina in contesting the 100m in Cali and will be looking to join her compatriot on the podium having improved from 11.42 to 11.13 this year.
Also expected to be in the medal mix will be South Africa&rsquo;s 17-year-old Viwe Jingqi, who has progressed from 11.67 to 11.22 this season, and Nigeria&rsquo;s Tima Seikeseye Godbless, who reached the semifinals in Nairobi.
Shawnti Jackson is the daughter of 2005 world 400m hurdles champion Bershawn Jackson and the 17-year-old won the US U20 title in a wind-assisted 11.07 (2.7m/s) to secure her place on the team for Cali, where she&rsquo;ll be joined by her 16-year-old teammate Mia Brahe-Pedersen. Nia Wedderburn-Goodison recently won the European U18 title, running a&nbsp;11.39 PB. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 100m</h2>
The stand-out performer in the men&rsquo;s equivalent is expected to be Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, following his 9.94 world U20 record in the heats at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 a fortnight ago. The 19-year-old 100m victor and 200m silver medallist in Nairobi also boasts a 10.12 fifth-place finish from the Wanda Diamond League in Eugene back in May, further illustrating his fine credentials ahead of a title defence few would bet against Tebogo succeeding in.
His nearest challengers are likely to come in the form of 2021 silver medallist Benjamin Richardson and their fellow Nairobi finalist, Godson Oke Oghenebrume.
South Africa&rsquo;s 18-year-old Richardson &ndash; a member of the winning 4x100m relay team last year &ndash; has clocked a 10.08 lifetime best this season, whilst Oghenebrume of Nigeria, 19, was timed at 10.12 for a personal best in April.
Japan&rsquo;s Hiroki Yanagita, 19, has also been in top form with a 10.16 clocking this season, further pointing towards a fierce battle ahead for the podium.&nbsp; 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 200m</h2>
Jamaica&rsquo;s 18-year-old Brianna Lyston is gunning for her first major championship medal in light of her notable progression this year, which has seen her improve from 23.18 to 22.53 in the 200m and 11.44 to 11.14 in the 100m. She leads the 200m entries with that PB, which she ran into a -2.2m/s headwind at the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Champs in April.
US pair Jayla Jamison and Mia Brahe-Pedersen will be eager to take some silverware off the back of their recent respective 22.93 and 22.98 personal bests. Jamison has progressed from 23.65 this summer and won the US U20 title, while Brahe-Pedersen was runner-up in Eugene to ensure her inclusion on the athletes to watch list. Another looking to make an impact will be South Africa&rsquo;s Viwe Jingqi, who has run 23.03 and competed at last year&rsquo;s World U20 Championships in the half lap event as well as being a member of the 4x100m squad. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 200m</h2>
Thailand&rsquo;s 16-year-old Puripol Boonson stormed into the spotlight in May, running 20.37 to win at the South East Asian Games &ndash; a time that put him fifth on the world U18 all-time list. There was even more to come and he improved to 20.19 at the Qosanov Memorial in Almaty the following month, becoming the third-fastest U18 200m sprinter in history behind only Erriyon Knighton and Usain Bolt. Despite being the youngest in an entry list featuring 70 athletes, he tops the lot, with South Africa&rsquo;s Benjamin Richardson his closest challenger on paper thanks to the 20.38 PB he ran earlier this month.
Third in the senior British Championships, 19-year-old Jeriel Quainoo has improved from 21.60 to 20.40 this summer, and the 2021 European U20 4x100m relay gold medallist will have his eye on a first individual major championships medal in Cali.
Other athletes to keep an eye on are Australia&rsquo;s Calab Law and Aidan Murphy, who both competed at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon &ndash; Law reaching the semifinals and Murphy running in the heats &ndash; and the experience gained from competing on the senior stage will no doubt aid their aspirations.
Letsile Tebogo of Botswana claimed 200m silver along with his 100m gold last year and also returns in this event.&nbsp; 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 400m</h2>
The stage is set for a duel between the current finest one lap runners in Jamaica and USA, as Dejanea Oakley and Mekenze Kelley face off in the 400m event.
Oakley &shy;&ndash; who ran in the mixed 4x400m heats in Nairobi last year &ndash; has registered a 51.81 personal best this season, while her fellow 18-year-old Kelley has improved from 53.65 to 51.98 this summer, and a fierce battle is predicted for the closely-matched pair.
Canada&rsquo;s Ella Clayton was sixth in the 2021 edition of these championships but having progressed from 54.10 to 52.04 this season, the 19-year-old is a strong contender for a medal this time around.
Nairobi mixed 4x400m bronze medallist Priya Habbathanahalli Mohan of India has a best of 52.37 this campaign and the 19-year-old will be aiming to get into the medal mix following a fourth place finish in the individual event in 2021. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 400m&nbsp;</h2>
The pair of US runners look set to assert their dominance here, with breakthrough runner Steven McElroy expected to lead the way.
The 19-year-old US U20 champion has progressed from 47.86 to 44.93 this year, establishing his authority in the event, while his compatriot Ashton Schwartzman, 19, has enjoyed a similar eye-catching improvement in 2022 &ndash; clocking 45.16 after a 47.24 2021 best &ndash; and he finished runner-up at the US U20 Championships.
Another athlete to watch should be Botswana&rsquo;s Busang Collen Kebinatshipi. The 18-year-old 2021 4x100m gold medallist also has a 45.40 400m clocking to his name and will be determined to spoil the US gold medal hunt. Others to watch include Bahrain&rsquo;s Yusuf Ali Abbas, who won at the Arab U20 Championships in May, as well as Jamaican U20 champion Shaemar Uter, who helped his team to fourth place in the mixed 4x400m relay in Nairobi.
Nicola Sutton for World Athletics

A look at the women's and men's 100m, 200m and 400m

WU20 Cali 22 preview: sprints

More than 1500 athletes from 145 teams are set to compete at the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 between 1-6 August.
Here we take a look at the 4x100m and 4x400m events at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 4x100m</h2>
The four women who smashed the world U20 4x100m record in Nairobi last year will be reunited in Cali.
What&rsquo;s even more mind-boggling is the fact that they will all still be U20 athletes next year too. But enough about 2023; it&rsquo;s all about winning titles and breaking records in 2022 for Jamaica&rsquo;s Tina and Tia Clayton, Serena Cole and Kerrica Hill.
All four of them are faster now than they were in 2021. Tina Clayton, who won the individual 100m title in Nairobi last year, improved to 10.96 this season to break the Jamaican U20 record. Earlier in the year she teamed up with sister Tia, Cole and Brianna Lyston at the Carifta Games and clocked 42.58 &ndash; significantly quicker than their world U20 record, but a mark that unfortunately won&rsquo;t be ratified.
They&rsquo;ll have a chance to put that right in Cali, though.
Not that their victory is guaranteed &ndash; as was the case at the recent World Athletics Championships Oregon22, where the USA defeated an all-star Jamaican 4x100m team that included the three individual 100m medallists.
Indeed, USA&rsquo;s 4x100m team for Cali may well have been inspired by their senior counterparts and will no doubt be in contention to win in the Colombian capital.
As is the case with 4x100m relays at the senior level, Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland should be in the mix with Jamaica and USA. Their team includes recent European U18 winner Nia Wedderburn-Goodison.
The likes of Germany, Nigeria and Australia should also feature in the final and perhaps even make it on to the podium. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 4x100m</h2>
South Africa&rsquo;s world U20 record in the 4x100m was one of the biggest surprises of last year&rsquo;s World U20 Championships.
Two members of that record-breaking quartet will be in action in Cali, though this time all eyes will be on South Africa as they&rsquo;ll line up as one of the favourites.
Benji Richardson and Letlhogonolo &lsquo;Lucky&rsquo; Moleyane will be joined on the squad by Mukhethwa Tshifura, Bradley Nkoana and Bradley Oliphant. In terms of raw speed, their team appears stronger than the one that triumphed in Nairobi.
Relays, however, are about more than just foot speed; baton passing will be crucial, especially as most teams will be fielding young and inexperienced teams with relatively little time to practice. Last-minute fine tuning will be crucial in this event.
Speed certainly helps, though, and the likes of USA and Jamaica have that in abundance. Jamaica placed a close second to South Africa in Nairobi last year, also finishing inside the previous world U20 record that had been held by the USA.
Sandrey Davison, who anchored Jamaica to silver last year, is back on relay duty and will be out for vengeance. USA, meanwhile, will be keen to reclaim their record.
Other teams with the potential to challenge for medals include Nigeria, Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland, European U20 record-holders Poland, Australia and Spain. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 4x400m</h2>
Of all the relays in Cali, this could be the most competitive.
USA has the best depth this year, Jamaica has the fastest individual 400m entrant in Cali, and half of Nigeria&rsquo;s victorious team from 2021 will return to defend their title.
National U20 champion Mekenze Kelley, who has set PBs of 22.78 for 200m and 51.98 for 400m this year, spearheads a strong US team. The five women who followed her at the US U20 Championships are also on the squad.
Dejanea Oakley, who has a best this year of 51.81, is the fastest performer on Jamaica&rsquo;s squad. But perhaps the most interesting squad member is 100m and 200m specialist Brianna Lyston, who set a 200m PB of 22.53 into a -2.2m/s headwind earlier this year.
Ella Onojuvwevwo and Opeyemi Oke will be back on relay duty for Nigeria. But without the likes of Favour Ofili (now a senior) and Imaobong Nse Uko (not in Cali), their team this year may not be quite as dominant as it was in 2021.
If any of the big three teams aren&rsquo;t quite at their best, the likes of Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland, Germany and Italy could capitalise. &nbsp;
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 4x400m</h2>
In any 4x400m at any level, it&rsquo;s hard to look past the strength in depth of the USA.
They will start as the favourites for the title in Cali, given their line-up includes three of the four fastest U20 athletes in the world this year, including world U20 leader Steven McElroy and the two men who followed him across the line at the US U20 Championships, Anthony Schwartzman and Charlie Bartholomew.
Jamaica may not have quite the same speed as the USA but they still have impressive depth and could thrive off chasing down the big favourites. Defending champions Botswana will be without their individual world U20 400m champion from last year, Anthony Pesela, but the team should still fare well.
Japan and South Africa have good 400m depth this year and could be a factor. The likes of Poland and Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland can never be discounted in a 4x400m either. 
<h2>Mixed 4x400m</h2>
Nigeria won the inaugural mixed 4x400m at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi last year, holding off a strong challenge from Poland and India. All three teams are entered for Cali so will clash as they try to make it on to the podium again. A US team didn't race in Nairobi, but will be looking to make an impact this time around.
Jamaica surprisingly finished outside of the medals in Nairobi, but they have the potential to field the strongest team for Cali. As with every country, a lot will depend on team selection and which athletes will get rested for individual events or the men&rsquo;s or women&rsquo;s relays.
Brazil and Great Britain &amp; Northern Ireland should also feature in the final. South Africa and Italy made the final last time so will be keen to at least match that performance in Cali.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

A look at the 4x100m and 4x400m

WU20 Cali 22 preview: relays

More than 1500 athletes from 145 teams are set to compete at the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 between 1-6 August.
Here we take a look at the women's and men's hurdles and steeplechase events at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles</h2>
She may be the second youngest in the field, but there&rsquo;s every chance that when the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles reaches its climax, Jamaica&rsquo;s Kerrica Hill will be first across the line. The 17-year-old was an ultra-impressive winner of the Jamaican U20 title in 12.98 (1.5m/s) last month and, with 11.16 100m flat speed in her armoury, she will be tough to stop if getting things right technically. She will be backed up by teammate Alexis James, who clocked a PB of 13.13 last month to make the team for Cali.
The US challenge will be led by Jalaysiya Smith, who ran her PB of 13.05 (0.5m/s) in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships and who went on to win the US U20 title last month in 13.21. She will be joined by teammate Eddiyah Frye, who clocked 13.26 to finish second to Smith and make the team for Cali last month. Germany&rsquo;s Hawa Jalloh has also been in sparkling form of late, clocking a PB of 13.23 to win her national U20 title last earlier this month and she should also feature.
With next year&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 starting to loom on the horizon, Hungary could well have a teenage hurdler competing on home turf there, given the progress of Anna Toth, who clocked a national U20 record of 13.23 (0.5m/s) last month and will take her shot at the world&rsquo;s best teenagers in Cali. The British charge will be led by Marli Jessop, who has a best of 13.38 this year. Others to have gone below 13.50 this season are Spain&rsquo;s Paula Blanquer, Britain&rsquo;s Mia McIntosh, Germany&rsquo;s Naomi Krebs and Czech Republic&rsquo;s Ester Bendova. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles</h2>
Dutch teenager Matthew Sophia walked away from last year&rsquo;s European U20 Championships with two silver medals &ndash; in the 110m hurdles and 4x100m relay &ndash; but the 18-year-old looks to have a great chance of going one better in Cali if he shows up in the same form he showed earlier this year. The Rotterdam Atletiek athlete tops the world U20 lists via his Dutch U20 record of 13.23 (-0.4m/s) in March, though he has raced little since winning the Carifta Games title in Jamaica in mid-April in 13.74.
The US challenge will be led by national U20 champion Malik Mixon, who won that title with a wind-assisted time of 13.26 (2.6m/s) last month. He will be joined in Cali by teammate TJ Caldwell, who clocked 13.34 at the US U20 Championships and who has run a wind-legal best of 13.40 this year. Czech Republic&rsquo;s Stepan Schubert should also be a big threat, having clocked 13.40 to win his national U20 title last month. Jamaica&rsquo;s Dishaun Lamb, South Africa&rsquo;s Denmar Jacobs and Bahamas&rsquo; Antoine Andrews have all run well below 13.50 this year and should all be in the hunt for a spot in the final. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles</h2>
Italy&rsquo;s Alessia Seramondi is the quickest athlete among the 48 entries in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, lowering her PB to 57.29 when winning her national U20 title in 57.29 in Rieti. US U20 champion Akala Garrett is another sure to be in the hunt for medals. She clocked a world U18 lead of 57.46 when winning the US high school title in Eugene last month. She will be backed up by teammate Michaela Rose, the LSU student who juggles the 400m hurdles, where she has a best of 57.62, with the 800m, where she has a best of 2:02.49.
Japan has a strong contender in Moe Matsuoka, the 19-year-old who finished third at her national senior championships last month in 57.57. &nbsp;Jamaica&rsquo;s Oneika McAnnuff has run 57.68 this season and could also be in the medal shake-up, along with Czech Republic&rsquo;s Ester Bendova (57.90) and Italy&rsquo;s Ludovica Cavo (57.94). The Polish duo of Wiktoria Oko and Aleksandra Wolczak should also go close &ndash; both have run 58.03 this year. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles</h2>
Turkey&rsquo;s Berke Akcam took gold in this event at the last edition of the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, and his nation has a strong change of retaining that title this year through Ismail Nezir, who lowered his PB to 49.59 last month at the Mediterranean Games. Just one athlete in the field has gone quicker than that &ndash; Roshawn Clarke of Jamaica, who set his PB of 49.39 when winning his national U20 title in Kingston last month, while his teammate Antonio Forbes shouldn&rsquo;t be far away given he has run 50.48 this year.
Slovenia&rsquo;s Matic Ian Gucek finished fifth in last year&rsquo;s world U20 final and the 18-year-old will be looking to get on the podium here, which he looks capable of doing after his national U20 record of 49.72 to win the Slovenian senior title last month.
Yeral Nunez of Dominican Republic is another who has been in fine form, setting a national U20 record of 50.07 last month. The Asian challenge is led by Japan&rsquo;s Daiki Ogawa, who has run 50.50 this year, and he will be backed up by compatriot Sojiro Moritaka, who has run 50.71. Qatar&rsquo;s Ismail Doudai Abakar is another worthy of respect &ndash; a 50.62 athlete this season. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase</h2>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s rise in the steeplechase has been moving at a swift pace in recent years and they have a strong contender for the world U20 champion in Sembo Almayew. The 17-year-old has been in sparkling form this season, finishing second at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Paris in 9:09.19 last month before finishing fifth in her heat at the World Championships in Oregon. She will be joined in Cali by Meseret Yeshaneh, who has a best of 9:33.34.
Kenya, unsurprisingly, will likely provide the stiffest opposition in the event they historically ruled like no other. Their challenge will be led by Faith Cherotich, the 18-year-old who won bronze at the last edition of these championships in Nairobi and who clocked a noteworthy 9:12.04 at altitude in the Kenyan capital back in May. She will be joined in Cali by teammate Pamela Kosgei, who has run 9:54.20 this year.
The European challenge will be led by Spain&rsquo;s Marta Serrano, who was sixth in the last world U20 final in Nairobi and who lowered her PB to 9:48.64 last month.
Morocco&rsquo;s Khadija Ennasri has run 10:00.49 this year, while Tunisia&rsquo;s Rihab Dhahri has run 10:03.15. Peru&rsquo;s Veronica Huacasi, Hungary&rsquo;s Greta Varga and Germany&rsquo;s Carolin Hinrichs have all run below 10:15 and will be a targeting a place in the final at the very least.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase</h2>
Morocco has the current world and Olympic champion in the men&rsquo;s steeplechase in Soufiane El Bakkali, and in Salaheddine Ben Yazide the nation has an athlete who could one day follow in his footsteps. The 19-year-old tops the world U20 lists with the 8:19.63 he ran at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat back in June and Yazide gained some top-level experience at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 earlier this month, finishing 13th in the heats. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Samuel Firewu is just behind him on the world U20 lists via the 8:19.82 he ran in Ostrava back in May and he backed that up with a fifth-place finish at the African Championships last month. He will be joined by compatriot Samuel Duguna, who has a best of 8:27.40 this season.
Kenya has long proven tough to stop in the hunt for steeplechase medals and their challenge will be led in Cali by Emmanuel Wafula, who has run 8:42.25 this season, and Haron Kibet, who has run 8:43.82.
Uganda has a pair of strong entrants in Elphas Toroitich Ndiwa and Leonard Chemutai, who have run 8:37.3 and 8:40.6 respectively this year, while the US challenge is led by Bryce Lentz who has run 8:39.73. Others to look out for include Japanese duo Ryotaro Onuma and Asahi Kuroda, along with Algeria&rsquo;s Abderrahmane Daoud &ndash; all three have all dipped below 8:50 this year.&nbsp;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

A look at the 100m hurdles, 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles and 3000m steeplechase

WU20 Cali 22 preview: hurdles and steeplechase

More than 1500 athletes from 145 teams are set to compete at the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 between 1-6 August.
Here we take a look at the women's and men's distance events at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 800m</h2>
USA appears to hold the strongest hand in the women&rsquo;s 800m due to the formidable duo they are sending to Cali: Juliette Whittaker and Roisin Willis. Whittaker, 18, ran her PB of 1:59.04 to take the US U20 title in Eugene last month, the second time this year she has run below two minutes. Willis &ndash; whose mother Breda Dennehy-Willis was a 5000m Olympian for Ireland in the Sydney Olympics &ndash; finished second to Whittaker at the US U20 Championships in 2:00.32 and ran her PB of 2:00.03 in early June. The 17-year-old rising star also won the US high school 400m title last month in 52.64.
Going up against them are several strong candidates for gold, among them Switzerland&rsquo;s Audrey Werro, who won the European U20 title last year at this distance and who lowered her PB to 2:00.28 in Geneva last month, a Swiss U23 record. Slovenia&rsquo;s Veronika Sadek should also feature, a 2:01.52 athlete this year.
Ethiopia will have Ksanet Alem, who ran 2:01.61 for 800m and 4:06.29 for 1500m in Spain last month. Britain&rsquo;s Abigail Ives should also be in the mix, a 2:01.88 athlete this year. Kenya&rsquo;s Nelly Chepchirchir looks the stronger of their duo &ndash; she has run 2:02.00 this season. Australia&rsquo;s Claudia Hollingsworth and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Wezam Tesfay should also go close, with season&rsquo;s bests below 2:03. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 800m</h2>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ermias Girma appears to have a great shot at winning his first major international title when the 17-year-old takes on the world&rsquo;s best teenagers in Cali. He clocked a hugely impressive 1:44.36 in Lokeren, Belgium, in May and lowered his 1500m best to 3:36.28 later that month. However, his sole race since then came at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon where he was knocked out in the 800m heats after finishing fourth in 1:49.36.
Kenya&rsquo;s Noah Kibet could be the biggest danger. The 18-year-old won bronze in this race last year and clocked a season&rsquo;s best of 1:44.89 in Ostrava in May before reaching the 800m semifinals at the World Championships in Oregon. &nbsp;
Poland&rsquo;s Kacper Lewalski should also have a huge say in the medal shake-up. The 19-year-old was sixth in the world U20 800m final in Nairobi last year and won silver at the European U20 Championships. He clocked 1:44.84 on home turf in Silesia at the end of last season and this year he has a best of 1:45.48.
Eritrea will have a big contender in Abderezak Suleman, who has run 1:46.56 this year, while Djibouti&rsquo;s Abdo-Razak Hassan should also feature, a 1:46.75 athlete this year. Three other athletes in the entries &ndash; which total a whopping 62 competitors &ndash; have run under 1:47 this year: Italy&rsquo;s Francesco Pernici, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Mersimoi Kasahun and USA&rsquo;s Samuel Rodman. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 1500m</h2>
Ethiopia has the two quickest U20 women in the world this year and, as such, Birke Haylom and Mebriht Mekonen will be hoping to lead the field home in Cali. Haylom, 16, ran her PB of 4:02.25 at altitude in Nairobi back in May, which given the thin air of the Kenyan capital suggests she can go much quicker. Her 17-year-old teammate Mekonen ran her PB of 4:03.29 to finish seventh in Ostrava back in May, and she followed that up with a 4:03.60 in Montreuil, France, just two days later. Kenyan duo Brenda Chebet and Purity Chepkirui could put up the strongest fight. Chebet is a 4:05.50 athlete this year while Chepkirui is the reigning world U20 champion who has run 4:08.08 this year. She also won silver at the African Championships last month.
The European charge will be led by Norway&rsquo;s Ingeborg Ostgard, the European U20 champion who lowered her PB to 4:09.91 in Oslo in June. Spain&rsquo;s Mireya Arnedillo is also a contender, given she was sixth in the world U20 1500m final last year and has since lowered her PB to 4:11.06. USA will be represented by Addison Wiley and Mia Barnett. Wiley is the US U20 champion and has run 4:15.53 this year, while Barnett has run 4:11.32. Others of note include South Africa&rsquo;s Danielle Verster, Switzerland&rsquo;s Lilly Nageli, Australia&rsquo;s Nicola Hogg and Japan&rsquo;s Azumi Nagira, who have all run 4:15 or faster this year.&nbsp; 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 1500m</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot looks the standout athlete in the men&rsquo;s 1500m field, possessing a PB of 3:34.02 which he ran in Heusden, Belgium, earlier this month. Before that he had finished a close fourth in the Kenyan Trials for the World Championships in Oregon, clocking 3:34.77 at altitude in Nairobi. His teammate Daniel Kimaiyo will also have eyes on gold in Cali &ndash; the 17-year-old clocked his PB of 3:36.09 to win the Kenyan Trials for Cali in Nairobi earlier this month.
Ethiopia will send a strong pair into the event in Ermias Girma and Adihana Kasaye. Girma is also entered for the 800m in Cali and he possesses a PB of 1:44.36 in that event, speed which could be put to great use in the 1500m final. He has a 1500m best of 3:36.28 which he ran in May. Kasaye recently finished third in the African Championships in 3:38.27 and his PB of 3:36.38 was run indoors in February.
USA&rsquo;s Nathan Green ran his PB of 3:37.46 to reach the NCAA final in June and he went on to take the US U20 title at the same track in Eugene last month. Luxembourg&rsquo;s Vivien Henz has broken his PB four times this year and it currently stands at 3:38.89, while Hungary&rsquo;s Ferenc Soma Kovacs has run 3:39.88 and should also feature in the final. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 3000m</h2>
Ethiopia appears to have a great chance of reclaiming this title from Kenya as they send to the line the two fastest U20 women in the world this year in Medina Eisa and Tsiyon Abebe. Eisa, 17, clocked 8:41.42 to finish third at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat last month, where Abebe, 15, lowered her best to 8:44.82 in sixth.
Kenya will have high hopes of retaining the title won last year by Teresiah Muthoni Gateri and they look to have two great chances with Betty Chelangat and Nancy Cherop, who have run 8:51.33 and 8:52.86 this year.
Finland&rsquo;s Ilona Mononen is the fastest European with the 9:02.00 she ran last month and the reigning European U20 champion will be looking to improve on her fifth-place finish in last year&rsquo;s world U20 final.
There are five other athletes in the field who have run below 9:20: Agate Caune of Latvia, Ina Halle Haugen of Norway, Siona Chisholm of Canada, Kate Peters of USA and Sofia Benfares of Germany. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 3000m</h2>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Diriba Girma looks to hold a strong chance of retaining this title for his nation following Tadese Worku&rsquo;s victory in Nairobi last year. The 19-year-old is the quickest in the field this year via the 7:38.79 he ran indoors, and he will be joined in Cali by Melkeneh Azize, who ran 7:42.95 indoors.
Uganda also has a strong contender for gold in Dan Kibet, who has run 7:45.73 for 3000m and 13:19.38 for 5000m this year. Kenya&rsquo;s challenge is led by Edwin Kimosong Kisalsak, who has run 7:50.71, while teammate Felix Kiptarus Korir should also put in a bold showing.
There is a pair of strong entrants from Europe in Ireland&rsquo;s Nick Griggs and Denmark&rsquo;s Joel Ibler Lilleso. Griggs was European U20 champion over 3000m last year and clocked a European U20 indoor mile record of 3:56.40 in March before smashing the Irish U20 record with 7:53.40 this month. Lilleso was European U20 champion at 5000m last year and clocked 7:48.34 for 3000m indoors. He lowered his 5000m best to 13:29.58 last month.
Sweden&rsquo;s Jonathan Grahn has clocked 7:54.66 indoors this year, while Australia&rsquo;s Thomas Diamond, Djibouti&rsquo;s Hassan Idleh Diraneh and Mexico&rsquo;s Ian Sanchez are the others who have dipped under the eight-minute barrier this year. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 5000m</h2>
Ethiopia scored a 1-2 in this event at last year&rsquo;s championships in Nairobi via Mizan Alem and Melknat Wudu and they look capable of repeating that feat in Cali. Wudu, the silver medallist at 5000m and bronze medallist at 3000m last year, tops the entries with the 15:08.65 PB she ran to finish fourth at the African Championships last month, while she also set a 3000m PB of 8:45.76 in Doha in May. She will be joined in Cali by teammate Medina Eisa, who lowered her PB to 15:14.01 last month.
Uganda&rsquo;s Prisca Chesang won bronze in this race last year in Nairobi and the 18-year-old is sure to put in another strong showing after clocking 15:34.19 at altitude in Kampala, Uganda, last month. She clocked her PB of 15:05.39 in Hengelo last year.
Spain&rsquo;s Carla Dominguez was fifth in the world U20 final last year and the European U20 champion showed strong form earlier in the summer, clocking a 5000m PB of 15:38.61, though she didn&rsquo;t finish a couple of 5000m races she lined up for in June.
Kenya is sure to have its typical strong showing and they&rsquo;ll be represented here by Maureen Cherotich and Jane Ghati Chacha. Cherotich was sixth in the world U20 final last year and clocked a PB of 15:41.26 at altitude in Nairobi earlier this month, where Chacha was runner-up in 15:50.53. Also among the entries is Finland&rsquo;s Ilona Mononen, who has run 15:43.20 this year. She is also entered for the 1500m and 3000m. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 5000m</h2>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Addisu Yihune finished fourth in the world U20 5000m final in Nairobi last year, but the 19-year-old looks likely to leave Cali with a medal &ndash; quite possibly gold. He&rsquo;s the quickest U20 in the world this year with the 13:02.10 he ran in Grosseto, Italy, in May, and he will be backed up here by teammate Gebeyehu Belay.
They will face stiff competition from an athlete beaten into fifth place in Nairobi last year, Eritrea&rsquo;s Merhawi Mebrahtu, who also finished fourth in the 3000m at those championships. He clocked an Eritrean U20 5000m record of 13:04.49 in Huelva, Spain, in May and was knocked out in the heats of the 5000m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. Mebrahtu&rsquo;s compatriot Samuel Habtom should also feature strongly &ndash; the 18-year-old was the world U20 bronze medallist at 3000m last year and lowered his 5000m best to 13:13.74 in May, then finished 17th in the world 10,000m final in Oregon.
Uganda&rsquo;s hopes are led by Peter Maru, who was fifth in the world U20 1500m final in Nairobi last year and who lowered his 5000m PB to 13:07.42 in Oslo last month. He will be joined by teammate Rogers Kibet, the promising 17-year-old who clocked a world U18 lead of 13:14.68 in May.
One to watch from Japan will be Keita Sato, the 18-year-old who set a national U20 record of 13:22.91 in May. Kenya&rsquo;s hopes will be carried by Samuel Kibathi and Nelson Mandela, with Kibathi the faster of the two on personal bests with 13:35.60.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

A look at the women's and men's 800m, 1500, 3000m and 5000m

WU20 Cali 22 preview: distance

More than 1500 athletes from 145 teams are set to compete at the&nbsp;World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22&nbsp;between 1-6 August.
Here we take a look at the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s race walks and combined events&nbsp;at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s 10,000m race walk</h2>
Just weeks after Japan&rsquo;s success in the race walks at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, the nation heads to Cali with hopes of another 1-2 finish, this time in the women&rsquo;s 10,000m race walk.
Ai Ooyama and Ayane Yanai are the fastest entrants for the championships, thanks to their road clockings of 45:19 and 45:21 respectively. Ooyama, who will be one of the youngest athletes in Cali, will be making her track debut, but if she is able to match her speed from the roads, then it should put her in medal contention.
Australia&rsquo;s Olivia Sandery already has considerably experience across a range of distances and surfaces. She holds the fastest time on the track this year by an U20 athlete with her 45:24.1 PB from January. A fifth-place finish at the World Race Walking Team Championships in March has no doubt fired up Sandery ahead of the World U20 Championships.
Ukraine&rsquo;s Valeriya Sholomitska also won&rsquo;t be short of motivation. The 17-year-old finished fourth at the World U20 Championships last year and at the World Race Walking Team Championships earlier this year. Since fleeing her home country earlier this year, she has been training and racing in different locations around the world.
Heta Veikkola finished strongly at the World Race Walking Team Championships to finish third. She went on to set PBs for 5000m (22:11.54), 5km (22:44) and 10km (46:02), which suggests her track 10,000m PB of 49:39.40 is due for serious revision.
Italy, another strong race walking nation, will be represented by Giada Traina, who has a best this year of 46:51.44. She didn&rsquo;t finish at the World Race Walking Team Championships but may fare slightly better on the track and in the kinder conditions of Cali. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s 10,000m race walk</h2>
Heristone Wanyonyi, surprise winner of this title in Nairobi last year, will defend his title but this time the Kenyan takes on a much tougher line-up than before.
The 19-year-old may not have the fastest times to his name, but that&rsquo;s mainly because most of his races have either been at altitude or in extreme temperatures. He clocked 42:10.84 to win the title last year and is about a minute shy of that so far this year, but he was competitive at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Muscat, placing fourth. And the three men who finished ahead of him there won&rsquo;t be in Cali.
Turkey&rsquo;s Mazlum Demir, who led for several kilometres at the World Race Walking Team Championships before fading and eventually finishing 11th, heads to Cali as the fastest man in the field. He clocked a national U20 record of 40:42.09 in June and he&rsquo;ll be keen to improve upon his sixth-place finish from last year&rsquo;s World U20 Championships.
Unsurprisingly, Japan and Italy have fielded strong teams in the race walks. Shotaro Shimoike and Riku Ooie will compete for Japan, both of whom have come close to breaking 41 minutes on the roads, while Italy will be represented by Nicola Lomuscio and Emiliano Brigante, whose track PBs are among the quickest in the field.
Colombia&rsquo;s Mateo Romero finished just two seconds behind Wanyonyi in Muscat earlier this year. The home crowd advantage could spur the 19-year-old to an even higher finish in Cali.
Algeria&rsquo;s Ismail Benhammouda, Ecuador&rsquo;s Terry Patricio Villacorte and Guatemala&rsquo;s Bryan Matias could all contest for medals too. 
<h2>Heptathlon</h2>
Saga Vanninen could become the first two-time world U20 heptathlon since Carolina Kluft achieved the feat 20 years ago.
The talented Finn was one of a handful of athletes last year to win gold at the World U20 Championships and European U20 Championships. She won the latter with a PB of 6271, a national U20 record.
She came close to that mark with 6193 in Oulu in late June, her second score in excess of 6000 points this year. She&rsquo;ll likely need a similar performance in Cali if she is to keep the strong German contingent at bay.
Sandrina Sprengel won the German U20 trials with a PB of 6015, but the competition was relatively close with Serina Riedel taking second place with 5894. Apart from the shot put, where Vanninen excels, these leading three entrants are relatively closely matched in most disciplines, so the competition should be a gripping one.
Estonia&rsquo;s Liisa-Maria Lusti should also be in medal contention. She has a PB of 5836 and will likely bank some big points in the jumping events. She is entered for the individual long jump and is a reserve for the high jump, an event in which she has a 1.86m PB. 
<h2>Decathlon</h2>
Jacob Thelander heads to Cali with a score that&rsquo;s 200 points better than any other decathlon entrant, but the Swedish all-rounder can&rsquo;t rest on his laurels as there are five other athletes with PBs in excess of 7500.
Thelander finished seventh at the European U20 Championships last year but has built on that experience and improved to 7823 this year, helped by strong performances in the jumps. Expect him to bank some big points in the high jump in particular, especially if he can match his 2.10m PB from earlier this year.
If, however, that event doesn&rsquo;t go to plan for him, the likes of Spain&rsquo;s Pol Ferrer, Yoram Vriezen of the Netherlands or French duo Pierre Blaecke and Sacha Rifflart could capitalise.
Ferrer recently improved by more than 400 points to win the Spanish U20 title with 7623. And while he set some big PBs within that series, he was some way off his best in the 400m, the javelin and the 1500m, which suggests there&rsquo;s potentially even more to come from him.
Vriezen, Blaecke and Rifflart have all improved significantly this year and will be keen to ride that wave through the battle for medals.
Norway&rsquo;s Abraham Sandvin Vogelsang is also worth keeping an eye on. While his season&rsquo;s best is 7385, he scored 7535 at the European U20 Championships last year and finished ahead of Thelander.
Others with medal potential include Germany&rsquo;s Roman Jocher, Czech Republic&rsquo;s Petr Svoboda and Gabriel Emmanuel of the Netherlands.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

A look at the men's and women's combined events and race walks.

WU20 Cali 22 preview: combined events and race walks

More than 1500 athletes from 145 teams are set to compete at the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 between 1-6 August.
Here we take a look at the women's and men's throwing events at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s shot put</h2>
The gold and silver medallists from last year's World U20 Championships in Nairobi go head-to-head again. South Africa&rsquo;s Mine de Klerk and Turkey&rsquo;s Pinar Akyol have PBs just 10cm apart - Akyol having thrown 17.65m in May 2021 and De Klerk setting an area U20 record of 17.55m in the February. When it comes to performances this year, Akyol leads the way with her 17.46m indoor PB set in January, while her best outdoor performance this season is 16.53m. De Klerk, meanwhile, leads the season top list with her 17.19m from April&rsquo;s Hayward Premiere at Hayward Field, which recently welcomed athletes for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. Now studying at the University of Oregon, De Klerk is sure to have been inspired by the performances taking place on her university campus. De Klerk also secured silver in the discus in Nairobi and is set to double up again in Cali.
Separating the pair when it comes to performances this year is Germany&rsquo;s European U20 bronze medallist Nina Ndubuisi. The 18-year-old threw a 17.27m PB indoors and has recorded 17.01m this season. On paper, this would look to be the battle for the medals, the trio being the 17 metre-plus throwers in the field, but Amelia Flynt won the US U20 title and has thrown a 16.53m PB this year, while Germany&rsquo;s Jaqueline Gippner and Czech Republic&rsquo;s Katrin Brzyszkowska have also achieved PBs surpassing 16 metres this season. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s shot put</h2>
Germany&rsquo;s Tizian Lauria tops this year&rsquo;s global list with the 21.15m PB he threw in June, a mark that adds more than a metre and a half to his best with the 6kg implement before this year. He has also thrown 20 metres or further on six other occasions this year, including when winning at the BAUHAUS Junioren-Gala in Mannheim at the start of July.
He is one of four athletes on the entry list to have surpassed that 20-metre mark, including his compatriot Lukas Schober, the national U20 champion. The 17-year-old threw 20.16m when winning that German title.
Joining them at the top of the entry list are Jamaican duo Christopher Young and Kobe Lawrence. Young claimed wins at the Jamaican Championships and ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Champs ahead of Lawrence, but Lawrence turned the tables at the CARIFTA Games, going beyond 20 metres for the first time with 20.02m. Young&rsquo;s PB is 20.20m, while Lawrence has the benefit of experience, having made the final at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi last year. South African U20 champion Aiden Smith is also just behind them with 19.99m this year. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s discus</h2>
Sweden&rsquo;s Emma Sralla and Jamaica&rsquo;s Cedricka Williams have both thrown beyond 56 metres this year, US-based Sralla leading the entries with her 56.38m national U20 record from Mckinney in April and Williams improving her PB to 56.21m when winning the Jamaican title in June.
South Africa&rsquo;s Mine de Klerk is a couple of metres behind them when it comes to performances this season, but she improved her PB to an area U20 record of 54.22m in March and has great experience to call upon, claiming a surprise silver last year.
&ldquo;I definitely wanted to win a medal in the shot put, gold was my goal,&rdquo; said last year&rsquo;s champion in that discipline. &ldquo;In the discus, I didn&rsquo;t expect to get a medal at all. I just came to enjoy it. When I got the silver I was blown away.&rdquo;
Williams was also in that world U20 final, securing seventh place.
US U20 champion Siniru Iheoma and runner-up Ames Burton are the other 54 metre-plus throwers in the field, respectively having improved their PBs to 54.47m and 54.08m this year. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s discus</h2>
Germany&rsquo;s Mika Sosna made history earlier this year, breaking the world U20 record with the 1.75kg discus in June as he threw 71.37m in Schonebeck. That improved on the 70.13m record set by Ukraine&rsquo;s Mykyta Nesterenko in 2008 and is almost two metres further than&nbsp;Sosna's&nbsp;nearest rival this year, his teammate Marius Karges.
Sosna suffered injury after his record-breaking throw but rebounded to win the German title with a 64.92m performance, while Karges threw 64.11m for the runner-up spot. Their PBs put the pair more than six metres ahead of the rest of the entries, though Spain&rsquo;s Marcos Moreno and Jamaica&rsquo;s Kobe Lawrence will also be among those in the hunt for a medal, both having surpassed 62 metres this year. Lawrence is doubling up with the shot put and won the Jamaican U20 and CARIFTA Games discus titles, while placing second at the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Champs. His teammate Christopher Young was runner-up at the Jamaican U20 Championships and CARIFTA Games and is also doing the throws double in Cali, with a discus PB of 61.66m from February.
Moreno was ninth in the world U20 final last year, one place ahead of Dimitrios Pavlidis of Greece, who also returns. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s hammer&nbsp;</h2>
Rachele Mori has thrown an Italian U20 record of 68.04m this year to lead the entries for Cali by more than two metres. That performance came at the Meeting Internazionale Citta' di Lucca and the 19-year-old also won the national U20 title as well as placing runner-up at the senior event in Rieti in June. She has thrown beyond 65 metres in a total of six competitions this season.
Should all go to season&rsquo;s form, Mori &ndash; who finished sixth in Nairobi last year &ndash; should be going for gold this time, but there could be a close battle for the other podium places.
Her closest challengers look to be German U20 champion Jada Julien and Czech U20 title winner Barbora Stejfova, who have both gone beyond 65 metres this year with respective PB performances of 65.90m and 65.20m. Stejfova also made the final last year.
Emily Fink improved her best to 63.60m in May and secured her spot on the team for Cali by winning the US title, while Audrey Jacobs claimed both the Dutch senior and U20 titles and threw her 63.52m PB in June.&nbsp;Valentina Savva of Cyprus was fifth in the world U20 final last year and the 17-year-old recently claimed the European U18 title in Jerusalem. She threw a national U20 record of 62.70m in June.&nbsp; 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s hammer</h2>
In an event featuring five athletes to have gone beyond 75 metres this season, it is Hungary&rsquo;s Miklos Cseko who leads them all with the 78.44m PB he threw at the International U20 Match in Maribor earlier this month. The national U20 champion has surpassed 75 metres in five competitions this season.&nbsp;
In the medal hunt, there looks set to be a strong Greek domestic battle between Nikolaos Polychroniou and Ioannis Korakidis, with the pair separated by only 20 centimetres &ndash; 77.72m to 77.52m &ndash; this season. The now US-based Polychroniou won the national U20 title earlier this year, while Korakidis was runner-up behind him at the Greek U20 Championships. Slovenia&rsquo;s Jan Embersic and USA&rsquo;s Tarik O'Hagan have both also surpassed 75 metres this season, respectively throwing 76.79m and 75.08m PBs. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s javelin</h2>
Serbia&rsquo;s Adriana Vilagos won last year&rsquo;s world U20 javelin gold at the age of 17 and she is now one of the big favourites to retain her title, having thrown three-and-a-half metres further than any of her rivals this season. Holder of the world U18 best, Vilagos has since thrown a national U20 record of 62.76m this year and has won eight of her 10 competitions this season, including at the Balkan Championships, Mediterranean Games, Serbian Championships and Serbian U20 Championships.
There are a number of athletes who could challenge for medals. South Africa&rsquo;s McKyla van der Westhuizen claimed silver at the African Championships last month and will be looking to build on her sixth-place in Nairobi last year, while Fanni Kover has only lost once so far this season and that was at the senior Hungarian Championships. Their fellow 57 metre-plus thrower Momoko Tsuji, the Japan U20 champion, competes, as does her compatriot Aoi Murakami, who threw a PB of 56.30m in Tokyo in June.&nbsp; 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s javelin</h2>
If he achieves a mark close to his world U20 leading PB of 84.32m, then Ukraine&rsquo;s Artur Felfner looks tough to beat in the men&rsquo;s javelin. The 18-year-old leads the entries by more than four metres, his PB putting him fourth on the world U20 all-time list led by India&rsquo;s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra. As a 17-year-old, Felfner secured silver at last year&rsquo;s event in Nairobi, also claiming the European U20 title, and now he will be going for global gold.
CARIFTA Games winner Keyshawn Strachan of The Bahamas is this season&rsquo;s No.2 and has ambitions of achieving an 85 metre throw to build on the national record of 79.89m he set in April. He also has experience of competing at the event, having placed seventh in Kenya last year. The top three on the entry list have all surpassed 78 metres this year, Felfner and Strachan joined by Germany&rsquo;s 17-year-old Max Dehning, who improved his PB to 78.80m when winning at the BAUHAUS Junioren Gala in Mannheim earlier this month. He also claimed the German U20 title and threw 78.05m in Halle in May.
Also looking to make an impact will be Dehning&rsquo;s teammate Simon Schmitt, the German U20 Championships runner-up, as well as Hungary&rsquo;s Gyorgy Herczeg and Cypriot champion Eleftherios Kontonikolas.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

A look at the women's and men's shot put, discus, hammer and javelin

WU20 Cali 22 preview: throws

More than 1500 athletes from 145 teams are set to compete at the&nbsp;World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22&nbsp;between 1-6 August.
Here we take a look at&nbsp;women's and men&rsquo;s jumping events&nbsp;at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s high jump</h2>
An exciting battle is expected between Estonia&rsquo;s Karmen Bruus and Angelina Topic of Serbia, with the young duo both having equalled the world U18 best of 1.96m this year.
Seventeen-year-old Bruus &ndash; who has improved by a remarkable 16 centimetres this year &ndash; reached that height en route to a seventh-place finish at the recent World Athletics Championships Oregon22, equalling the senior Estonian record in the process.
A former combined events athlete, Bruus finished seventh at the European U18 Championships in Jerusalem in July &ndash; an event which was won by Topic.
The 17-year-old Topic will be looking to significantly improve on her sixth-place finish from last year&rsquo;s World U20 Championships in Nairobi.
Other notable competitors include European U20 champion Britt Weerman &ndash; the 19-year-old Dutchwoman who has cleared a 1.95m national record this season &ndash; and Estonia&rsquo;s Elisabeth Pihela, the 18-year-old who placed third at the 2021 European U20 Championships and fourth at the World U20 Championships. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s high jump</h2>
The outstanding favourite will be South Africa&rsquo;s Brian Raats, who has set a lifetime best of 2.26m this year &ndash; an improvement of six centimetres on his pre-2022 best.
Fifth in Nairobi, the 18-year-old looks capable of capturing his first major international title, but his rivals include a trio of 2.20m jumpers in the form of Kristjan Viggo Sigfinnsson of Iceland, Italy&rsquo;s Edoardo Stronati and Bulgaria&rsquo;s Bozhidar Saraboyukov.
Nineteen-year-old Sigfinnsson reached the 2.20m mark for a lifetime best during the indoor season, while Stronati, 18, registered his PB clearance twice in June. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s pole vault&nbsp;</h2>
The Moll twins from the USA could be the stand-out performers in this event.
Seventeen-year-old Amanda and Hana have cleared 4.51m and 4.47m lifetime bests this year respectively, with Amanda improving by six centimetres and claiming the US U20 title last month. Hana&rsquo;s best mark, meanwhile, came during her indoor campaign.
France&rsquo;s Elise Russis and Germany&rsquo;s Chiara Sistermann have both vaulted 4.30m this year, while Finland&rsquo;s Silja Andersson, Canada&rsquo;s Heather Abadie and France&rsquo;s Lea Mauberret are all close behind on this year&rsquo;s world lists. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s pole vault</h2>
France&rsquo;s Anthony Ammirati will be aiming to add the global U20 title to his continental crown from last year. The 19-year-old went to seventh on the world U20 all-time list last year, vaulting a PB of 5.72m.
His season&rsquo;s best is just two centimetres shy of that mark and he leads this year&rsquo;s world U20 list by 17 centimetres. His nearest challenger will likely be European U20 silver medallist Juho Alasaari of Finland, who has progressed by 11 centimetres this year to 5.53m.
The most improved competitor in the field is Ammirati&rsquo;s 17-year-old teammate, Mathis Prod Homme, who cleared 5.45m indoors and 5.40m outdoors. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s long jump</h2>
Colombia&rsquo;s Natalia Linares will be one of the host nation&rsquo;s biggest medal hopes at the World U20 Championships.
She set a national U20 record of 6.68m earlier in July, and had a wind-assisted 6.79m leap within the same series. She is a much-improved competitor from the one who placed 12th at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi.
She will do battle with Bulgaria&rsquo;s 17-year-old Plamena Mitkova, who herself has progressed by 42 centimetres this year with a 6.58m personal best, and Slovenia&rsquo;s European U18 silver medallist Brina Likar, who has registered a 6.54m lifetime best this season. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s long jump</h2>
Erwan Konate will defend his long jump title in Cali, but the French athlete faces a stern test.
USA&rsquo;s much improved Johnny Brackins leads the world U20 list this year with his 8.06m lifetime best. He has two wind-legal eight-metre jumps to his name this year, as well as a wind-assisted 8.17m. The 19-year-old is also a talented hurdler and triple jumper.
Italy&rsquo;s Mattia Furlani, who recently won the European U18 high jump and long jump titles, has an 8.04m PB to his name this year. The 17-year-old is entered for both events for Cali but appears to have better medal prospects in the long jump.
Brazil&rsquo;s Gabriel Luiz Boza is also an eight-metre jumper at his best, while Cuba&rsquo;s Aniel Molina has come within five centimetres of that barrier this year. His teammate Aljeandro Parada is also close behind in terms of ability. 
<h2>Women&rsquo;s triple jump&nbsp;</h2>
Fifteen-year-old Sharifa Davronova of Uzbekistan may be one of the youngest in the triple jump field but she&rsquo;s also one of the most talented. She has a PB of 13.92m from May and has backed it up with a 13.80m in June and several other jumps beyond 13.50m.
With a 13.72m lifetime best, European U18 champion
But Clemence Rougier&rsquo;s confidence will have been boosted by her recent European U18 title and 13.72m PB &ndash; more than a metre farther than her pre-2022 best. The 17-year-old from France will be joined by teammate Sohane Aucagos, who was fourth at last year&rsquo;s World U20 Championships and has a 13.61m season&rsquo;s best.
Other contenders include Germany&rsquo;s Anna Grafin Keyserlingk, Serbia&rsquo;s European U18 silver medallist Teodora Boberic and Venezuela&rsquo;s Fernanda Maita. 
<h2>Men&rsquo;s triple jump</h2>
At last year&rsquo;s World U20 Championships, Jaydon Hibbert &ndash; then aged just 16 &ndash; took silver with a PB of 16.05m.
Fast forward to 2022 and the Jamaican &ndash; who will still be young enough to compete at the 2024 World U20 Championships &ndash; leads the world U20 list with his 16.66m PB from earlier this year. He also jumped a wind-assisted 17.05m to win the Carifta title in April.
Just one other man in the field has surpassed 16 metres this year: India&rsquo;s Selva Thirumaran, who has a best of 16.03m.
Several other men are tantalisingly close to 16 metres this year, including Ethan Olivier from New Zealand (15.98m), Theophilus Mudzengerere (15.92m) and Canada&rsquo;s Praise Aniamaka (15.89)
Nicola Sutton for World Athletics

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