For many Peruvian athletes, the opportunity to compete in international competitions is rare. Hosting the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 was not only a golden opportunity but also a profoundly emotional experience, as athletes competed in front of their fans, family members and friends.
Among the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/lima24/country/peru" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30 Peruvian athletes</a> who took part was 16-year-old Ximena Vasquez, who set a national U20 record in the 400m hurdles.
&ldquo;Competing here? I&rsquo;m obviously nervous &ndash; of course I will be &ndash; but I&rsquo;m immensely proud that this competition is being held in Peru,&rdquo; said Vasquez.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just important for us, but also for the next generation.&rdquo;
Russell Cjuro, who ran in the 3000m steeplechase heats, added: &ldquo;The crowd comes to cheer you on, raising the stakes for us. It&rsquo;s not just about competing; it&rsquo;s a thrilling experience, full of emotions that strengthen us.&rdquo;
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Russell Cjuro contests the steeplechase at the WU20 Lima 24 (&copy; Oscar Munoz Badilla)
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Another delighted Peruvian was Jeffrey Cajo, who finished seventh in heat three of the 400m.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Competing at home is probably the most beautiful experience I&rsquo;ll have in my entire career,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The love and support from all the Peruvians here, day after day, is incredible. We&rsquo;re all fighting together.&rdquo;
In the stands was Cajo&rsquo;s father.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He was the only one who could make it here, but my family in Pisco has been supporting me every day,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;The event is wonderful, but it&rsquo;s even more special because it&rsquo;s happening at home.&rdquo;
For another proud father, the excitement was twofold. Javier Chirinos, President of the local organising committee, couldn&rsquo;t contain his emotions as he watched his 16-year-old daughter, Cayetana, compete in the 100m and 4x100m relay.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s part of the learning process &ndash; not just for her as an athlete, but for me as a father,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The nerves in the stands are far greater than those involved in organising the event. Everything went smoothly, and we look forward to hosting more events like this in Peru.&rdquo;
Jose Rivasplata of the Media Development Programme for World Athletics

World Athletics U20 Championships

Peru hosting the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 was not only a golden opportunity but also a profoundly emotional experience for the nation's athletes

Peruvian athletes relish WU20 Lima 24 experience

The future of the sport, on and off the field of play, has been shaped during the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24.
Taking place in the Peruvian capital from 27-31 August, the event featured four championship records and six area U20 records, while there were 10 world U20-leading performances, 71 national records and 288 personal bests.
USA topped the medal table with 16 medals &ndash; eight gold, four silver and four bronze &ndash; two years out from the nation hosting the next edition of the World U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in 2026.
Second on the medal table was Ethiopia, with the nation&rsquo;s athletes achieving two of the championship records: Medina Eisa with 14:39.71 in the women&rsquo;s 5000m and Sembo Almayew with 9:12.71 in the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase. The other championship records were set by Tunisia&rsquo;s Rayen Cherni with 39:24.85 in the men&rsquo;s 10,000m race walk and Czechia&rsquo;s Tomas Jarvinen with 8425 points in the decathlon.
A total of 20 countries won gold medals and 66 countries finished in the top eight. One country &ndash; Thailand &ndash; won its first ever medal in the history of the championships as Puripol Boonson secured silver in the men&rsquo;s 100m. He then helped his nation&rsquo;s 4x100m team to bronze.
Alongside the five days of global competition, a series of initiatives saw significant development in other areas of athletics.
For the first time at a World Athletics U20 Championships, an Athlete Zone provided athletes and their support networks with a dedicated space to learn and have fun in a safe and supportive environment.
More than 1500 people visited the Athlete Zone during the championships. As well as providing information on topics such as health &amp; science, safeguarding and the Athletics Integrity Unit, the Athlete Zone offered games and competitions, together with insight into areas such as social media and building your own brand, athlete representatives, and athletics rules and regulations.
&ldquo;The World Athletics U20 Championships is a key development opportunity for our young athletes,&rdquo; said Stephanie Eagle, eLearning Senior Manager at World Athletics. &ldquo;Having athletes together for the championships provides a perfect opportunity to support and empower the emerging stars of our sport, both on and off the field. This programme is designed to provide participants with key information to help them prepare for their future, giving them access to expert advice from both World Athletics staff and representatives from the Athletes&rsquo; Commission.&rdquo;
It is not just athletes who have taken advantage of development opportunities in Lima, but also coaches and new members of the media.
The Coaches' Club, organised by World Athletics in cooperation with the Global Athletics Coaching Academy, enables the coaching community to learn in real time from the championship experience.
Since its launch at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade in 2022, the Coaches' Club has been held at the World Athletics Championships and World U20 Championships, returning to the age-group stage in Lima two years on from the sessions held in Cali.
As part of the programme in Lima, an online panel was scheduled for each day from 27 August to 1 September, while an on-site symposium took place on 31 August. More than 700 people registered for the online sessions, while almost 300 requested to join the symposium.
The sessions offered insight into topics such as the athlete and coach relationship, the transition from U20 to senior, and new research findings.
&ldquo;A lot of people miss the fact that roughly 60% of athletes who get a medal at the Olympic Games or World Athletics Championships are between the ages of 24 and 28, and 85% are between 22 and 30. That&rsquo;s what you&rsquo;re aiming for and when you&rsquo;re working with a developing young athlete, of course you want great performances at a World U20 Championships, but this is the start of the journey,&rdquo; said Global Athletics Coaching Academy Chair Frank Dick.
&ldquo;Several of the coaches who came to Cali are here. The next World U20 Championships is in Eugene. I&rsquo;d like to think that these symposia are not just one-off things, we try to connect them so that we can get some sense of ongoing learning and development.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, the Media Development Programme is organised by World Athletics&rsquo; Media Operations department and AIPS to coincide with major events, to encourage athletics journalism in particular areas around the world and bring more young writers into the sport.
In Lima, 12 journalists from Latin America &ndash; based in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela &ndash; came together under the mentorship of Argentinian journalist Martin Mazur, director of the AIPS Sport Media Awards.
During a 10-day programme, the participants joined sessions on topics including writing, storytelling, broadcasting, interviewing, photography, ethics, digital and social media, networking, resources, competition rules and flash quotes.
Their work will be featured on World Athletics, AIPS and member federation channels, as well as on various other English and Spanish speaking platforms.
For one of the stories, two members of the programme were invited to join Athlete Refugee Team activities in Lima, receiving unique access to meet the athletes and learn more about their journey.
&ldquo;On the first day of the programme, we made an oath: It was not important how much we knew about athletics, but how eager we were to tell stories,&rdquo; said Mazur. &ldquo;The participants have learned to think like freelancers, understanding what a story needs to succeed and how to be reliable to athletes, editors and the audience.
&ldquo;Ultimately, they have come to appreciate the beauty of athletics, a sport that &ndash; in record time for a young journalist &ndash; can place you in a one-on-one situation with some of the top athletes in the world, which is something that would not be possible in any other sport.&rdquo;
World Athletics

The future of the sport, on and off the field of play, has been shaped during the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24

Athletics future shaped at World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24

A thrilling men&rsquo;s 1500m final &ndash; won by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Abdisa Fayisa ahead of Australia&rsquo;s Cameron Myers &ndash; proved the highlight of the men&rsquo;s action on the final day of the&nbsp;World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24&nbsp;on Saturday (31).&nbsp;
Right up to the dying strides, the fate of the gold medal was still unknown, with Myers and Fayisa engaging in a tactical chess game over the first three laps and then going to war, mano a mano, down the home straight. Fayisa proved the stronger and got the gold in 3:40.51 to add to his silver in the 5000m. Myers clocked 3:40.60 in second while Spain&rsquo;s Alex Pintado came through strongly for bronze in 3:41.03.
The early pace was steady, Uganda&rsquo;s Jacob Sande towing the field through 400m in 61.44 before Myers took over, passing 800m in 2:02.60. He had to lift the pace a couple of times in the lap that followed, Kenya&rsquo;s Josphat Kipkirui launching an attack approaching the bell, but the Australian held him off, hitting 1200m in 2:58.54 then shifting through the remaining gears. He burnt off Kipkirui around the last bend but Fayisa was sitting in his slipstream, waiting, and he went for broke as they turned for home, sending this title back to Ethiopia for the first time ever.&nbsp;
In the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase, the world was introduced to two teenagers who could well ascend to greatness at senior level, Edmund Serem and Matthew Kosgei. They maintained Kenya&rsquo;s proud tradition in the event by leading the field home, the 17th time in 20 editions the gold has been won by a Kenyan.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We have been training well in our camp so I knew that I was in good shape,&rdquo; said Serem, the Kenyan team captain. &ldquo;But I was not sure if I was going to win.&rdquo;
The pair took command from the outset, towing the field through a swift 2:47.66 first kilometre before cranking up the pace further past halfway. Kosgei led through 2000m in 5:34.97 and by then, they had only Ethiopia&rsquo;s Hailu Ayalew for company. But they shook him off with 500 metres to run and entering the back straight for the final time, Serem made his decisive move, powering clear to win in a world U20 lead of 8:15.28, with Kosgei second in 8:17.46 and Ayalew third in 8:24.08 &ndash; the first eight athletes setting PBs.&nbsp;
In the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, USA&rsquo;s Vance Nilsson produced an upset from the inside lane, powering through over the final two barriers to hit the line in a world U20 lead of 49.26, the first time in 12 years the title has been won by a US athlete.
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Nilsson had only advanced to the final as a time qualifier after finishing third in his semifinal in 49.82. Michal Rada of Czechia finished a close second in a national U20 record of 49.30, with Finland&rsquo;s Antti Sainio taking bronze in 49.61.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I love this sport so much, it is practically my entire life at this point,&rdquo; said Nilsson, who was overjoyed at his victory. &ldquo;If you have something that you are truly passionate about, go for it. Don't just go halfway: go for it 100% and maybe you can get to where I am as well or better.&rdquo;
USA&rsquo;s Bryce Ruland announced himself as a potential star by unleashing a PB of 62.59m to take victory in the men&rsquo;s discus, the 17-year-old&rsquo;s opening throw proving good enough for gold. Shot put champion Jarno van Daalen of the Netherlands set a PB in second of 62.22m, just ahead of Finland&rsquo;s Mico Lampinen. Ukraine&rsquo;s Mykhailo Brudin, who won bronze two years ago and since set a PB of 66.58m, was below his best in fourth with 61.69m.
&ldquo;I went big with my first one and it pretty much won,&rdquo; said Ruland, who said the best memory he&rsquo;ll take from Lima is &ldquo;hanging out with all the throwers. They're a great group of people.&rdquo;
The men&rsquo;s 4x100m saw Jamaica snatch gold with a heroic final leg from Deandre Daley, who overcame a massive deficit to run down Great Britain and Northern Ireland to win in 39.18, the frustration of a fourth-place finish in the 100m quickly dissipating for Daley, who was ably backed up by teammates Jace Witter, Gary Card and Nyrone Wade.&nbsp;
Britain&rsquo;s quartet of Jake Odey-Jordan, Joel Masters, Dean Patterson and Teddy Wilson claimed silver in 39.20, while Thailand &ndash; which had never won a medal before this week at the World U20 Championships &ndash; earned its second in four days, with Puripol Boonson &ndash; the 100m silver medallist &ndash; rocketing home from lane eight to snatch bronze in a national record of 39.39. He was soon joined in the celebrations by teammates Wirayat Daenkhanob, Sarawut Nuansi and Chutithat Pruksorranan. France came home just behind in fourth with 39.43.&nbsp;
USA turned in a dominant performance to claim gold in the concluding men&rsquo;s 4x400m, their quartet of Jayden Davis, Xavier Donaldson, Alexander Rhodes and 400m bronze medallist Sidi Njie clocking 3:03.56 to come home well clear of the South African quartet of Bryan Katoo, Sihle Mahlangu, Njabulo Mbatha and Udeme Okon (3:05.22). Australia&rsquo;s team of Caleb Kilpatrick, Jett Grundy, Jack Deguara and Jordan Gilbert took bronze with 3:05.53. It was the 16th time in 20 editions USA had won this title.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

A thrilling men’s 1500m final – won by Ethiopia’s Abdisa Fayisa ahead of Australia’s Cameron Myers – proved the highlight of the men’s action on the final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24

Fayisa flies to 1500m gold for Ethiopia on day five in Lima

A series of thrilling relay races took place on the final day of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 on Saturday (31), with Jamaica taking the women&rsquo;s 4x100m title and USA clinching the women&rsquo;s 4x400m crown.
It was Alana Reid who anchored Jamaica to that 4x100m victory, the 19-year-old adding another gold medal to the 100m title she claimed on day two in Lima. On Saturday she teamed up with individual 200m bronze medallist Shanoya Mikalia Douglas, Alliah Baker and Briana Campbell to clock 43.39.
USA got a good start, as did Australia and Jamaica, but the Australian team, featuring individual 200m medallist Torrie Lewis, struggled with their second changeover and USA with their third. Australia&rsquo;s Jessica Milat had a marginal lead as she took off for the final leg but she was chased by Reid, who passed her in the closing stages to clinch the win.&nbsp;
Australia and USA were both disqualified and so silver went to Switzerland, anchored by Alicia Masini, with the team&rsquo;s delight at gaining a medal in a national U20 record of 44.06 clear to see.
Bronze was claimed by Canada in 44.60, that squad featuring individual 400m silver medallist Dianna Proctor on the second leg.
"We are all from different training groups and to see that we could come together as one and make it happen for ourselves and our country, it is really something that we are proud of," said Reid. "It was just for us to come out here and give our best."
A strong anchor leg from Zaya Akins helped USA to the women&rsquo;s 4x400m title, Akins claiming her second medal in Lima after her individual 400m bronze two days earlier.
It helped USA to top of the medal table at the end of the five days of competition in the Peruvian capital, with eight gold, four silver and four bronze.
Italy had a strong start and led at the first changeover but Australia closed the gap on the second leg and moved into the lead at the break. First leg runner Michaela Mouton had handed over to Olivia Harris for USA before Josie Donelson took over for the third leg. She passed the baton on to Akins in second place, some way back on leaders Australia after Jemma Pollard handed over to Sophia Gregorevic for the anchor.
Gregorevic looked on track for another relay gold after her mixed 4x400m title on the opening day, but Akins caught and passed her on the final bend. Akins surged away for the win, taking the title in 3:30.74, while Australia held on for silver in 3:31.47 and Great Britain got bronze in 3:32.80.
It was a second world U20 4x400m medal for Akins, who ran in the heats in Cali two years ago before her teammates went on to get gold. Gregorevic and Bella Pasquali both leave Lima with two relay medals as Pasquali also ran in the mixed 4x400m.
Meta Tumba had the race of her life when it mattered the most, setting a French U20 record of 55.59 to win the 400m hurdles.
The 18-year-old had the lead as she entered the home straight, and while USA&rsquo;s Jasmine Robinson worked hard to close the gap, Tumba couldn&rsquo;t be caught and she raised her arms in celebration before falling to the track in delight.
Robinson followed her home but was later disqualified, moving Poland&rsquo;s Wiktoria Gadajska up into silver with 56.87, also a national U20 record, and South Africa&rsquo;s Hannah van Niekerk, who clocked a PB of 56.98, into bronze.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Saron Berhe lived up to her status as favourite in the 1500m. The 17-year-old, who won the African title and went sub-four-minutes for the first time earlier this season, timed her kick to perfection to claim her first global crown in 4:16.64.
In a tactical race, Berhe put herself in the middle of a pack led by USA&rsquo;s Dylan McElhinney with two laps to go. Berhe moved up on approach to the bell and was joined at the front by McElhinney and Canada&rsquo;s Rachel Forsyth. The rest of the field couldn&rsquo;t match Berhe&rsquo;s change of pace and she strode away over the final lap to win by more than a second, gaining Ethiopia&rsquo;s sixth women&rsquo;s 1500m title from eight editions of this event.
Forsyth followed in 4:17.94 for silver, while Germany&rsquo;s Jolanda Kallabis claimed bronze in 4:19.34.
Serbia&rsquo;s Angelina Topic rebounded after missing the Olympic final through injury, clearing 1.91m to win her first global gold medal in the high jump.
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The 19-year-old, who finished sixth at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi in 2021 and claimed bronze at the 2022 edition of the event in Cali, made it through qualification in Paris earlier this month before a foot injury dashed her Olympic dreams for the final.
But the two-time European senior medallist was back to winning ways in Lima, as she overcame a wobble at 1.89m &ndash; which she needed all three attempts to clear &ndash; and then soared over 1.91m on her first try to secure the title, before calling it a day.
Australia&rsquo;s Izobelle Louison-Roe cleared a PB of 1.89m to secure silver on countback ahead of Estonia&rsquo;s Karmen Bruus, who won the title in Cali two years ago.
"It is really crazy to be here because I think the rest of the world saw that I broke my foot four weeks ago in the Olympics and it also broke my heart," said Topic. "I really didnt know what to expect for not just this season, but my career as well. I started walking 10 days ago. We came here without any training for the past three weeks and two weeks ago we did my first jumping training after what happened in the Olympics."
There was a successful title defence by Uzbekistan&rsquo;s Sharifa Davronova in the women&rsquo;s triple jump. Two years on from her victory as a 15-year-old in Cali, Davronova &ndash; now also an Asian indoor champion, Asian Games gold medallist and Paris Olympian &ndash; leapt 13.75m to claim a second consecutive world U20 crown ahead of China&rsquo;s Li Yi and Italy&rsquo;s Erika Giorgia Anoeta Saraceni.
Davronova and Li were separated by just a centimetre until the fifth round, as they respectively jumped 13.56m and 13.55m on their second attempts. But Davronova improved to 13.64m in round five and 13.75m in round six, to which Li could not respond. Saraceni secured her bronze medal win with a PB leap of 13.47m.
The women&rsquo;s hammer closed the competition in Lima and favourite Zhang Jiale of China got the gold. The 17-year-old, who sits third on the world U20 all-time list with her PB of 72.25m, this time threw 68.95m to triumph.
Valentina Savva joined her teammate Iosif Kesidis in claiming a hammer medal for Cyprus, getting silver after the gold by Kesidis two days earlier. Savva threw 67.21m to secure that silver ahead of Hungary&rsquo;s Villo Viszkeleti who threw 64.94m for bronze.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

A series of thrilling relay races took place on the final day of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 on Saturday

Reid anchors Jamaica to 4x100m title to secure golden double in Lima

&ldquo;I thought I was about to fall down,&rdquo; says Lurdes Gloria Manuel, reliving the final moments of the women&rsquo;s 400m final at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s good.&rdquo;
She was good. She was great, in fact. On a cold night in the Peruvian capital on Thursday (29), the 19-year-old Czech athlete was all class and composure, patiently expending her energy during the early part of the race and then turning up the heat on her rivals around the final turn.&nbsp;
Nigeria&rsquo;s Ella Onojuvwevwo had gone with her, but in the end that backfired badly as Manuel blasted away on the home straight to take gold in 51.29, a long way clear of Canada&rsquo;s Dianna Proctor (51.98) and USA&rsquo;s Zaya Akins (52.00), with Onojuvwevwo fading to fifth in 52.61.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66d12dfacd2428f159b86e44.JPG" alt="Lurdes Gloria Manuel on her way to the world U20 400m title in Lima" />
Lurdes Gloria Manuel on her way to the world U20 400m title in Lima (&copy; Oscar Munoz Badilla)
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It capped another memorable year for the European U20 champion, who broke the Czech U20 record three times during the summer, clocking 50.52 in the European final in Rome and making her Olympic debut in Paris where she reached the 400m semifinals.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This season was so very long for me, and this is the best ending,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;
The journey to the top of a global podium completed a journey that was over a decade in the making. Manuel took up athletics at the age of eight, while at school in Tabor, a town of just under 35,000 that&rsquo;s about 90km south of Prague.&nbsp;
Her father is from Angola, her mother is from Russia, and they met when her dad was studying at a university in Russia, the couple moving to Czechia before starting a family. It&rsquo;s no surprise that Manuel is multilingual, speaking Czech, Russian, English and &ldquo;a little bit of Portuguese and French&rdquo;.&nbsp;
Soon after showing her talent in schools&rsquo; races, her parents, who had no background in athletics, signed her up for the local club. She did a variety of events in her youth and was more of an 800m specialist before turning her focus to the sprints, but in the 400m she found her best distance.&nbsp;
In 2022, at the age of 16, she smashed her PB to clock 53.19 and win the Czech U20 title, then went to the European U18 Championships and won silver in 53.61. Her progress continued last year, Manuel smashing the Czech U20 record and clocking 51.23 to finish second at her national senior championships, then went on to win the European U20 title in 51.94.&nbsp;
She is coached by Sarka Chladkova and Ratislav Sedina and in Lima on Thursday, Manuel was quick to credit those who&rsquo;d helped her get to this position. &ldquo;Thanks to my team, coaches and my family because they are supporting me all the time,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;
Manuel still has one year left of school and said she has &ldquo;thought about an American university&rdquo; next year but is &ldquo;not 100% sure&rdquo;. When she&rsquo;s not training or studying, she loves dancing, drawing and singing, but there&rsquo;s no doubt where her greatest talent lies.&nbsp;
On the track, she reached a new level this year, her 50.59 in Ostrava in June qualifying her for the Paris Olympics. In the European final in Rome, still a month shy of her 19th birthday, she was less than half a second away from a medal in fourth. It set her up for her first appearance at the Olympics.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It was amazing in Paris,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;It was the most stressful event of the season, the biggest event and I wanted to show my best performance.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66bddeb60f3a7fdd92bb2552.jpg" alt="Lurdes Gloria Manuel in the 400m at the Paris Olympics" />
Lurdes Gloria Manuel in the 400m at the Paris Olympics (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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Manuel finished sixth in her 400m heat in 52.20, third in her repechage in 50.81 and eighth in her semifinal in 51.42. &ldquo;It was very successful for me, I couldn&rsquo;t ever imagine I would make it to the Olympics at that age,&rdquo; she says.&nbsp;
But she had scant time to dwell on it before Lima began to loom into view, Manuel knowing she had the chance to crown her season by leaving the U20 ranks as a global champion.&nbsp;
And once that vision had come true, how would she celebrate? &ldquo;I want to go and get some sleep,&rdquo; she smiled.
She was asked what advice she would give to young athletes and Manuel said to &ldquo;follow your dreams and do what you think will be best for you, and enjoy it.&rdquo;
Her favourite athlete has long been Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and given her trajectory, is Manuel looking forward to racing the US superstar in the years ahead? &ldquo;No, I&rsquo;m scared,&rdquo; she laughed. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s the fastest woman I know.&rdquo;
McLaughlin-Levrone, of course, set the bar at an extremely high level for precocious teenage athletes, and it&rsquo;s notable she ran 50.07 for 400m back in 2018, a few months before her 19th birthday. But Manuel&rsquo;s 50.52 shortly before her 19th birthday isn&rsquo;t that far behind.&nbsp;
Manuel knows she has vast scope for improvement in the years ahead, and wants to focus &ldquo;more on details like recovery, food and this stuff&rdquo;, the little one-percenters that might one day see her emulate this success at senior level.&nbsp;
Because from here, the possibilities seem endless.&nbsp;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

“I thought I was about to fall down,” says Lurdes Gloria Manuel, reliving the final moments of the women’s 400m final at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24

Rising sprinter Manuel crowns season with world U20 title

Five days of World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 competition, featuring some 1700 athletes from more than 130 teams, will conclude on Saturday (31) when the final 13 titles will be won.
The session starts with the men&rsquo;s discus and ends with the 4x400m relays. Here are three things to follow at the Estadio Atletico de la Videna. 
<h2>Relays close the show</h2>
Four relays &ndash; the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x100m plus the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 4x400m &ndash; are all taking place on the fifth and final day of competition in Lima.
The Jamaican women&rsquo;s 4x100m team is set to feature individual 100m champion Alana Reid, who ran the anchor leg in the heats, as they look to defend their title from Cali. In the men&rsquo;s event, there will be a new champion as Japan was disqualified during the heats. Like in the women&rsquo;s event, Jamaica was quickest in the men&rsquo;s heats but should face a strong challenge from Thailand, anchored by 100m silver medallist Puripol Boonson, in the final.
In the 4x400m finals, Australia will be on the hunt for more medals to go with the mixed 4x400m gold won on day one.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/lima24/news/preview/wu20-lima-24-preview-relays" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Lima 24 relays preview</a> 
<h2>Athletes ready to hit the heights</h2>
The women&rsquo;s high jump will feature Estonia&rsquo;s Karmen Bruus, who defends the title she won in Cali two years ago. After focusing on the high jump during the past couple of outdoor seasons, Bruus returned to combined events action this year and set a PB of 5013 points to win the Estonian U20 heptathlon title. Her high jump PB remains 1.96m, a mark that matched the world U18 best when she achieved it in Eugene in 2022.
But it&rsquo;s Serbia&rsquo;s Angelina Topic who tops the entry list with her season&rsquo;s best of 1.98m, and the two-time senior European medallist, who claimed world U20 bronze behind Bruus in Cali, will be looking to rebound after qualifying for the Olympic final in Paris but being unable to compete through injury.
Both athletes cruised through qualification, clearing up to 1.83m with no faults.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/lima24/news/preview/wu20-lima-24-preview-jumps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Lima 24 jumps events preview</a> 
<h2>Middle-distance duels</h2>
Australia&rsquo;s Cameron Myers could crown a strong season with the world U20 1500m title. He led qualification, winning his heat in 3:41.32, but to claim the title he will have to defeat Ethiopia&rsquo;s Abdisa Fayisa, who tops the entries with the 3:32.37 he ran to win the Ethiopian Olympic Trials in June. Fayisa then competed at the Paris Olympics, finishing 14th in his 1500m heat and 10th in the repechage.
In the women&rsquo;s 1500m final, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Saron Berhe is the clear favourite. The 17-year-old won the African title in June and dipped under four minutes for the first time in April at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, clocking 3:59.21.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/lima24/news/preview/wu20-lima-24-preview-distance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Lima 24 distance events preview</a>

Five days of World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 competition, featuring some 1700 athletes from more than 130 teams, will conclude on Saturday (31) when the final 13 titles will be won

Three things to follow on the fifth and final day in Lima

Track action from the fourth afternoon of the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 was highlighted by the completion of an epic sprints double for phenom Bayanda Walaza on Friday (30).
The South African sprinting sensation tonight added a win in the men&rsquo;s 200m to his title in the 100m from earlier in the week. Walaza simply exploded out of the blocks and the high-quality start ensured he could not be caught by his competitors, finishing in 20.52 (-0.7m/s).
Australia&rsquo;s Gout Gout did make a gallant effort to close the gap and his hard-charging finish earned him the silver in a PB of 20.60. The 16-year-old broke his own area U18 best and national U18 record with the time. Jake Odey-Jordan of Great Britain took the bronze in 20.81.
Walaza formed part of South Africa&rsquo;s silver medal-winning 4x100m team at the Olympics in Paris and two other Olympians were expected to vie for the title in the women&rsquo;s 200m, with Adaejah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands and Torrie Lewis of Australia bringing to Lima their experience from the 200m semifinals in Paris. In the end, it was Hodge who took the title in 22.74 (0.0m/s), upgrading her silver medal from the 100m earlier in these championships.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Hodge got out of the starting blocks well and ran a strong curve, with Lewis challenging her off the curve and well into the homestretch. Hodge, however, had superior strength over the last 25 metres and moved clear of the field to earn her first global U20 gold.&nbsp;
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Lewis was rewarded for her effort with the silver medal and a PB of 22.88. Jamaica&rsquo;s Shanoya Mikalia Douglas, who came into the competition with the fastest season&rsquo;s best of 22.59, was third in 23.10.
After an impressive 13.11 semifinal performance, all eyes were on Ja&rsquo;Kobe Tharp of the US in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles final. Tharp exceeded all expectations, taking the win while delivering a 13.05 (-0.5m/s) lifetime best, a national U20 record over the 99cm hurdles, and a world U20 lead.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I knew to get the gold medal means my time was going to have to be faster and I came out and did that; that's all I wanted,&rdquo; said Tharp.
Tharp is the first US athlete in eight years to earn the global U20 crown. The accomplishment completes an historic season as earlier this year he broke the area U20 record over senior height 110m hurdles and was second at the NCAA Championships.&nbsp;
Andre Korbmacher arguably had a stronger start than his US compatriot, which helped him to earn the silver in a PB of 13.14. The 1-2 punch strengthened the US position at the top of the medal table. Chen Yuanjiang of China recorded a national U20 record of 13.21 to place third.&nbsp;
Kerrica Hill of Jamaica successfully defended her 2022 title from Cali by winning the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles final in 12.99 (-0.3m/s). Hill had a strong start and never looked back; in fact, she comfortably led each round of competition and was the only athlete to break 13 seconds during these championships.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It feels good to win and, as I said before, I came here to run my own race,&rdquo; said Hill.
Croatia&rsquo;s Mia Wild was second in 13.15, giving her PB of 13.10 a good scare. Delta Amidzovski extended her extraordinary meet, earning bronze in 13.24 after taking gold in the women&rsquo;s long jump earlier in the week. Amidzovski was just 20th on the descending order list of season&rsquo;s bests coming in to Lima but executed well on the day to secure her podium spot.
Kenya&rsquo;s Sarah Moraa controlled the women&rsquo;s 800m final from early on and held on strongly to win in an impressive 2:00.36. The title caps off a tremendous season for Moraa, who was third at the Kenyan Olympic Trials in June. Moraa is the cousin of world champion Mary Moraa, who herself was fifth at the 2018 World U20 Championships.
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Australia&rsquo;s Claudia Hollingsworth made a valiant attempt to pass Moraa in the final homestretch but Moraa was able to find another gear to surge to the finish line first. Hollingsworth, who came in with the fastest PB in the field (1:58.40) and was a semifinalist at the Paris Olympic Games, had to settle for silver in 2:00.36. Sophia Gorriaran of the US rounded out the podium, earning bronze in 2:01.04.&nbsp;
Though the men&rsquo;s 800m final was quick, it still came down to a kick on the homestretch, with General Berhanu Ayansa of Ethiopia emerging on top in a winning time of 1:46.86. Ayansa came into the competition with just the fourth-best personal best (1:45.45) but was patient over the course of the race and timed his finish to perfection to take the gold.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Australia&rsquo;s Peyton Craig arrived in Lima as the favourite, with the swiftest PB, the Oceanian U20 record and a semifinals appearance at the Olympic Games in Paris to his name. Despite a long season, he accelerated well towards the conclusion of the race and ended up in second in 1:46.95. Ko Ochiai of Japan, the Asian U20 champion and national U20 record-holder, was third in 1:47.03.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Aleshign Baweke won the women&rsquo;s 3000m in 8:50.32. Though Ethiopia hadn&rsquo;t won the women&rsquo;s 3000m at the U20 Championships since 2016, the country was expected to take the crown in Lima as their entrants led the field on PBs and season&rsquo;s bests by a significant margin.&nbsp;
Marion Jepnegetich of Kenya, who had led the final for much of the race, was passed in the final 200 metres by Baweke. The move was confident and emphatic, guaranteeing Baweke the top spot on the podium. Jepnegetich held on for silver in 8:52.37.&nbsp;
Marta Alemayo of Ethiopia took bronze in 8:53.64. The performance confirmed a two-medal haul in this event for her country and puts Ethiopia second overall on the medal table. Innes Fitzgerald of Great Britain finished outside of the podium, but still ran a PB 8:57.01 to take fourth.&nbsp;
In non-finals action, Michelle Smith of the Virgin Islands continued her campaign to become her country&rsquo;s first world U20 champion. She led all qualifiers in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles semifinals with her 56.39. She will be joined in the final by fellow heat winners Meta Tumba of France (56.79) and Jasmine Robinson of the US (57.37). France will have two women in the final after Candice von Plauen ran a PB 56.81 to finish just behind Smith in the second section.&nbsp;
A score of fast times highlighted the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles semifinals, where five competitors ran at or under 50 seconds. Antti Sainio of Finland won the second heat and led all qualifiers with his world U20 leading time of 49.36. Czechia&rsquo;s Michal Rada crossed the line at the same time and was also credited with the world U20 lead. It was a PB and national U20 record for each athlete.&nbsp;
Both time qualifiers to the final came out of that same section, with Vance Nilsson of the US running 49.82 and Spain&rsquo;s Joaquin Alonso running a national U20 record of 50.22. In the first heat, South Africa&rsquo;s Njabulo Mbatha won the first heat in 49.90. Pushing Mbatha to the line in that section was Sam Lunt of Great Britain, who ran a national U20 record of 50.00. Jamaica&rsquo;s Daniel Wright won the third and final heat in 51.11.
Jessi Gabriel for World Athletics

Track action from the fourth afternoon of the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 was highlighted by the completion of an epic sprints double for phenom Bayanda Walaza on Friday

Walaza storms to sprint double at World U20 Championships in Lima

A championship record of 8425 points in the decathlon by Czechia&rsquo;s Tomas Jarvinen and a huge leap of 8.17m by Croatia&rsquo;s Roko Farkas to win the long jump were among the highlights on the fourth evening of action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 on Friday (30).&nbsp;
Jarvinen went into day two of the decathlon in a dominant position and the 18-year-old kept the momentum rolling, clocking 13.78 in the 110m hurdles followed by a huge PB of 49.18m in the discus, a 4.60m clearance in the pole vault, a 55.79m javelin throw and another big PB of 4:29.78 in the 1500m.&nbsp;
Poland&rsquo;s Hubert Trosciaka produced a PB of 8230 to win silver, featuring three personal bests in the 400m (47.24), 1500m (4:24.41) and long jump (7.27m). Dutch athlete Florian Vriezen claimed bronze with a PB of 8230.
Jarvinen was just 10 points shy of Niklas Kaul&rsquo;s world U20 record and he moved to second on the world U20 all-time list after a remarkable two days where he produced the best marks in five of the 10 disciplines and led the field every step of the way.
&ldquo;I am completely shocked,&rdquo; said Jarvinen. &ldquo;I know I did my best on two days. The event I like the most is probably the discus throw and the least is probably the 100m. For the next year, I will try to get to the World Championships.&rdquo;
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A decathlete also stole the show in the men&rsquo;s long jump final. Unable to contest the decathlon this season because of a shoulder injury, Farkas focused on the 200m for the European Championships in Rome and the long jump for Lima.
The big question on Friday was whether Farkas could live up to his heroics in long jump qualification, where he obliterated his PB to jump 8.15m. For much of the final, it appeared he couldn&rsquo;t, managing a best of 7.81m through the opening three rounds. But then in round four, with the benefit of a 2.4m/s tailwind, he soared to 8.17m, the longest winning jump in the championships&rsquo; history, which was comfortably good enough for gold.&nbsp;
Silver went to Serbia&rsquo;s Luka Boskovic with 7.93m while Australia&rsquo;s Mason McGroder set a PB of 7.80m to take bronze.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was really happy after the qualifications but we have been really, really working for this competition for long jump and I just went for it,&rdquo; said Farkas, who had done a training camp in Chile to prepare. &ldquo;I'm technically a decathlete so it was a bit challenging to switch to long jump for this competition but we made it.&rdquo;
The women&rsquo;s javelin final featured the most dominant victory of the championships to date, China&rsquo;s Yan Ziyi unleashing a 63.05m throw in the fourth round to take gold by almost nine metres, with Chinese Taipei&rsquo;s Chu Pin-Hsun taking silver with 54.28m ahead of USA&rsquo;s Evelyn Bliss (54.01m).
Yan threw 64.28m in Hangzhou in April to set the world U20 record and the 16-year-old underlined her vast potential with the first javelin gold medal for China at these championships, which is unlikely to be her last given she will be eligible for the 2026 edition in Oregon.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I had an injury for the last three months but today I got a good result and a gold medal,&rdquo; said Yan. &ldquo;I am a little sad because I (missed) the championship record, but I'm young and I can try again in two years.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/66d26a600b780235b311ba5a.JPG" alt="Javelin winner Yan Ziyi at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24" />
Javelin winner Yan Ziyi at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 (&copy; Christel Saneh for World Athletics)
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The men&rsquo;s pole vault turned into a riveting head-to-head duel between Germany&rsquo;s Hendrik Muller and Japan&rsquo;s Rikuya Yoshida, with Muller snatching victory with his third-time clearance at 5.45m. He is the first German to win this title since Raphael Holzdeppe in 2008. Yoshida earned a superb silver via his PB of 5.40m, with Czechia&rsquo;s Jan Krcek also setting a PB for bronze with 5.30m.&nbsp;
In the men&rsquo;s high jump, USA&rsquo;s Scottie Vines soared to new heights &ndash; literally &ndash; by winning the world U20 title and setting a PB of 2.25m. He had a perfect record up until 2.23m and he was then locked in a battle with Italy&rsquo;s Matteo Sioli for gold. Both went over 2.23m at the third attempt and a first-time clearance of 2.25m by Vines handed him gold, with Sioli settling for a PB and silver. Japan&rsquo;s Kaisei Nakatani took bronze with a best of 2.19m.&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s shot put final saw USA&rsquo;s Akaoma Odeluga live up to her favourite&rsquo;s billing as she took a commanding victory with a best of 17.34m, which came in the fourth round. She had a shaky start to the competition with a best of 15.85m through the opening three rounds, well down on the PB of 18.13m she set to finish eighth at the US Olympic Trials.&nbsp;
But her 17.34m put the competition to bed, handing her victory by almost a metre over Czechia&rsquo;s Martina Mazurova, who set a PB of 16.38m for silver, while Chiang Ching-Yuan of Chinese Taipei claimed bronze with a national U20 record of 16.01m.
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

A championship record of 8425 points in the decathlon by Tomas Jarvinen and a huge leap of 8.17m by Roko Farkas to win the long jump were among the highlights on the fourth evening of action

Jarvinen threatens world U20 decathlon record to get gold in Lima

Rayen Cherni set a championship record in the men&rsquo;s 10,000m race walk to win the first ever gold medal for Tunisia at the World Athletics U20 Championships, while China&rsquo;s Baima Zhuoma dominated the women&rsquo;s race during the final morning session of action in Lima on Friday (30).
In a hard-fought men&rsquo;s race, the top 17 all set area or national U20 records, or achieved PBs, with Cherni winning in an African U20 record of 39:24.85, Mexico&rsquo;s Emiliano Barba securing silver in a North and Central American U20 record of 39:27.10 and Italy&rsquo;s Giuseppe Disabato gaining bronze in a national U20 record of 39:31.25.
Australia&rsquo;s Isaac Beacroft, who won the U20 title on the roads at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya in April, finished fourth on the track in Lima, setting an Oceanian U20 record of 39:36.39, while Japan&rsquo;s Sohtaroh Osaka finished fifth in a PB of 39:39.36.
"I feel like I am in a state of endless joy," said the winner.
It was Germany&rsquo;s Frederick Weigel who had taken the early lead, but Osaka, Beacroft and Kenya&rsquo;s Stephen Ndangiri Kihu took control by the halfway point, passed in 20:05.03.
As the pace gradually picked up, the lead pack whittled down, and Barba, Disabato and Cherni made their break. Six athletes remained in contention with four laps to go and eventually 17-year-old Cherni left his rivals behind to win by more than two seconds.
In the women&rsquo;s race, Baima looked calm and in control throughout. The field quickly spaced out and the 19-year-old, who claimed Asian U20 silver in April, was well clear as she passed the 5000m mark in 21:47.33.
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Baima Zhuoma on her way to the world U20 10,000m race walk title (&copy; Oscar Munoz Badilla)
</div>
She was followed by India&rsquo;s Aarti and her Chinese teammate Chen Meiling, last year&rsquo;s Asian U20 champion, with Romania&rsquo;s 17-year-old Alessia Cristina Pop, the European U18 silver medallist, looking determined behind them.
While Baima was never under threat, Aarti seemed to be moving away from Chen, but with two red cards Aarti had to be cautious and Chen made her move, passing her rival with three and a half laps to go.
Baima maintained her lead to cruise to victory in a world U20 lead and big PB of 43:26.60, as Chen held on for silver to complete a 1-2 for China in a PB of 44:30.67. Aarti claimed bronze in an Indian U20 record of 44:39.39, while Pop also set a national U20 record of 44:54.32 in fourth. Similar to the men&rsquo;s race, the top 16 all set national records or PBs.
"I was nervous at first," said&nbsp;Baima, "but my coach told me: 'It's okay. If you fail, you fail, just keep going.'"
<h2>Jarvinen in decathlon spotlight</h2>
Czechia&rsquo;s Tomas Jarvinen maintained his winning momentum in the decathlon and put himself on track for a big score.
The overnight leader started day two with 4358 points, 211 ahead of Poland&rsquo;s Hubert Troscianka.&nbsp;Jarvinen&nbsp;won the 110m hurdles in 13.78 but made a huge statement in the discus, throwing 49.18m &ndash; a PB by more than eight metres &ndash; to dominate that discipline.
He then cleared 4.60m, 10cm off his PB, in the pole vault and with&nbsp;two events to go &ndash; the javelin and 1500m &ndash; he has 7004 points. Troscianka remains in second on 6585 after clocking 14.26, throwing 44.98m and clearing 4.40m.
Florian Vriezen of the Netherlands moved up into third on 6355 after clearing a PB of 4.80m in the pole vault, matching the height achieved by Alexandre Montagne of France who sits in fourth place on&nbsp;6328.
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Tomas Jarvinen celebrates his discus throw in the world U20 decathlon in Lima (&copy; Enzo Santos Barreiro)
</div>
The penultimate day of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 got off to a busy start, with heats for the 4x100m and 4x400m also all taking place.
After their mixed 4x400m team claimed gold on the opening day, Australia went quickest in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m heats and also progressed safely from the first round of the men&rsquo;s heats.
The women&rsquo;s team clocked 3:33.55, with the other heats won by Italy (3:34.14) and Colombia (3:38.01).
USA went quickest in the men&rsquo;s heats, running 3:05.16. Australia won their heat in 3:08.99 and Japan the third heat in 3:07.04.
Jamaica (43.81), anchored by individual 100m champion Alana Reid, plus USA (44.22), Australia (44.76) and Switzerland (44.88) were among the teams to qualify for the women&rsquo;s 4x100m final, but Great Britain, Nigeria and France were among those to miss out following disqualification.
South Africa, whose men&rsquo;s 4x100m squad in Lima features two of the athletes who claimed relay silver at the Paris Olympics in Bayanda Walaza and Bradley Nkoana, will not have the chance to attempt to add a world U20 honour to that Olympic medal after they were unable to get the baton around. USA will also miss out as they could not complete their heat.
Jamaica qualified quickest, winning their heat in 39.54. They will be joined in the final by Thailand, who were anchored by individual silver medallist Puripol Boonson and set a national U20 record of 39.56, and Korea, also with a national U20 record of 39.71.
Jarno van Daalen will have the opportunity to go for a second throws medal in Lima after winning the shot put title on day one. The Dutch athlete didn&rsquo;t manage the automatic qualification mark of 60.00m but his 58.92m was enough for him to advance.&nbsp;
Five athletes did surpass 60 metres: South Africa&rsquo;s Juan Marais (61.54m) and Michael Wesley Badenhorst (60.09m PB), Ukraine&rsquo;s 2022 bronze medallist Mykhailo Brudin (61.39m), USA&rsquo;s Bryce Ruland (61.11m PB), China&rsquo;s Jiang Zehao (60.63m)
Three athletes achieved the automatic qualification mark of 15.80m in the women&rsquo;s shot put, USA&rsquo;s Akaoma Odeluga leading the way with 16.55m. Czechia&rsquo;s Martina Mazurova threw a PB of 16.13m and Chiang Ching-Yuan of Chinese Taipei, who finished sixth in the discus, managing 15.87m. Australia&rsquo;s discus bronze medallist Marley Raikiwasa also did enough to progress to the final with a best throw of 14.63m, but USA&rsquo;s Gracelyn Leiseth just missed out with her best of 14.42m.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Rayen Cherni set a championship record to win the first ever gold medal for Tunisia at the World Athletics U20 Championships, while China’s Baima Zhuoma dominated the women’s race

Cherni and Baima claim world U20 race walk crowns in Lima

The field events delivered fireworks on Thursday (29), the third day of action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24.&nbsp;
Iosif Kesidis of Cyprus came into the men&rsquo;s hammer throw final as the runaway favourite and he lived up to the pressure, locking up his first global title with a world U20 leading mark of 82.80m. It was a national U20 record and PB with the 6kg implement for the Cypriot, who upgraded his 2022 bronze medal from Cali.
Kesidis later explained how he was targeting the national U20 record on that final attempt.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This competition is my best,&rdquo; said the 19-year-old after winning the first ever gold medal for his nation at the World U20 Championships. &ldquo;I said to my coach before the goal, the last one I threw: &lsquo;It is the best one, let's go for the record.&rsquo; I love this sport.&rdquo;
In an indication of his dominance, Kesidis was more than seven metres clear of his closest competitor. He could have won gold with every throw he launched today.&nbsp;
Roland Imre of Hungary secured the silver medal, also with his final throw of the day, recording a PB mark of 75.33m. Imre was sitting in fifth going into the last round and met the moment to throw better than he ever has before exactly when it mattered most. It was a great night for the Hungarians as Imre&rsquo;s compatriot Armin Szabados made it to the podium as well, throwing 74.88m for bronze.
Ethan Olivier of New Zealand equalled his own area U20 record of 17.01m to become the men&rsquo;s triple jump champion. Olivier was the class of the field with four of his six jumps being good enough to secure him the gold medal.&nbsp;
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The moment was a long time in the making as Olivier placed fourth at the 2022 edition of the World U20 Championships in Cali.&nbsp;
It took lifetime best performances to make the podium, with Karson Gordon of the US getting silver on a PB 16.74m jump and Ma Yinglong of China taking the bronze with a PB 16.30m jump. Gordon&rsquo;s mark was a PB by more than half a metre and Ma came into the event just 10th on the descending order list of season&rsquo;s bests.&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s pole vault final was won by Molly Haywood of the US with a PB clearance of 4.47m. Haywood was strategic about her attempts and didn&rsquo;t enter the competition until the 4.15m bar. As just two other athletes cleared that height, her place on the podium was decided with a single jump.&nbsp;
Though Haywood was second at the US U20 Championships, she peaked at the right time to retain the global U20 pole vault title for her country after Hana Moll&rsquo;s gold medal in Cali in 2022.&nbsp;
Magdalena Rauter of Austria was second and Tryphena Hewett of Australia was third, both with clearances at 4.15m and medal colour decided on countback. Rauter and Hewett came into Lima just 12th and 11th, respectively, on the descending order list of season&rsquo;s bests but they both jumped close to their PBs of 4.20m to earn their podium positions.
Tom Tersek of Slovenia took the gold in the men&rsquo;s javelin with 76.81m from his last throw of the competition. Though he was the favourite on paper as the only athlete with a season&rsquo;s best over 80 metres, he was sitting in third place until his clutch final round attempt.&nbsp;
China&rsquo;s Wang Xiaobo, who was the only other entrant in the field with a PB over 80 metres, earned silver with a mark of 75.50m. Oisin Joyce of Ireland rose to the occasion on his very first throw, breaking his own national U20 record to pick up the bronze in 73.89m. It is Ireland&rsquo;s first ever throws medal at a World U20 Championships.
Beyond the field event finals, day one of the decathlon closed out with Czechia&rsquo;s Tomas Jarvinen scoring 4358 points, solidifying a significant lead of 211 points after the first half of competition. Jarvinen soared to a height of 2.12m in the high jump, which was nine centimetres ahead of the next closest competitor. Including the high jump, he won three of the five events on the first day, running 10.82 in the 100m and leaping 7.66m in the long jump.&nbsp;
Poland&rsquo;s Hubert Troscianka took one of the events Jarvinen did not win &ndash; the 400m. He led all competitors with his 47.24 performance, smashing his previous PB of 48.71. Troscianka will head into day two of the decathlon in second place with 4147 points. Sweden is in solid position for medal contention with Elias Kapell currently in third (4013 points) and Leo Goransson in fourth (3935 points).
Jessi Gabriel for World Athletics

The field events delivered fireworks on Thursday, the third day of action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24

Kesidis claims historic hammer gold for Cyprus on day three in Lima

A pair of spectacular 400m finals and a championship record in the 3000m steeplechase proved the highlights on the track at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 on Thursday (29).
Sembo Almayew lived up to her favourite&rsquo;s billing in fine style to become the first ever Ethiopian world U20 women&rsquo;s steeplechase champion, the Paris Olympian surging clear of her chief rival Loice Chekwemoi of Uganda on the penultimate lap and coming home in 9:12.71. Adding a gold to her silver in this event from two years ago, she also took 0.07 off the championship record set by Celliphine Chespol in 2018. Chekwemoi clocked 9:18.84 in second with Kenya&rsquo;s Diana Chepkemoi taking bronze in 9:29.84.&nbsp;
In the women&rsquo;s 400m final, Czechia&rsquo;s Lurdes Gloria Manuel announced herself as a potential senior star of the future. She showed no lingering fatigue from her debut Olympics in Paris and produced a performance of poise, power and class, gliding clear of the field in the final 100m to hit the finish in 51.29, with Canada&rsquo;s Dianna Proctor flying home for silver in a PB of 51.98 and USA&rsquo;s Zaya Akins finishing third in 52.00.&nbsp;
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In the men&rsquo;s 400m, South Africa&rsquo;s Udeme Okon was also the athlete with all the answers in the decisive last 100 metres, powering away from US duo Jayden Davis and Sidi Njie and hitting the line in 45.69 to take a glorious gold, with Davis taking silver in 46.08 and Njie bronze in 46.29.
There was an upset in the men&rsquo;s 3000m as Norway&rsquo;s Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen kicked to victory in 8:20.56, coming home ahead of Kenya&rsquo;s Denis Kipkoech (8:20.79) and Britain&rsquo;s Edward Bird (8:21.00).
After a pedestrian first kilometre, the gears slowly began to shift midway through the race, and with just over a kilometre to run Kenya&rsquo;s Clinton Kimutai Ngetich launched a vicious surge. He was joined at the front by Kipkoech with a lap left but faded through the field on the back straight, with Kipkoech looking the likely winner at that point. But if he was the fly who had taken flight, then Halvorsen was the spider who was lying in wait, and the Norwegian pounced on the final bend and powered clear to a memorable gold.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I'm getting in the shape of my life now, these last days and weeks were great,&rdquo; said Halvorsen. &ldquo;I wanted to fight for the gold and that is exactly what I did. I'm grateful for everyone that helped me to do this and the ones that are going to help me get even further.&rdquo;
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In the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles semifinals, Kerrica Hill of Jamaica turned up the heat on her rivals, the reigning champion blasting a 13.00 (0.1m/s) to advance to the final ahead of USA&rsquo;s Nonah Waldron (13.35). Long jump champion Delta Amidzovski of Australia continued her breakthrough week by winning the last semifinal in 13.48 (-1.5m/s), while Croatia&rsquo;s Mia Wild won the first semifinal in 13.24 (0.0m/s).&nbsp;
USA&rsquo;s Ja&rsquo;Kobe Tharp set a world U20 lead of 13.11 to blast into the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles final, clocking 13.11 (-0.6m/s) to win his semifinal with ease ahead of Richard Hall of Jamaica (13.44). His biggest rival in the final will likely be US teammate Andre Korbmacher who turned in a crisp performance to win his semifinal in 13.25 (0.7m/s), while China&rsquo;s Chen Yuanjiang will also fancy his medal chances after taking a narrow victory in the other semifinal in 13.38.&nbsp;
Australia&rsquo;s Claudia Hollingsworth proved she will be tough to beat in the women&rsquo;s 800m final with a composed, classy performance to win her semifinal in 2:03.52, though Kenya&rsquo;s Sarah Moraa &ndash; the cousin of world champion Mary Moraa &ndash; was just as impressive when controlling the third semifinal to win in 2:03.44. Japan&rsquo;s Rin Kubo edged USA&rsquo;s Sophia Gorriaran to win the first semifinal, 2:03.00 to 2:03.01.&nbsp;
Australia also has a huge gold medal contender in the men&rsquo;s 800m in Peyton Craig, who timed his run to perfection to win the first semifinal in 1:47.31 ahead of Kenya&rsquo;s Kelvin Kimutai Koech. Ethiopia&rsquo;s General Berhanu Ayansa won the second semifinal in 1:47.28 while Kenya&rsquo;s Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech won the last semifinal just ahead of Ko Ochiai of Japan (1:48.26).&nbsp;
Adaejah Hodge, the 100m silver medallist, showed she is a strong contender for 200m gold when blasting to victory in her semifinal in 23.18 (-0.6m/s), but the quickest qualifier was fellow Olympian Torrie Lewis of Australia, who clocked 23.14 (-0.6m/s) in the subsequent semifinal. Australia&rsquo;s Jessia Milat won the other semifinal in 23.42 (0.4m/s).&nbsp;
The good times kept rolling for Australia in the men&rsquo;s 200m semifinals, with recent viral sensation Gout Gout showing he is a big contender for gold, blasting to victory in 21.07 (-0.9m/s). Sweden&rsquo;s William Trulsson edged Britain&rsquo;s Jake Odey-Jordan to victory in the second semifinal, 21.30 to 21.40 (-1.2m/s), while 100m champion Bayanda Walaza of South Africa showed he is well on track for the sprint double in the last semifinal, easing up significantly and clocking 21.00 (0.3m/s) ahead of USA&rsquo;s Jaden Wiley (21.04).&nbsp;
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics

A pair of spectacular 400m finals and a championship record in the 3000m steeplechase proved the highlights on the track in Lima on Thursday

Almayew sets steeplechase championship record to win world U20 title in Lima

The penultimate day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 on Friday (30) is packed with finals, from the 10,000m race walk through to the 200m.
Here are three things to watch out for at the Estadio Atletico de la Videna. 
<h2>Sprint showdowns</h2>
After winning the 100m title on Wednesday (28), South Africa&rsquo;s Bayanda Walaza returns on the hunt for a sprint double.
The 18-year-old, who formed part of his nation&rsquo;s silver medal-winning 4x100m team at the Paris Olympics, cruised through the 200m heats and semifinals on Thursday (29), clocking 21.00 after easing up in the latter. But he&rsquo;s set to face some strong competition from Australia's 16-year-old Gout Gout, who won his heat in 20.77.
In the women&rsquo;s event, Gout&rsquo;s compatriot Torrie Lewis, who reached the Olympic semifinals in Paris, seeks her first global medal after leading the semifinals in 23.14. Adaejah Hodge of British Virgin Islands, who has already claimed 100m silver in Lima, won her semifinal in 23.18 and will be in the race for another medal.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/lima24/news/preview/wu20-lima-24-preview-sprints" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Lima 24 sprint events preview</a> 
<h2>Yan takes aim for javelin title</h2>
China&rsquo;s Yan Ziyi has the chance to add a global title to her world U20 record. At the age of just 15, Yan threw 64.28m in Hangzhou in April to improve both the ratified world U20 record of 63.86m set by Cuba&rsquo;s Yulenmis Aguilar in 2015 and the unratified 63.96m achieved by Elina Tzengko of Greece in 2020.
Now 16, Yan has also surpassed 62 metres in three other competitions this year and could threaten championship record of 63.52m set by Adriana Vilagos in Cali in 2022.
Another athlete with medal potential is Germany&rsquo;s Mirja Lukas, who threw 58.70m last month and topped qualification with 56.76m.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/lima24/news/preview/wu20-lima-24-preview-throws" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Lima 24 throws events preview</a> 
<h2>Race walks in the morning spotlight</h2>
The 10,000m race walk events are the only two morning session finals in Lima and they will take centre stage on Friday morning.
In the men&rsquo;s event, Australia&rsquo;s Isaac Beacroft will want to add world U20 gold to the U20 10km title he claimed at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya in April.
The 17-year-old has a track PB of 40:44.47 but clocked an Oceanian U20 record of 39:56 in Antalya. He&rsquo;s set to be challenged by Japan&rsquo;s Sohtaroh Osaka, who was fourth in Antalya but has a track PB of 39:54.42.
In the women&rsquo;s race, Spain&rsquo;s Aldara Meilan will want to go one better than her runner-up spot in Antalya. Her PB of 45:06.75 makes her the fastest entrant by 50 seconds, but she could have competition in China&rsquo;s Chen Meiling, who has a superior road PB of 43:57 but finished fifth in Antalya.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/lima24/news/preview/wu20-lima-24-preview-combined-events-race-walks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Lima 24 combined events and race walks preview</a> 
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

The penultimate day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 on Friday is packed with finals

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