Chirinos breaks Peruvian U18 100m record for seventh time

• The national sprinter clocked 11.79 in the 100m at the South American Grand Prix
• At just 16 years old, she is one of the host nation's top athletes for the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24

She never ceases to amaze, even though she has just turned 16. Cayetana Chirinos shone in the 100m at the Pedro Galvez Velarde South American Grand Prix, held at the Videna Athletic Stadium on 14 June, by setting a Peruvian U18 record of 11.79 (2.0m/s).

In an open category event, the young national athlete demonstrated her full potential and secured the bronze medal behind Brazilians Ana Carolina de Jesus Acevedo (11.39) and Ana Claudia Lemos (11.69), two world-class athletes. In fact, the former will attend her second Olympic Games in Paris, while the latter has competed in three Games and is now seeking qualification for her fourth.

This is the second time this year that Chirinos has broken her own national U18 record and the seventh time she has done so since 2022. In April, at the Bolivarian Youth Games Sucre 2024, the Peruvian ran the 100m final in 11.87, earning her the bronze medal.

In September 2023, at 15 years old, Chirinos won gold at the U18 Ibero-American Athletics Championships, setting a mark of 11.90. In November 2022, at the National Youth Athletics Championships, ‘Caye’ clocked 11.92 to break her own national U18 record for the fourth time. That same year, the sprinter had already run the 100m in 12.09, 12.02, and 12.00, breaking the category’s record each time at just 14 years old.

"I feel blessed to return to my Peru for a few days and achieve excellent results at the South American Grand Prix," she said. "I’m happy to have shared the podium with my Brazilian teammates, who are role models for me, and to enjoy this achievement together."

Since the beginning of the year, Chirinos has spent most of her time in Brazil, training under the guidance of Katsuhico Nakaya, one of the world’s best speed coaches. At the High Performance Centre in Sao Paulo, the young national athlete trains alongside some of the best athletes in the world, honing a talent that has made her the best young athlete in Peru.

Now, Chirinos will return to Brazil to continue her preparation for the South American U20 Athletics Championships, to be held at the Videna Athletic Stadium from 12-14 July. The World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24, which will take place at the same venue from 27-31 August, also hold a priority spot on her calendar.

"The South American and the World Championships are coming up, two events where I want to compete at my highest level," she said. "We take it step by step, with a lot of enthusiasm and discipline to keep growing and bringing joy to my country."

With her new mark of 11.79, Chirinos is just one hundredth of a second away from the 11.78 time required by World Athletics for the women’s 100m at the World U20 Championships Lima 24. Additionally, she is very close to the national women’s 100m record in Peru: 11.74, held by Paula Daruich since 2023.

The World U20 Championships approach

As host of the World Athletics U20 Championships, Peru will present a delegation of approximately 30 representatives, featuring athletes who meet the minimum qualifying standards and those with great potential in their respective events. Among them are race walker Yadira Orihuela, hurdler German Quiroz, and sprinters Aron Earl and Cayetana Chirinos.

The World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24, the largest event ever organised by Peru for a single sporting discipline, will feature more than 1500 athletes from almost 150 countries.