Before the 2014 athletics season, Jaheel Hyde posted a picture on the social media outlet Instagram with the words “look out, greatness is coming.”It was a bold statement to make but one the gifted and versatile Jamaican has more than lived up to in a remarkable year in which he landed the 400m hurdles title at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Eugene last month, and who on Saturday posted a stunning world youth best time of 12.96 en route to 110m gold at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing.“I planned out my season and achieved everything that I wanted to accomplish,” said Hyde. “It was the complete season for me. I now plan on going home (to Jamaica) and getting some rest.”He deserves it.Born into a sports crazy family – his father Lenworth was a former Jamaican football international – Hyde has been immersed in sport for as long as he can remember.Of his three brothers, and Hyde also has two sisters, two have played representative age group football for Jamaica and the other has been ranked in the top three in Jamaica in equestrian events.&nbsp;&nbsp; Hyde himself excels at both football and athletics, it was the former sport which held the greater appeal for Hyde up until discovering hurdling aged “13 or 14” in what he terms “his calling.”“I saw the hurdles were out one day in training and I thought I can do this,” explained Hyde, who hails from St Catherine, just outside of the capital of Kingston. “I like the hurdles because it demands a lot of focus and I am the sort of person who loves to focus. I just kept going back each year to hurdles training and slowly improved.”Starring in football concurrently with athletics, Hyde featured as a left winger for the Jamaican national under-17 team, scoring a hat-trick for his country in a 5-0 mauling of Bermuda to help his nation advance to the area CONCACAF qualification phase of the under-17 World Cup.Yet to pursue his football ambitions would have compromised his goals at the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships and he decided to forego his international career in The Beautiful Game to focus on his track ambitions.“I guess I saw the light, followed my heart and I went with track and field,” says Hyde, a passionate fan of the English Premier League side Arsenal.Hyde admitted it was a decision which caused “a lot of problems” at home as his father was keen for his son to pursue his football career, but the decision was made and it proved the right one.Last July, Hyde, then aged just 16, secured the world youth title in the 110m hurdles in a blistering time of 13.13, just 0.01 outside the world youth best of France’s Wilhem Belocian. It was a performance which convinced his father of his son’s track ability and he returned to training last winter, finally with his dad’s wholehearted support. No Hyde-ing place for his hurdles rivalsIt was a winter which would see a change in emphasis as his coach Christopher Harley – the coach at Wolmer’s Boys High School – asked his talented young charge to target the 400m hurdles at the World Junior Championships.&nbsp; Hyde, who ran 46.93 for the flat 400m in March 2013, which remains his personal best, agreed and quickly adapted to the fresh training demands.Once again, he spectacularly rose to the challenge. In Eugene, at this year’s World Junior Championships, the rookie one-lap hurdler trimmed 0.20 from his lifetime best to strike gold in 49.29 with his parents in attendance.Which brings us to Nanjing and the Youth Olympic Games where, after a long campaign this summer, Hyde and his coach opted to reset their focus to the 110m hurdles. The target was to lower Belocian’s world youth best and on a hot, humid night at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hyde delivered again, the first boy to run faster than 13 seconds over the youth barriers of 91.4cm. Recording 12.96 has so far proved the performance of the athletics programme at Youth Olympic Games but to the uber-talented Hyde it was all in a day’s work.“I wasn’t surprised as the times I was producing in training showed that I could dip under 13 seconds,” said Hyde, who has had cause for double celebration in Nanjing after receiving the news when he first arrived in China that he had successfully passed the CSEC school exams which included four grade-one marks and a distinction in mathematics.After taking a well-earned rest for the next couple of weeks before the new school year starts, with his coach’s blessing, Hyde is likely to re-start playing high school football again.However, let it be in no doubt that his main priority in future is athletics and he is already eyeing a quick return to China next year for the IAAF World Championships.“Next year I would like to make the (Jamaican) team to come back here to Beijing and then I would like to be in Rio in 2016,” he said.If his stunning success in 2014 is anything to go by, these both seem plausible goals, despite the fact that he will have to cope with senior hurdles and still be in the junior ranks.Steve Landells for the IAAF

Before the 2014 athletics season, Jaheel Hyde posted a picture on the social media outlet Instagram with the words “look out, greatness is coming.”

Jaheel Hyde: “Look out, greatness is coming”

Yomif Kejelcha offered another exciting glimpse of his star quality by cruising to victory in the boys’ 3000m final on the penultimate day of athletics action at the Youth Olympic Games in the Nanjing Olympic Sport Centre Stadium on Sunday (24).The tall, fluid-striding Ethiopian, who secured the world junior 5000m title last month, easily repelled a ferocious – and some might say foolhardy – early attack from Kenya’s Moses Koech to kick clear of the field with little more than three laps to go.The 17-year-old Kejelcha could then afford to serenely ease to a processional win in a time of 7:56.20 – the second-fastest time by a youth athlete this year – albeit nearly a full 20 seconds behind the staggering time of 7:36.28 he posted at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Ostrava in June, which sits second on the senior 3000m world lists this year.His triumph brings to an end an impressive 13-month period in which the gifted Ethiopian has snared all three major age group global titles, a sequence kick-started by his 3000m gold medal at the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships in Ukraine. In a furious battle for silver, Theirry Ndikumwenayo of Burundi pipped Koech by 0.28 in 8:05.05, but there is little doubt that Kejelcha is a special talent and his future development will be monitored with great anticipation.During the morning session, another African talent popped his head above the parapet to reveal a special running talent and then proceeded to entertain the crowd with his personal display of karate moves in the boys’ 1500m final.Glibert Soet laid waste to the opposition with a scintillating last-lap performance to stop the clock in a world-youth-leading time of 3:41.99. The 16-year-old Kenyan left the crowd with something else to remember him by, a hitherto unknown talent for mirroring martial arts moves.Lyles leaves family screamingThe pre-race favourites struck gold in the 200m A finals with US sprinter Noah Lyles securing a comfortable victory in the boys’ race and Natalliah Whyte ensuring Jamaican gold in the girls’ equivalent.On a cooler night in Nanjing, Lyles could not quite match his personal best of 20.71 from the heats but, running from lane seven, he proved too good for the rest, crossing the line for gold in 20.80.Chad Walker of Jamaica crossed the line second but was later disqualified for running out of his lane and Botswana’s Baboloki Thebe was awarded silver in 21.20.Lyles said of the USA’s first athletics gold medal in Nanjing: “Coming in with a big target on your back, there’s always pressure. But you can’t worry about it. You've just got to run your own race and do the best you can. My father, who coaches me, would be at home screaming with brothers going crazy in the house telling everybody just what I did.”White, who had placed seventh in the 200m final at last month’s World Junior Championships, said she was “overwhelmed” to take gold in 23.55, 0.39 clear of Ukraine’s Dzhois Koba.Koba’s silver in the morning session preceded a memorable evening for Ukraine who took two shock gold medals in the evening stanza. Hlib Piskunov produced the performance of his young life to defeat world youth leader and red-hot pre-event favourite Bence Halasz of Hungary in a dramatic boys’ hammer final.Halasz, who hurled the hammer a monster 87.17m for a world youth best in May and was the owner of the 14 longest youth throws in the world this year leading into the final, could only summon a best of 81.90m as Piskunov advanced his personal best by more than two-and-half metres to take gold with 82.65m.His compatriot Yuliya Levchenko vowed “to party” after earning a stunning success in the girls’ high jump by bettering her pre-final best of1.83m on three occasions to edge France’s Nawal Meniker, with her second-time clearance at 1.89m securing the gold medal.“A personal best in the final was more than I dreamed of. I have so many emotions, I can’t understand it,” was Levchenko’s response to a dramatic and unexpected gold medal. &nbsp;&nbsp;Just a month after securing the world junior shot put title, Pole Konrad Bukowiecki proved unassailable in the under-18 age group as he hurled his implement out to a world-youth-leading mark of 23.17m to ease to gold. As a further measure of the magnitude of his performance, it was the fifth best performance by a youth in history and added to his 2013 world youth title.Double Japanese goldJapan also enjoyed a memorable night inside the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium with a welcome double dose of endurance success. Nozomi Takamatsu proved far too strong for the rest while setting a personal best of 9:01.58 to triumph in the girls’ 3000m from Germany’s Alina Reh, who took the silver in 9:05.07.Earlier in the session, Minoru Onogawa celebrated Japanese gold after circling 25 laps of the track in a lifetime best of 42:03:54 to take gold in the boys’ 10,000m race walk, more than seven seconds clear of Russia’s Vladislav Saraikin.It could not have been any tighter in the final of the girls’ hammer as home thrower Xu Xinying pulled out a final effort of 68.35m to exactly match the best performance of Australia’s Alex Hulley.However, much to the delight of the home fans, the Chinese athlete was awarded the gold by virtue of a superior second-best effort.As predicted, world youth leader and world youth silver medallist Alena Bugakova was far too good for the rest of the field in the girl’s shot, winning with 18.95m. Her fellow Russian Anatoly Ryapolov, the world youth long jump champion, defied wet conditions in the morning session to secure the boys’ long jump crown with 7.54m.Steve Landells for the IAAF

Yomif Kejelcha offered another exciting glimpse of his star quality by cruising to victory in the boys’ 3000m final on the penultimate day of athletics action at the Youth Olympic Games in the Nanjing Olympic Sport Centre Stadium on Sunday (24).

Kejelcha completes golden hat trick with 3000m win at Youth Olympic Games

- Read on for English and French language versions of this story - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisYouth Olympic Games Athlete Role Model and 2005 world high jump champion Kajsa Bergqvist was a popular member of the audience at the Kids' Athletics competition held at Wanda Plaza in Nanjing on Saturday (23).Bergqvist, the world indoor record-holder with 2.08m which she jumped in 2006, was an enthusiastic supporter, running with the young athletes, having her photograph taken with them and signing their certificates.To complete a memorable afternoon for the all those on hand, having just arrived in Nanjing a few hours before, she gave a brief speech outlining her role as an Athlete Role Model and commenting about how happy she was to be in Nanjing.Bergqvist said she was looking forward to sharing her experiences and knowledge with the Youth Olympic Games competitors over the next few days.IAAF<hr /><h3>Bergqvist réjouit les enfants à l’occasion de l’épreuve Kids’ Athletics de Nanjing </h3>Kajsa Bergqvist, Athlète modèle des Jeux olympiques de la Jeunesse et championne du monde 2005 du saut en hauteur, a été une spectatrice populaire à l’occasion de la compétition Kids’ Athletics qui s’est tenue sur la Wanda Plaza de Nanjing ce samedi (23).Bergqvist, détentrice du record du monde en salle avec une hauteur de 2,08m franchie en 2006, a montré un enthousiasme débridé pour la manifestation, courant aux côtés des jeunes athlètes, posant pour de multiples photos en leur compagnie et signant leur certificats de participation. Pour parfaire ce qui aura été une après-midi inoubliable pour tous, elle a aussi prononcé, quelques heures tout juste après son arrivée à&nbsp;Nanjing, un court discours dans lequel elle a présenté son rôle d’Athlète modèle, soulignant à quel point elle était ravie d’être là. Bergqvist a ajouté qu’elle se réjouissait de partager son expérience et ses connaissances avec les compétiteurs des Jeux olympiques de la Jeunesse au cours des quelques jours à venir. IAAF

Youth Olympic Games Athlete Role Model and 2005 world high jump champion Kajsa Bergqvist was a popular member of the audience at the Kids' Athletics competition held at Wanda Plaza in Nanjing on Saturday (23).

Bergqvist makes their day at Kids' Athletics event in Nanjing

On a terrific first day of athletics finals inside an electric Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, the accomplishments of Jamaican hurdling hero Jaheel Hyde even eclipsed the host nation’s multiple gold medal winning display at the second Youth Olympic Games on Saturday (23).Just one month after blitzing to the world junior 400m hurdles title, Hyde secured the 110m hurdles crown and did so by obliterating the world youth best by the stunning margin of 0.16 to stop the clock in 12.96.Hyde had come within 0.01 of Wilhem Belocian’s now former world youth best of 13.12 when taking the 2013 world youth title and is clearly riding on the crest of a wave.&nbsp; In Nanjing, he made a swift start and was quickly rhythmically popping over the barriers before flashing past the line in 12.96.“I am not surprised (by the time),” said Hyde. “My times in training suggested I would run this fast. I was a bit nervous beforehand. That is just racing. I knew I had to follow my coach’s instructions, keep a cool head and win that gold medal.“To come here and win means the world to me because it now means I’ve won all the major gold medals in my age group; world youth, world junior and now Youth Olympics. What more can I ask for?”Hyde insists also training for 400m hurdles has aided his endurance and this, in turn, has helped his sprint hurdling. And the versatile teenage hurdler has no plans to give up either event in a hurry. When asked which event he planned to focus on in future, he answered simply: “both!”Elsewhere, it was a night of unashamed patriotism for the home fans who secured no fewer than four gold medals during an unprecedented evening of Chinese success. Ma Zhenxia set the ball rolling by crushing the opposition by nearly a full minute to win the women’s 5000m race walk in a 2014 world-youth-leading mark of 22:22.08.The host nation also secured the discus double with Sun Kangping taking the girls’ title with a personal best of 52.79m. Cheng Yulong produced a perfectly timed counter-punch to climb to the top rung of the dais in the boys’ competition.Yulong had led the competition from his opening throw, only for Germany’s Clemens Prufer to dislodge Cheng from top spot in the final round with 63.52m. However, the local athlete refused to panic and with his very next throw hurled the 1.5kg implement out to a personal best of 64.14m for the gold medal.There was a whiff of controversy attached to Liang Xiaojing’s success in the women’s 100m. The overwhelming favourite and fastest qualifier for the final, Ewa Swoboda, slowly fell forward out of her blocks moments before the start. In the Pole’s defence, there appeared to be a lot of noise in the stadium and perhaps on another day the starter might have deemed it faulty. Nonetheless, Swoboda was not given the benefit of any doubt and was disqualified, leaving the way clear for Liang to strike gold in 11.65, 0.06 ahead of Paraskevi Andreou of Cyprus, but a hefty 0.35 shy of the time Swoboda clocked in her heat.Siame the teenage speed kingIn the boys’ equivalent, Zambia’s Sydney Siame made the most of his opportunity to snatch a dramatic victory by just 0.01 in 10.56.Benefiting from the non-appearance in the final of Jamaica’s world number two Raheem Chambers, who had pulled up sharply with a hamstring problem in the heats, Siame ran down slick-starting Australian Trae Williams and held off a furious late change for the line from Japan’s Kenta Oshima to take the victory.“I was 100 per cent confident I would win it,” said the 16-year-old Siame. “It is a great achievement for me. We are working hard in Zambia. My long-term goal is to be at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics.”During the morning session, Hyde’s good friend and Jamaican team-mate Martin Manley struck gold in the boys’ 400m to end a frustrating season on a high.Manley, 17, the world youth champion, had struggled to find his best form this year and was disappointed to exit the World Junior Championships at the semi-final stage last month.However, the St Jago school student – the alma mater of world champions Yohan Blake, Bert Cameron and Melaine Walker – scorched around the track to take the gold medal in 46.31.“It means so much (to win),” said Manley. “It takes a heavy burden off me.”In the women's event, Australia’s Jessica Thornton took the gold in 52.50, the second-fastest girls’ 400m time this year, which represents a near second-and-a-half improvement for her during these Games.With a nod to the future, the gifted Thornton – who was still in nappies when her countrywoman Cathy Freeman unforgettably struck 400m gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney – is eligible to compete at next year’s IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia.Martha Bissah of Ghana stole a march on her main opposition around the final bend to take gold in the girls’ 800m in 2:04.90. Meanwhile, in the very first of 13 medal events on Saturday, France’s Laura Valette equalled her personal best of 13.34 – set in the heat – to pip Elvira Herman of Belarus to the 100m hurdles title with a well-timed lunge for the line.Russia’s Danil Lysenko, sixth at the World Juniors last month, cleared 2.20m to win the boys’ high jump; Angelica Moser struck gold with a personal best of 4.35m in the girls’ pole vault and Yelizaveta Babiy of Ukraine took the girls’ long jump title with 6.26m.&nbsp; Steve Landells for the IAAF

On a terrific first day of athletics finals inside an electric Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, the accomplishments of Jamaican hurdling hero Jaheel Hyde even eclipsed the host nation’s multiple gold medal winning display at the second Youth Olympic Games on Saturday (23).

Hyde sets 110m hurdles world youth best at Youth Olympic games

The USA had endured a low-key first couple of days in the stunning Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium at the Youth Olympic Games but roared back with a much improved display on Friday (22).Leading their resurgence on the final day of athletics qualification action in the Chinese city was sprinter Noah Lyles who trimmed 0.11 from his lifetime best to record a high quality 20.71, and into a light headwind, to top the qualifiers in the boys’ 200m.“Yesterday we (the USA) were a little sad but we proved tonight we are not going down, but up, and there is nothing going to stop us,” added Lyles, who is coached by his father, Kevin.Lyles senior was better known as a 400m runner, with a bets of 45.01, and is still just slightly faster than his offspring with a windy 20.63 to his name, but his status of being top dog in the family doesn’t seem destined to last much longer.“I want to hit 20.5 here - that has been the aim since the trials and in the finals I’m going for the gold and trying to win,” said Noah.The US mood was further lifted in the boys’ 800m as world number two Myles Marshall, another athlete coached by his father with a pedigree in the sport, smoothly advanced into the A final as the fastest qualifier in 1:50.22. He will, however, not have matters all his own way in Monday’s mouth-watering medal showdown as he will be up against world leader Bacha Morka, of&nbsp; Ethiopia, who was a comfortable winner of heat two in 1:51.18.YOG 'poster boy' Zhihang Xu doesn't disappoint To talk of Zhihang Xu as playing the same ‘poster boy’ role for these Youth Olympic Games that his countryman Liu Xiang so memorably served at the 2008 Beijing Olympics is a stretch matters a little bit but the comparison still generally stands the test of examination.The pair are, after all, both Chinese trailblazers on the track and while not competing in identical events the duo are bound together as hurdlers. The 17-year-old Xu looked every inch a champion in the making as he came within 0.05 of his world leading mark of 50.74 to comfortable top the qualifiers in the boys’’ 400m hurdles.His main danger would appear to be Brazil’s Mikael Antonio De Jesus, who set a personal best of 51.12 to finish behind the Chinese athlete in heat one.However, Zu seemed to have plenty in reserve and can send the home fans into ecstasy with a similarly accomplished performance in Monday’s race for the medals.Surinam’s Miguel Van Assen impressed in boys’ triple jump qualification, bounding out to 16.29m –just 0.04 off his national record. The charismatic South American currently sits at number two on this year’s world youth lists and feels he has a point to prove after a heel injury hampered his chances at last month’s IAAF World Junior Championships, where he finished 11th.“I came very close to my PB today and feel I have to do a PB in the final because the competition is strong,” said Van Assen, who led qualification by 64cm. “I was disappointed with what happened in Eugene now I am in the final I have to be focused, stay strong and do something for my country.”Nice throwing from NovacIn an impressive boys’ javelin qualification, the top six athletes all set personal bests, with the top two – Romanian Alexandru Novac (77.61m) and Turk Emin Oncel (77.55m) – advancing up to third and fourth, respectively, in the 2014 world youth rankings.Sadly, the world number two, China’s Jiabo Xiang misfired and, with his throwing arm heavily strapped, he could only muster a best of 68.48m - more than 10 metres shy of his lifetime best.&nbsp; He placed 11th overall and will take his place in the B final.&nbsp; Back on the track and Gezelle Magerman produced one of the most eye-catching displays of the night to qualify quickest for the girls’ 400m hurdles final in 58.57, slashing more than 1.5 seconds from her lifetime best mark. The South African ran aggressively from gun to tape to finish 0.11 ahead of German’s Eileen Demes, who also posted a personal best.Elsewhere on the track, Jamaica’s Natalliah Whyte advanced to the A final of the girls’ &nbsp;200m as the fastest qualifier with 23.79. Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Alemu was the quickest in the girls’ 1500m heats, coming home in a personal best of 4:21.87.World youth leader Eda Tugsuz, of Turkey, looked badly out of sorts in girls’ &nbsp;javelin qualification. Carrying heavy strapping on her arm, her modest best of 47.75m was only good enough for 10th place, and a place in the B final. Hanna Tarasiuk of Belarus led the qualifiers with 55.48m. The athletics programme in Nanjing now steps up a notch with the morning and evening sessions comprising finals only. Some 13 sets of medals will be decided on Saturday.Steve Landells for the IAAF

The USA had endured a low-key first couple of days in the stunning Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium at the Youth Olympic Games but roared back with a much improved display on Friday (22).

Lyles and Myles lead US resurgence at Youth Olympic Games

‘Coming events cast their shadow before them’ is a well-known Chinese proverb and its meaning proved perfectly apt as a busy second athletics session provided some key pointers for the finals which lie ahead at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing on Thursday (21). &nbsp;On a warm evening which exclusively featured qualification action, talented teenage athletes served up a pair of world leads in the 2000m steeplechase, a series of impressive throws in the field and a moment of high drama in the boys 100m.Jamaica’s Raheem Chambers – the world number two youth this year – had arrived in China as an overwhelming favourite for the blue riband event and for 85 metres of his 100m heat he looked every inch a champion in the making.The 16-year-old had opened up five-metre gap on the field when, dramatically, his leg appeared to tighten, his stride shortened and he limped across the line in serious discomfort. Chambers had claimed the heat win in 10.68 and has earned safe passage into the final. However, he immediately fell to the floor clutching his hamstring and was later removed from the track by a stretcher, which must cast doubt on his availability to compete in Saturday’s medal showdown.The quickest qualifier was Australia’s Trae Williams, who slashed a massive 0.24 from his lifetime best to take heat four victory in 10.51.A stunned Williams said: “I wasn’t expecting it, but I was hoping it would come along. I knew If I got my start right and executed my race well I would be able to get through (to the A final). Hopefully, I will now win the final.”In the distaff version, pre-event favourite Ewa Swoboda - who on the start line made her trademark hand gesture in the shape of a heart– hacked 0.12 from her lifetime best blasting to a heat win in 11.30 to catapult up to number two on the 2014 world youth lists.Unleashing a scream of joy and bursting into a jig of delight after the race, the Pole, who finished fifth in the 100m final at last month’s IAAF World Junior Championships, said: “Oh my gosh, I’m really happy. This is a dream. I’m very surprised by the time. It is so cool.”Her margin ahead of the second fastest qualifier - Xiaojing Liang - of China was a huge 0.34.No barriers for Chepngetich in her progress to the final Last year’s IAAF World Youth Championships gold medallist, and 2014 World Junior Championships 3000m steeplechase silver medallist, Rosefline Chepngetich underlined her status as favourite in the girls’ 2000m steeplechase with an emphatic display. The 17-year-old Kenyan set a world leading mark of 6:20.11 to qualify some 17 seconds of her nearest rival. In the boys’ equivalent, Ethiopia’s Wegene Sebsibe clipped more than a second-and-a-half from his previous world leading mark to lead the qualifiers by more than five seconds with an impressive personal best of 5:34.24.In the field, the throwers produced a series of powerhouse performances led by world youth record holder Bence Halasz in the boys’ hammer. The Hungarian teenager comfortable led the qualifiers courtesy of a huge second effort of 83.68m and could even afford to pass his final two throws.&nbsp;“Yes, I am very satisfied with my result,” said Halasz, a training partner of Olympic and European champion Krizstian Pars. “The competition was late in the evening but I threw well. I enjoyed it very much. My future aim is to make the big Olympics.”In both shot put competitions, the world leaders comfortably led the qualifiers. In the boys event giant Pole Konrad Bukowiecki hurled the metal ball out to 22.34m while Russia’s world youth leader Alena Bugakova lived up to her big reputation with a best of18.86m. Meanwhile, in the girl’s hammer, Australia’s Alex Hulley led the qualifiers with a new personal best of 70.87m; significantly ahead of Hungary’s world youth leader Zsofia Bacskay, who qualified third best with 69.35m.Anatoliy Ryapolov, the 2013 world youth champion, will be the man to beat in the A final of the men’s long jump competition after the Russian easily topping qualification with an impressive first round leap of 7.65m. It was the second longest leap by an under-18 athlete in the world this year and as he is also the owner of the top mark.Czech high jumper Michaela Hruba will be hopeful of going one better in Nanjing than she did at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Eugene last month as she was one of three joint top qualifiers with a perfect record up to and including 1.78m. Finally, Gilbert Soet - who appeared to wave to a group of fellow Kenyan’s he spotted with a lap remaining in his heat of the boys 1500m - confidently headed the qualifiers in a personal best of 3:45.21.Steve Landells for the IAAF

‘Coming events cast their shadow before them’ is a well-known Chinese proverb and its meaning proved perfectly apt as a busy second athletics session provided some key pointers for the finals which lie ahead at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing on Thursday (21).  

 Chepngetich, Halasz, Sebsibe and Swoboda continue their Youth Olympic Games gold medal quest

Inside the majestic Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium it was the sprint hurdlers who took centre stage on Wednesday (20), the opening day of the athletics programme at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.On a muggy night – but with thankfully relatively forgiving temperatures – the star of the first of three evenings of straight qualifications was versatile Jamaican hurdle star Jaheel Hyde.Only last month Hyde had blitzed to the world junior 400m hurdles crown in Eugene and initially he planned to focus on the longer event here in eastern China. However, he decided instead to switch his attention solely on the boys’ 110m hurdles, an event in which he secured gold at last year’s IAAF World Youth Championships.Here in the first of three heats he stopped the clock in 13.16, the fastest qualifier for the A final and within 0.04 of the world youth best held by Wilhem Belocian – a mark the 17-year-old will have his sights on in the gold medal race.Times, not finishing positions, determine all places in the finals, which guarantee some eyeballs-out racing in qualification.With the world’s top three ranked youth athletes all here in Nanjing, the girls’ 100m hurdles was dripping with quality and so it proved. The swiftest of the qualifiers was France’s Laura Valette, who ran 13.34, some 0.09 quicker than second-quickest, world leader Elvira Herman of Belarus.Yomif Kejelcha has featured as an age-group superstar for the past couple of seasons and the 17-year-old was a hugely impressive winner of the boys’ 3000m qualification race, securing victory in a canter (8:05.85) from Kenya’s Moses Koech.Kejelcha, the winner of the men’s junior 5000m title in Eugene last month, also boasts the second-fastest 3000m time in history for a youth and the tall Ethiopian will take all the beating in the final.In the girls’ equivalent, all the main protagonists advanced to the A final by finishing in the top half of the 20-strong field. Leading the pack in 9:06.87 was Bahrain’s Fatuma Chebsi, one of 12 girls to register a PB.The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for home favourite Cheng Yulong, who led the qualifiers in the boys’ discus. The world youth No.4 launched the 1.5kg discus out to 59.88m with his first-round effort and although that was matched by German Clemens Prufer, it was Cheng – by virtue of a superior second-best throw – who was ranked No.1 in qualification.If the Games are about breaking new ground and performing above and beyond expectations, then this point was wonderfully illustrated by Jess Thornton in the girls’ 400m qualification.The 16-year-old’s previous best of 53.90 was set in December last year, but in a sensational performance in heat one she registered an outstanding PB of 52.78 to head the qualifiers by a huge margin of 1.17.In the boys’ equivalent, Jamaica’s 2013 world youth 400m champion Martin Manley was coolness personified, topping the qualifiers with ease in a time of 47.14 from Denmark’s Benjamin Lobo Vedel (47.27).Also on the track, Germany’s Mareen Kalis trimmed 0.15 from her lifetime best to advance into the women’s 800m A final as the No.1 athlete. A measure of the German’s superiority was that she was exactly two seconds quicker than the second fastest, Martha Bissah of Ghana.The major surprise of the night came in the girls’ long jump as world youth leader Ekaterina Kropivko missed out on the A final, placing a disappointing 11th out of 15 competitors. The Russian’s best of 5.50m from her four attempts did not come close to making the top 50 percent and she will instead have to settle for a place in the B final. Best of the day was Italy’s Beatrice Fiorese, bettering her legitimate PB by eight centimetres with 6.26m, equalling her best ever wind-assisted distance.In the girls’ pole vault, Angelica Moser of Switzerland led the qualifiers with 3.80m with world youth champion Robeilys Peinado also safely progressing. In the boys’ high jump world youth leader Danil Lysenko was ranked first after a flawless record up to and including 2.10m. Alyona Belyakova of Ukraine comfortable led the A final qualifiers in the women’s discus with a best of 50.89m.Steve Landells for the IAAF

Inside the majestic Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium it was the sprint hurdlers who took centre stage on Wednesday (20), the opening day of the athletics programme at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

Hyde threatens world youth best on first day of Youth Olympic Games

- Read on for English and French language versions of this story - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisAmid euphoric scenes more typically reserved for pop and rock icons, a six-day project to showcase the IAAF Kids’ Athletics programme was launched today at Wanda Plaza in downtown Nanjing, host city of the Youth Olympic Games.The reason for the outpouring of emotion was the presence of Chinese track superstar and 2004 Olympic 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang, who generously offered a lending hand to the grassroots initiative.Also present in central Nanjing to offer their wholehearted support were IAAF President Lamine Diack, IAAF Vice Presidents Sergey Bubka and Seb Coe and IAAF General Secretary Essar Gabriel. Yet for the hundreds of locals it was all about getting a glimpse – and, if they were lucky, a close camera shot – of Liu, who also landed the 2007 world 110m hurdles title as well as the world indoor 60m hurdles crown in 2008.The Chinese hurdler, one of the IAAF’s three Youth Olympic Games Athlete Role Models, first addressed the crowd by microphone and then led the kids’ warm-up by jogging – Pied Piper style – twice around the 40x20m blue carpeted area specifically set aside for activities in the programme. He was then followed by a mob of chasing photographers and cameramen.He then signed the official certificates awarded to all the 40 or so attending kids – a memory to treasure for the schoolchildren aged seven to eight. The project, which is expected to see about 250 children participate over the next six days and will also be supported by world champions Kajsa Bergqvist and Dwight Phillips, was launched to coincide with the athletics programme, which also kicked off today at the nearby Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.The kids compete for their schools in up to four different events – sprint/hurdles relay, long jump with a pole, cross hop and rubber javelin throw – at the specially constructed zone.The kids will all be given IAAF t-shirts as keepsakes from the event. The officials, aged about 12, were provided by local schools. The Kids’ Athletics Final will take place on 26 August in which the athletes will compete in the four aforementioned events plus speed ladder and kneeling throw.Created in 2005, IAAF Kids’ Athletics is one of the biggest grassroots development programmes in the world of sports and by 2011 reached a cumulative audience of 1,500,000 children across 100 territories.In 2012 Nestlé became the programme’s main sponsor, its commitment allowing the IAAF to organise additional courses for lecturers and coaches and eventually to reach a larger number of kids in existing or new markets.The IAAF’s objectives of the programme are to make athletics the number one participation sport in schools, to educate kids into sport in general and athletics in particular and thus promote a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and to attract and sustain the potential sporting stars of tomorrow.IAAF Kids’ Athletics strives to ensure a steady and sustainable policy of development of the sport of athletics; the aim of which is to introduce children to athletics at a basic level.The IAAF aims to popularise athletics in the six areas through a programme of several competitions called “A Team Event for Children”, which comprises three event groups: sprinting/running, jumping and throwing. There are three age categories targeted by the programme: 7-8 years, 9-10 years and 11-12 years.The IAAF has also initiated a programme to educate the lecturers and coaches who run the “IAAF Kids Athletics” programme.Steve Landells for the IAAF<hr /><h3>Liu ouvre la voie à l’occasion de l’épreuve Kids’ Athletics de Nanjing </h3>Dans une atmosphère électrique, plus réminiscente de celles généralement associées aux apparitions publiques de stars de la pop ou du rock, un projet sur six journées a été lancé aujourd’hui pour promouvoir le Programme Kids’ Athletics de l’IAAF à Wanda Plaza, au centre de Nanjing, la ville hôte des Jeux olympiques de la Jeunesse. Cette quasi-hystérie s’expliquait en fait par la présence de la vedette chinoise de l’athlétisme, Liu Xiang, champion olympique du 110m haies en 2004, qui s’était généreusement proposé pour prêter main forte à cette initiative destinée aux jeunes découvrant le sport. La manifestation bénéficiait également de la présence et des encouragements soutenus du président de l’IAAF, Lamine Diack, des vice-présidents de l’IAAF, Sergey Bubka et Seb Coe, et du secrétaire général de l’IAAF, Essar Gabriel. Pour autant, pour les centaines de spectateurs et participants locaux, ce qui importait par-dessus tout était de pouvoir approcher Liu d’au plus près – et, pour les plus chanceux, de réussir à prendre en photo celui qui a, en sus de son titre olympique, également décroché les titres mondiaux du 110m haies en 2007 et du 60m haies en salle en 2008. Le spécialiste des haies chinois, un des trois Athlètes modèles de ces Jeux olympiques de la Jeunesse, après s’être adressé à l’audience au microphone, a emmené la cohorte de jeunes sportifs dans son sillage pour un échauffement sur deux tours de l’aire de moquette bleue de 40x20m, spécialement installée pour les activités du programme. Il a ensuite posé pour la meute de photographes et de caméramen qui l’entouraient, puis, ses devoirs envers la presse remplis, a signé les certificats officiels remis aux quelque 40 enfants participants, âgés de sept et huit ans, un souvenir qu’ils pourront chérir pendant de longues années. Le projet, qui prévoit la participation de près de 250 enfants au cours des six prochaines journées, et bénéficiera également du soutien des champions du monde Kajsa Bergqvist et Dwight Phillips, a été lancé pour coïncider avec le programme d’athlétisme, qui a aussi commencé aujourd’hui dans le stade du Centre des Sports olympiques de Nanjing tout proche. Les enfants représentent leurs écoles respectives dans un maximum de quatre épreuves – un relais sprint/haies, le saut en longueur avec perche, le saut à cloche-pied et le lancer d’un javelot en caoutchouc – organisées dans la zone réservée à cet effet. Tous les participants recevront des tee-shirts commémoratifs de l’IAAF. Les officiels, également élèves dans les écoles de la région, sont âgés de douze ans. La Finale de Kids’ Athletics prendra place le 26 août, lorsque les athlètes s’affronteront dans les quatre épreuves susmentionnées, ainsi que dans celles de l’échelle de vitesse et du lancer à genoux. Créé en 2005, Kids’ Athletics de l’IAAF est un des programmes de développement du sport pour les jeunes débutants les plus importants du monde sportif&nbsp;; en 2011 il avait atteint une audience cumulée d’un million et demi d’enfants au travers de cent territoires. En 2012, Nestlé est devenu le sponsor principal du programme, avec un engagement qui a permis à l’IAAF d’organiser des stages supplémentaires pour les conférenciers et entraîneurs, atteignant ainsi un nombre plus important encore d’enfants dans des marchés existants ou nouveaux. Les objectifs de l’IAAF au travers de ce programme sont de faire de l’athlétisme le sport participatif numéro un à l’école, d’éduquer et d’amener les enfants au sport de manière générale, et à l’athlétisme en particulier, de promouvoir un mode de vie équilibré et sain, et d’attirer et soutenir les stars sportives potentielles de demain. Kids’ Athletics de l’IAAF vise à entretenir une politique de développement régulière et durable de l’athlétisme et d’introduire les enfants à ce sport au travers d’exercices basiques. L’IAAF veut rendre l’athlétisme populaire dans ses six Régions continentales par le biais d’un programme de plusieurs compétitions appelé “Une Epreuve par équipes pour les Enfants”, qui englobe trois groupes d’épreuves: sprints/courses, sauts et lancers. Le programme regroupe trois catégories d’âge: 7-8 ans; 9-10 ans; 11-12 ans.L’IAAF a aussi initié un programme pour éduquer les conférenciers et entraîneurs qui gèrent le programme Kids’ Athletics de l’IAAF.Steve Landells, pour l’IAAF

Amid euphoric scenes more typically reserved for pop and rock icons, a six-day project to showcase the IAAF Kids’ Athletics programme was launched today at Wanda Plaza in downtown Nanjing, host city of the Youth Olympic Games.

Liu leads the way at IAAF Kids’ Athletics event in Nanjing

The athletics programme of the 2nd Youth Olympic Games begins today (20) in Nanjing.The IAAF website will provide <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/youth-olympic-games/2nd-youth-olympic-games-4950/timetable/byday" target="_blank">results</a>, <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/youth-olympic-games/news" target="_blank">daily reports</a> and <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/youth-olympic-games/multimedia" target="_blank">pictures</a> from Nanjing as the world's best youth athletes compete for their first taste of Olympic success. IAAF

The athletics programme of the 2nd Youth Olympic Games begins today (20) in Nanjing. The IAAF website will provide results, daily reports and pictures.

Results, reports and pictures – Youth Olympic Games

To illustrate the relevancy and strength of the fledgling Youth Olympic Games, all we need to do is check out the athletics roll of honour from the inaugural edition in Singapore four years ago.Among the winners inside the Bishan Stadium were Ethiopian 800m runner Mohammed Aman, 400m sprinter Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic and Russian high jumper Mariya Kuchina, all of whom have&nbsp; subsequently gone on to land senior world and Olympic medals in their respective events.And there is little reason to assume the gifted crop of teenage athletes aged 16-17 (athletes eligible have to be born between Jan 1 1997 and Dec 31 1998) competing in the Chinese city of Nanjing for the second Youth Olympic Games will be lacking any less quality than the class of 2010.The multi-sport competition – which mirrors the full Olympic programme with 28 sports – opened on 16 August and the seven-day athletics programme will launch into action on Wednesday (20 August) as a total of 680 athletes fight for 37 sets of medals.All races up to and including the 3000m flat are on the timetable with boys and girls racing over 2000m steeplechase. All eight traditional field events will be contested and race walks (5000m girls and 10,000m boys) will also be part of the programme, but there are no combined events.The competition format is run in a similar vein to the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in that the first three days of the schedule are evening sessions comprising heats and qualifications only. Days four to six of the athletics programme boast both morning and evening sessions which are devoted purely to finals. The two race walks are the only events run as straight finals. The only medal event on the seventh and final day will be the innovative mixed 8x100m relay held at a specially constructed street venue on Yanshan Road. Each team comprises four boys and four girls with three athletes from the sprint events, two from middle distance or race walking, one jumper, one thrower plus one athlete from any other event forming the eight-strong team.Qualification has been determined by a series of competitions in the five traditional athletics areas (Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania). Each area is guaranteed one athlete per event. However, each event is weighted to reflect the strength of that area in that particular discipline. Therefore, the endurance races, for example, will have a strong representation from Africa.The quality of the competition at the second edition of the Youth Olympic Games is reflected by the fact that three athletes fresh from winning gold medals at last month’s IAAF World Junior Championships in Eugene are descending on Nanjing, chasing a second global title of the summer.Leading the way is the precocious Jamaican hurdler Jaheel Hyde, winner of the 400m hurdles title in Oregon. The versatile 17-year-old, who also secured the 2013 world youth title in the 110m hurdles to become the first man in history to land global titles in two different hurdles events across two age groups in successive years, is clearly an athlete used to making history.Now the gifted Caribbean athlete has set his sights set on re-writing history again by winning not only the Youth Olympic crown but also lowering the 12-year-old world youth best for the 400m hurdles of 48.89, set by LJ van Zyl. That performance was set over the senior-height barriers, but if Hyde were to eclipse it then it would establish a world youth best for the youth-height barriers (84cm), bettering the 49.01 set by USA’s William Wynne.Another world junior gold medallist entered in Nanjing is Ethiopian teenage sensation Yomif Kejelcha. The 17-year-old, who cruised to 5000m gold at Hayward Field, will now set his focus on the 3000m title in Nanjing, a distance in which he recorded the second-fastest time ever by an under-18 athlete with 7:36.28 in Ostrava in June.A third recently-minted world junior champion Konrad Bukowiecki will be chasing more gold at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium. The giant Polish shot putter devoured the opposition in Oregon with an effort of 22.06m to slot into third on the all-time junior rankings with the 6kg metal ball. Reverting back to the 5kg implement, it will be interesting to see if the 17-year-old can improve upon his best ever mark of23.13m and challenge the world youth best of 24.45m set by New Zealander Jacko Gill.Besides Hyde and Kejelcha, a number of other gold medallists from the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships in Donetsk will also compete in Nanjing and one or two have a point to prove.Jamaican sprinter Martin Manley, the 2013 world youth 400m champion, boats a season’s best of 46.24 to sit second on the 2014 youth world lists. However, he disappointed at the recent World Juniors, failing to advance from the semi-finals and he will be looking to make amends in China.Another athlete seeking redemption in Nanjing will be Venezuela’s world youth pole vault champion Robeilys Peinado. The 16-year-old no-heighted in qualification at the World Juniors in Eugene but she will be hoping to bounce back to win the Youth Olympic crown as the most high-profile entrant in her event.Kenyan steeplechaser Rosefline Chepngetich has carved out a big reputation as an outstanding age-group performer, winning world youth gold over the 2000m distance and world junior silver last month in Eugene over the 3000m distance. Reverting back to the shorter 2000m distance, she will take all the beating in Nanjing.The men’s long jump also boasts an outstanding entrant in world youth champion Anatoliy Ryapolov of Russia, who heads the 2014 youth world lists with a best of 7.79m. In total, 17 world youth leaders will appear in the 36 individual events (Hyde is No.1 in the boys’ 110m hurdles but has stated he is competing in the 400m hurdles).Among some of those world youth leaders expected to make an impact will be the Hungarian hammer duo Bence Halasz and Zsofia Bacskay. Halasz posted a stunning boys’ world youth best of 87.16m in Baku in May. Meanwhile Bacskay scuttled up to third on the all-time girls’ hammer lists with a prodigious 73.97m effort with the 3kg implement in March.Watch out also for Alena Bugakova in the girls shot. The Russian landed the 2013 world youth silver medal and is the owner of the six longest throws in the world this year in the under-18 division.Other world youth leaders entered include Bacha Morka of Ethiopia (800m), Elvira Herman of Belarus (100m hurdles) and Turkey’s Eda Tugsuz in the women’s javelin.Steve Landells for the IAAF

To illustrate the relevancy and strength of the fledgling Youth Olympic Games, all we need to do is check out the athletics roll of honour from the inaugural edition in Singapore four years ago.

World’s top teenage talent set to shine at Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing

Green and gold will certainly be on display in the Chinese city of Nanjing at the second edition of the Youth Olympics Games, with the athletics programme held between 20-26 August.Australia will be represented in the track and field events by an impressive 20 team members. Among those hoping to compliment the gold on their uniforms with a gold-medal performance are two natives of New South Wales, hammer thrower Alexandra Hulley and hurdler Nicholas Andrews.Last year, Hulley won the hammer at the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival with a record throw of 62.04m. The effort secured her a spot on the team for the 2013 IAAF World Youth Championships where she placed ninth.The 17-year-old’s progression in the hammer has been truly impressive. Her relationship with the discipline began in year seven, when a teacher at her school athletics carnival suggested she’d be good at it.After just three months of serious training, she was already winning medals.“'I didn’t really know what hammer throw was before I got asked to do it,” said Hulley.“So when I became good really quickly, I didn't know, I just thought that's what everyone does. Now, when it's on a world scale, I see how I've improved.”That improvement has continued at a dizzying pace in 2014. Hulley pushed her official personal best with the 3kg hammer to 68.75m in March, a throw that ranks behind only Hungary's Zsofia Bacskay on this year's world youth list.The best may be yet to come in Nanjing. On 2 August, Hulley tweeted: “Massive PB 70.26m!” She followed that up the next day with: “Having the best lead up I could have into the Youth Olympic Games!”The hammer thrower professes a preference for larger meetings, where she isn't automatically saddled with the pressure of being the favourite. That dovetails nicely with the Youth Olympic Games, an experience Hulley is obviously eagerly anticipating.“It is exciting to be in a team environment and live together, but it is also important to focus on performing well and not get too caught up in the excitement and atmosphere,” said Hulley. “The big differences will be: the event is overseas, overcoming the cultural differences, the size of the crowd and the number of competitors in my event.”Andrews hoping to follow in footsteps of mentorAndrews figures to be one of the top competitors in his event, the 110m hurdles, thanks to a strong summer leading up to the Youth Olympic Games. The 17-year-old who is targeting a place on the 2020 senior Olympic squad set his personal best at 13.45 in May. He followed up that performance by winning the 2014 Down Under Championships on the Gold Coast of Australia in July.Andrews' time of 13.96 broke a decade-old meet record. The win added to his list of career accomplishments that includes this year's New South Wales regional and Australian junior national championships. The Down Under Championships was a banner event for the hurdlers, as training partner and Youth Olympic Games teammate Rachel Pace clocked a 13.65 in a preliminary run in the 100m hurdles, besting the previous record of 14.09 set by Olympic champion Sally Pearson in 2002.“Coming out of the blocks I felt really good because it was a thousand times better than my start in the heats,” said Andrews.“In the final part of my race I was focused on not backing off, so I pumped my arms harder to keep my pace up.”Andrews knows that pace will have to remain high if is to reach his goals at the Youth Olympic Games.“I was really happy with my time, I am where I need to be in the months before the Youth Olympics,” said Andrews.“My training so far has paid off and I have worked on my main weaknesses, meaning that I can now focus on smaller technical faults in my race.”Andrews will be able to rely on a voice of experience in improving those little things in his race because he has been working with countryman Nicholas Hough, the gold medallist in the event at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore in 2010.Hough brought home one of five medals earned by the Australian athletics team and the only gold. Two years later, Hough came away with a silver medal from the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona.“Having Nick Hough is a great person to look upon; we've been in the exact same steps, so I know exactly what I have to be doing,” said Andrews. “I've just seen what he's done, so I can mirror image and do the exact same thing.”While a repeat performance in the 110m hurdles at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing would be a great result for Australia and Andrews, this year's entry in the Youth Olympic Games is also looking forward to experiences off the track.“This is my first overseas meeting, and what I’m looking forward to most is just seeing hurdlers from around the world who share my passion,” said Andrews. “It will feel good just to know where I sort of am in the world.”Will Seymour for the IAAF

Green and gold will certainly be on display in the Chinese city of Nanjing at the second edition of the Youth Olympics Games, with the athletics programme held between 20-26 August.

Hulley and Andrews lead large Australian squad to Nanjing

After its medal table-topping display at the IAAF World Junior Championships last month, the USA once again has a variety of medal hopes at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, with the athletics events held between 20-26 August.In the individual events, the US hopes are headlined by its entry in the boys’ 800m, Myles Marshall, who holds the second fastest time for a youth in 2014 at 1:48.43, trailing only Ethiopia's Bacha Morka.His appearance at the Youth Olympics Games will be the close of a busy summer for Marshall. He broke the US age-16 record that was actually held by his father, John, a 1984 Olympian, by .01 at the USATF Junior National Championships last month. Marshall then competed in the IAAF World Junior Championships, although he didn’t make it out of his heat.“I never even knew there was actually a record for that (age-16),” said Marshall. “(My dad) has always been telling me that I am two seconds faster than he was at this point.” “(The YOG) should be a good experience, should be fun, (it’s) last meet of the season so (I’m) just hoping to have fun at that meet.”Another US hot medal prospect is sprinter Noah Lyles, who made the semi-finals of last year’s IAAF World Youth Championships as a 16-year-old but who is now a year wiser and faster.His 20.82 in the 200m last month puts him third on the 2014 world youth list. He also ran 20.89 at the US Youth Olympic Games Selection Trials in Florida back in April, a feat that earned him the USATF Athletic of the Week accolade, a rare honour for a high school student, especially one as young as him.On the girls’ side, Brittny Ellis is rounding into good form after she recorded her personal best of 53.49 just last week when winning at the US Junior Olympic meeting in Des Moines on 2 August. He time puts her seventh on the 2014 world girls’ list over one lap of the track and makes up for some erratic performances earlier in the season, she even had a disappointing third-place finish in the Illinois high school championships in May after going to that meeting as the two-time defending champion in the 400m.Another performer with the potential to make the podium is Brandeé Johnson, the US entry in the girls' 200m. Still only 16 and with a 1998 birthday which makes her eligible for next year’s IAAF World Youth Championships, she achieved her personal-best time of 23.64 at the Virginia state high school championships, where she also won the 300m hurdles and finished second in the 100m. "It means a lot to me,” reflected Johnson. “I was really proud of myself, and me knowing that I can accomplish things early in life lets me know that I have a bright future.”As at the inaugural edition of this event, held in Singapore four years ago, the best chances for US athletes to make the podium appear to be on the track but the United States also boasts several very capable field event exponents among its 15-member athletics delegation.Memories to last a lifetimeThe evenly-split US team will send seven field event athletes to Nanjing, including Janae Moffitt in the girls' high jump. Moffitt has a best jump of 1.79m. “I don’t think it has hit me yet that I will be going to a different country next month,” she joked, emphasising the fact that the majority of the athletes going to Nanjing will bring back memories that will last forever rather than medals.Only one athlete per country earns a place in any single event, and any athlete making the team may only compete in one individual event at the Youth Olympic Games but there is a chance for a second outing on the 8x100m mixed relay team.In those relays, athletes from the United States will potentially race with teammates from Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico to form an Americas team competing against their continental counterparts from Africa, Europe, Oceania and Asia. As the final event on the event schedule, the relay is the last chance for the US team to supplement its medal tally but Team USA members were part of both gold medal relay teams four years ago in Singapore.The relays at the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore were run in a mixed medley format rather than the 8x100m that is one the programme in Nanjing and which will test each region's depth as well as its versatility.In 2010, Robin Reynolds returned to the United States as the star of the athletics delegation, earning gold in the girls’ 400m to go along with a relay gold. Team USA enjoyed more individual success in the sprints thanks to Myasia Jacobs' silver in the girls’ 100m and a bronze from Olivia Ekpone in the girls’ 200m, the former also getting a gold medal in the girls' medley relay,&nbsp; while Najee Glass, who finished out of the medals in the boys’ 400m, bounced back and ran a crucial leg in the winning boys’ medley relay team.In Singapore, the US team also appeared on the podium through Devin Bogert, who picked up a silver medal in the boys’ javelin, Hannah Carson's bronze in the girls’ javelin and a bronze from Le'Tristan Pledger in the girls’ long jump. Although the Youth Olympic Games does not have a formal medal table, that tally from four years ago gives the 15 boys and girls from the USA something to aim at in Nanjing.Will Seymour for the IAAF

After its medal table-topping display at the IAAF World Junior Championships last month, the USA once again has a variety of medal hopes at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, with the athletics events held between 20-26 August.

YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES

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