Medina Eisa on her way to the world U20 5000m title in Cali
On your marks… Five days of action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 gets under way on Tuesday (27), when some 1700 athletes from more than 130 teams will compete for age-group honours.
Here are just three of the many things to follow on day one at the Estadio Atletico de la Videna.
The first champion is crowned
Four finals take place on the first day of competition in Lima and the inaugural champion to be crowned will be the winner of the women’s 5000m.
Ethiopia’s Medina Eisa defends the title she won in Cali in 2022, fresh off finishing seventh at the Olympic Games. She starts as the favourite, having clocked 14:16.54 – the fastest time ever by an U20 athlete – in London last year and won at the Marrakech Diamond League in May.
Her compatriot Mekedes Alemeshete should prove her biggest threat, as she ran 14:36.70 to win at the Suzhou Diamond League in April, while other medal contenders include Kenya’s Sheila Jebet and Mercy Chepkemoi.
The men’s 5000m title will also be decided on day one and the entry list is topped by Kenya’s Andrew Kiptoo Alamisi.
WU20 Lima 24 distance events preview
Field focus on the shot put
The first field final of the championships is the men’s shot put, an event that features Dutch U20 record-holder Yannick Rolvink who leads the entry list by more than a metre. He threw 21.81m with the 6kg implement last month and has surpassed 19 metres in eight other competitions this year.
He looks tough to beat if near his top form, but US U20 champion Ben Smith will be on the hunt for another medal for his nation following the title win by his compatriot Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan in Cali two years ago. Others with medal ambitions, should they all progress safely through qualification, include Germany’s Georg Harpf and Finland’s Aatu Kangasniemi.
WU20 Lima 24 throws events preview
Teamwork makes the dream work
In Cali two years ago, USA set a world U20 best of 3:17.69 to win the mixed 4x400m. In Lima, the heats were dominated by Australia, as Jordan Gilbert, Bella Pasquali, Jack Deguara and Sophia Gregorevic combined to clock an Oceanian U20 record of 3:21.10.
On the hunt for another medal will be India, silver medallists in Cali and bronze medallists when the discipline made its World U20 Championships debut in Nairobi in 2021, while Poland will also be contenders.
Getting individual sprint action started earlier in the day, Paris Olympians Alana Reid and Bradley Nkoana will be among those contesting the 100m heats.
Nkoana formed part of South Africa’s silver medal-winning men’s 4x100m team in Paris, while Reid helped Jamaica to finish fifth in the women’s 4x100m.
