Czech hurdler Michal Rada (© Getty Images)
The World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 will take place between 27-31 August, with more than 1700 athletes from 134 teams set to take part.
Here we take a look at the hurdles and steeplechase events at the Estadio Atletico de la Videna.
Women’s 100m hurdles
After winning the world U20 title in Cali two years ago, Kerrica Hill went on to reduce her PB to 12.75 last year, moving to equal third on the world all-time list. The Jamaican, who also won world U20 golds in the 4x100m in 2021 and 2022, has raced sparingly this year, but in her most recent outing she clocked 12.85, the fastest time in the world this year by an U20 athlete.
Only one other sprint hurdler this year has broken 13 seconds: Hill’s teammate Habiba Harris. She clocked a PB of 12.95 back in March, then ran a wind-assisted 12.93 to win the Carifta title in April.
Several other athletes are close to the 13-second barrier and will be hopeful of contesting for medals in Lima. They include Cuba’s Jocelyn Loreta Echazabal, France’s Laura Montauban, Croatia’s Mia Wild and USA’s Ana-Liese Torian.
Men’s 110m hurdles
Ja’Kobe Tharp has already made history this year by breaking the North American U20 record in the senior height 110m hurdles. He will now set his sights on becoming the first US athlete in eight years to win the world U20 110m hurdles title.
The 18-year-old has competed mainly over the senior height hurdles this season, completing a full collegiate season at Auburn University, finishing second at the NCAA Championships after clocking a 13.18 PB in the semifinals, making him the second-fastest U20 athlete in history behind Liu Xiang. In his one competition over the U20 barriers, he set a PB of 13.12 to win the US U20 title.
That puts him just 0.01 ahead of Finland’s Rasmus Vehmaa on this year’s world list. Vehmaa took European U20 silver last year and has improved since then.
Daniel Goriola is among the other medal contenders. He won the senior UK title this year in 13.55 and has a PB of 13.22 over the U20 hurdles. Qatar’s Ourmar Doudai Abakar and China’s Chen Yuanjiang finished first and second at the Asian U20 Championships this year and will be keen to make another major championships podium.
Women’s 400m hurdles
Michelle Smith placed fifth in the 400m hurdles at the last World U20 Championships, then just missed out on the podium by one place at the 2023 Pan American Games. This season the teenager from the US Virgin Islands has improved her own national record to 55.96, making her the fastest entrant in this discipline in Lima, and she’ll have her sights set on becoming the first world U20 champion from her country.
France’s Meta Tumba has reduced her PB to 56.23 this year and could pose a strong threat to Smith. Four other athletes are knocking on the door of 57 seconds this year: Jamaica’s Carifta silver medallist Kelly Ann Carr, Poland’s Wiktoria Gadajska, South Africa’s Tumi Ramokgopa and Finland’s Mila Heikkonen.
The USA, which has a strong tradition in this event, will be represented by Braelyn Baker and Jasmine Robinson.
Men’s 400m hurdles
The entries in this event are headed by South African 17-year-old Njabulo Mbatha, who clocked 49.57 back in April, one of the fastest times ever by an U18 athlete. He has raced sparingly in recent months, though, and his last outing over the distance was a 51.63 clocking.
If he is to follow in the footsteps of compatriots LJ van Zyl and Sokwakhana Zazini – both past winners of the world U20 400m hurdles title – Mbataha will likely need to produce sub-50 form to hold off the likes of Japan’s Kyo Kikuta (49.77 this year) and US duo Vance Nilsson and Jonathan Frazier, who have clocked 49.77 and 49.87 respectively.
Multi-talented Czech teenager Michal Rada reduced his PB to 49.89 to win the European U18 title earlier this year, while Jamaica’s Daniel Wright and Finland’s Antti Sainio are also ones to watch.
Women’s 3000m steeplechase
Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew looks to hold all the aces in this, coming in as by far the fastest athlete based on her season’s best of 9:00.83. That puts her well clear of Uganda’s Loice Chekwemoi and Ethiopia’s Firehiwot Gesese, who have run 9:24.47 and 9:25.53 respectively, though we’ve often seen the form book shredded at this level once the athletes take to the track.
Almayew earned silver in this event two years ago, but went on to set a PB of 9:00.71 last year and then came within 0.12 of that when finishing fifth in the Olympic final in Paris. Chekwemoi ran her PB to win the African title in June and she was sixth in this event two years ago but looks capable of a medal this time. Gesese is the Ethiopian U20 champion and finished a fine sixth at the Xiamen Diamond League in April.
Kenya’s Diana Chepkemoi, Germany’s Adia Budde and US pair Angelina Napoleon and Katie Clute look the others most likely to contend.
Men’s 3000m steeplechase
Kenya unsurprisingly has a strong hand here and they will be expecting both of their men to walk away with medals. Edmund Serem and Matthew Kosgei top the entry lists with their respective bests of 8:20.05 and 8:21.98.
Serem earned silver at the African Championships in June, with Kosgei winning bronze, and they finished fourth and sixth respectively at the Kenyan Olympic Trials in June. Serem once again led the way at the Kenyan U20 Trials in late June, beating Kosgei by two seconds and so he will start as the favourite in Lima.
Japan also has a strong hand with Tetsu Sasaki (8:37.23) and Soma Nagahara (8:37.36) the third and fourth quickest in the field this year, while USA’s Wyatt Haughton and Anes Djayahia are next quickest.
The Ethiopian vest is always worthy of significant respect on this stage and their colours will be carried by Hailu Ayalew and Berihun Moges, who have both run below 8:50 and who finished third and fourth respectively at their National U20 Championships in early July.
Jon Mulkeen and Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics
