As his lead leg hit the last flight in the 110m hurdles final at the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Ladji Doucour&eacute; could have been excused for suffering an unnerving case of d&eacute;j&agrave; vu.
In the Olympic final in Athens the year before, the young French medal hope had got shunted from second to eighth after crashing into the ultimate barrier, leaving Liu Xiang of China, a close rival from their junior days, a clear winner.
Doucour&eacute; had been the fastest all through the preliminaries in the Greek capital, setting French records in the opening round (13.18) and semi-finals (13.06).
For the 22-year-old, it was a different story when it came to the moment that mattered.
The Doucour&eacute; of 2005 was a smoother, steadier high hurdler than the 2004 version. Faster and stronger too.
A winter of all-round graft under the astute guidance of his long-time coach, Renaud Longu&egrave;vre, had paid tangible dividends with a first senior international title, the 2005 European indoor 60m hurdles crown in Madrid, and entry into the elite sub-13-second 110m hurdles club with a national record of 12.97 at the French Championships in Angers.
Liu closed rapidly on his inside on the run-in to the line in Helsinki but Doucour&eacute; held his form sufficiently to hang on for the world title. Only just, mind &ndash; by little more than the thickness of the right-foot spike he has kindly donated to the Museum of World Athletics as a reminder of a momentous achievement for Doucour&eacute; and for French athletics.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a79d82a296410e2d9f70dab.jpeg" alt="Ladji Doucour&eacute;'s spike from the 2005 world final" />
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Ladji Doucour&eacute;'s spike from the 2005 world final
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&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t believe I&rsquo;d won until I saw the replay on the giant screen,&rdquo; Doucour&eacute; confessed.
He had prevailed by a mere 0.01 from the low-leaning Liu, 13.07 to 13.08, with four-time world champion Allen Johnson of the US third in 13.10.
&ldquo;It was a brutal race, a real fight all the way to the line,&rdquo; Doucour&eacute; continued. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t sure that I&rsquo;d crossed the line first.
&ldquo;We are in an event where we could run the race over again and the same person wouldn&rsquo;t win it. I am not necessarily the best 110m hurdler but I was the best today.&rdquo;
An engagingly modest soul, raised by a Malian father and Senegalese mother in the southern Parisian suburb of Viry-Ch&acirc;tillon, Doucour&eacute; was so embarrassed at receiving an appearance fee after false-starting at the Paris Golden League meeting in 2004 he donated it to the children at his track club, Viry &Eacute;vry Nord Sud Essonne.
His victory in Helsinki made him the first French athlete to win a senior global 110m hurdles title since Guy Drut struck Olympic gold in Montreal in 1976. And there was more than an element of Gallic d&eacute;j&agrave; vu in Doucour&eacute; following in his celebrated compatriot&rsquo;s world-beating footsteps.
Drut won the French U20 decathlon title in 1968. Doucour&eacute; won it in 2001, the year he bagged European U20 decathlon gold in Grosseto, scoring 7747. Drut held the French junior record with 7565.
A 5.20m pole vaulter, Drut&rsquo;s all-round sporting ability took him to second place in a European heat of the 1976 Superstars television contest &ndash; behind the five-time Wimbledon tennis champion Bjorn Borg, who got the better of him in the deciding 600m steeplechase.
Historically, Doucour&eacute; went one better than Drut in claiming a second global outdoor gold medal in Helsinki.
The day after his hurdles triumph, on 13 August 2005, he ran the lead-off leg for the French quartet that held off Trinidad and Tobago by 0.02 to win the 4x100m in 38.08 &ndash; partnered by Ronald Pognon, Eddy De L&eacute;pine and Lueyi Dovy.
&ldquo;Before coming to Helsinki, I imagined winning two medals, maybe two bronzes,&rdquo; Doucour&eacute; confessed. &ldquo;To get two golds is a dream.&rdquo;
Doucour&eacute;&rsquo;s dream of becoming a professional footballer ended at the age of 13, when he broke his shin bone playing in the French schools&rsquo; championships. Three years later, in 1999, he had his first piece of track and field history, winning the first final contested at the inaugural World U18 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland: the 110m hurdles in 13.26.
At the 2000 World U20 Championships in Santiago, Chile, he edged Liu Xiang in the battle for bronze, 13.84 to 13.87, and won a silver medal alongside Pognon in the 4x100m.
Not until 2002, though, a year after his European U20 decathlon triumph, did the decision come to concentrate solely on the high hurdles.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a79d871296410e2d9f70dae.jpeg" alt="Ladji Doucour&eacute;, his former coach Renaud Longu&egrave;vre and World Athletics President Sebastian Coe" />
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Ladji Doucour&eacute;, Michael H Burke, and World Athletics President Sebastian Coe
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The guiding light in the switch was Longuevre, a former pole vaulter who initially started coaching the youthful Doucour&eacute; in that event. He subsequently encouraged his charge to explore the extent of his skills as a combined eventer before narrowing the focus to single discipline.
Injuries ultimately caught up with the dashing Doucour&eacute;. After the highs of Helsinki, he won just one further medal in the international arena: a second European indoor 60m hurdles gold in Turin in 2009.
That famous double in the Finnish capital, however, was enough to stir the patriot fervour of his coach, a technical advisor for the &Icirc;le-de-France region, who oversaw Doucour&eacute;&rsquo;s development at the National Institute of Sport and Physical Education.
&ldquo;I am proud to be part of the technical staff founded by General de Gaulle to promote French sport,&rdquo; Longuevre trumpeted. &ldquo;We are paid by the taxpayer so that, since the age of 15, guys like Ladji can benefit from exceptional support.
&ldquo;We know how to make champions. Thank you, France.&rdquo;
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage
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As his lead leg hit the last flight in the 110m hurdles final at the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Ladji Doucouré could have been excused for suffering an unnerving case of déjà vu

Doucouré’s golden Helsinki breakthrough

<ul>
<li>Uță wins 400m hurdles as Ramokgopa completes hurdles silver double</li>
<li>Mancha edges Stegall by 0.04 in dramatic 1500m finish</li>
<li>Relay crowns go to Jamaica and USA</li>
</ul>
Romania&rsquo;s Alexandra Ștefania Uță produced a lifetime best of 55.33 to win the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles on the fifth and final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Sunday (9).
Uță finished more than half a second ahead of South Africa&rsquo;s Tumi Ramokgopa, taking gold with a 0.22 improvement on the PB she set when winning the European U20 title last year.
&ldquo;It is very special to me,&rdquo; said Uță, who now moves to fourth on the European U20 all-time list, just 0.01 behind Femke Broeders-Bol. &ldquo;Both me and my coach wanted this medal and it is great to represent my country in this event because it is very important to me. I wanted to continue the legacy of Ionela T&acirc;rlea.&rdquo;
While Uță took the title, Ramokgopa completed an impressive hurdles double. The South African had claimed silver in the 100m hurdles in 12.96 on Saturday and returned the following day to earn another silver, improving her 400m hurdles PB to 55.88.
&ldquo;It is beyond special,&rdquo; said Ramokgopa. &ldquo;I was in disbelief coming into the home straight. I saw that I was in a medal position and knew I had to give it my all.&rdquo;
Greece&rsquo;s Eleni Iakovaki took bronze in a national U20 record of 55.99.
<h2>Mancha edges Stegall in dramatic 1500m finish</h2>
A slow and tactical start to the women&rsquo;s 1500m eventually gave way to a thrilling finish, with Kenya&rsquo;s Josephine Sembeyo Mancha edging USA&rsquo;s Claire Stegall by just 0.04.
The opening lap took 78 seconds as no one appeared eager to take control, leaving the field tightly bunched. The race became increasingly chaotic, with a fall and a lost spike among the incidents in the pack.
When the pace finally increased, Mancha put herself in contention for gold, but Stegall was closing quickly in the final metres. The US athlete dived for the line, but Mancha held on to win in 4:16.73, with Stegall taking silver in 4:16.77.
Kenya&rsquo;s Caren Chepchirchir earned bronze in 4:17.50, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Elsabet Amare finished fourth.
<h2>Douglas anchors Jamaica to 4x100m gold</h2>
The women&rsquo;s 4x100m final began with drama when Nigeria was disqualified for a false start, but once the race got under way Jamaica and Switzerland produced a close battle for gold.
Jamaica led through the opening exchanges, but Switzerland moved narrowly ahead before the baton reached the anchor runners. Shanoya Douglas then delivered a 10.04 final leg to take Jamaica clear and secure gold in a world U20-leading 42.89.
&ldquo;It has been a long year for all of the Jamaican team, so to win this medal is a great honour,&rdquo; said Douglas, whose championships ended on a high after taking silver in the 100m and 200m.
Switzerland claimed silver in 43.36, while Belgium set a national U20 record of 43.91 to take bronze.
<h2>USA pulls clear for 4x400m gold</h2>
The USA and Australia were closely matched for much of the women&rsquo;s 4x400m final before the defending champions pulled clear over the closing stages.
Ashtyn Lewis gave the USA an early advantage before Olivia Harris handed over just ahead of Australia. Clara Adams then strengthened the US position late on the third leg, leaving Taylor-Nicole Overton to finish the job.
Overton pulled away from Australia on the anchor leg, clocking 51.70 as the USA won in a world U20-leading 3:29.15.
Australia took silver in a season&rsquo;s best of 3:31.39, while Great Britain and Northern Ireland earned bronze with a season&rsquo;s best of 3:32.08.
Ash Wehrly for the World Athletics Media Academy

World Athletics U20 Championships

Romania’s Alexandra Ștefania Uță produced a lifetime best of 55.33 to win the women’s 400m hurdles on the fifth and final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Uță and Mancha strike gold as Jamaica and USA win relays in Oregon

<ul>
<li>Rosselli throws US U20 record of 66.39m on final attempt to snatch discus gold</li>
<li>Dia clears 5.80m for pole vault gold as Louison-Roe wins high jump title</li>
<li>Abdel Hamid wins Egypt&rsquo;s first ever world U20 gold medal with javelin victory</li>
</ul>
Late-round drama provided a fitting finish to the field events at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26, with Simon Rosselli and Viktoria Angelova both producing winning performances with their final attempts on Sunday (9).
Aseel Osama Abdel Hamid also saved her best throw of the competition until the sixth round to complete a historic victory for Egypt, while the two pre-event favourites in the vertical jumps delivered on expectations. Zackaria Dia produced one of the highest-quality performances of the final day to win the men&rsquo;s pole vault with 5.80m, and Izobelle Louison-Roe upgraded her Lima silver to high jump gold.
<h2>Rosselli delivers discus gold with final throw</h2>
Simon Rosselli saved his best for last in the men&rsquo;s discus, producing a US U20 record of 66.39m with his sixth and final throw to snatch the gold medal.
Rosselli had made a solid start to the competition but had fallen out of the medal positions as the contest progressed. With one attempt remaining, the US thrower responded under pressure and sent the discus beyond all of his rivals to take the title.
Estonia&rsquo;s Sten-Erik Iir had led before Rosselli&rsquo;s final-round effort after improving his PB to 65.42m, but ultimately had to settle for silver. Jamaica&rsquo;s Joseph Richard Salmon &ndash; the pre-event favourite &ndash; took bronze with his second-round throw of 64.37m.
<h2>Dia secures gold with 5.80m</h2>
World U20 leader Zackaria Dia lived up to expectations in a high-quality men&rsquo;s pole vault final, clearing 5.80m to secure gold for France.
Dia entered the championships with a world U20-leading PB of 5.82m and came within two centimetres of that mark in Eugene to take the title.
Estonia&rsquo;s Henri Apri pushed him hard, improving his national U20 record to 5.75m to claim silver. USA&rsquo;s Jaxon Jerabek also produced his best when it mattered, setting a PB of 5.60m which initially earned him bronze, but he was later disqualified and so the third place on the podium went to his teammate Isaiah Whitaker. Whitaker cleared 5.45m and claimed the medal on countback.
<h2>Abdel Hamid makes history for Egypt</h2>
Aseel Osama Abdel Hamid made history in the javelin, becoming the first Egyptian woman ever to win a medal at the World U20 Championships &ndash; and making that medal gold.
The African U20 record-holder was already in front going into the final round, but finished the competition in style by improving to 59.82m with her last throw to become Egypt's first ever world U20 champion.
Croatia&rsquo;s Vita Barbic took silver with 56.60m, while&nbsp;Tai Yu-Chin of Chinese Taipei earned bronze with 54.34m.
<h2>Louison-Roe upgrades Lima silver to gold</h2>
After claiming silver in Lima two years ago, Australia&rsquo;s Izobelle Louison-Roe returned to the World U20 Championships as the favourite and this time went one better.
The world U20 leader cleared 1.92m to secure the high jump title, adding gold to the silver she won in 2024.
Hungary&rsquo;s Lilianna B&aacute;tori took silver with 1.90m, while Spain&rsquo;s Aitana Alonso also cleared 1.90m to take bronze on countback, equalling the Spanish U20 record in the process.
<h2>Angelova saves best for last</h2>
Viktoria Angelova provided another dramatic final-round victory in the women&rsquo;s triple jump.
The Bulgarian &ndash; who had recently won the European U20 title &ndash; arrived in Oregon as the world U20 leader with a PB of 13.98m but found herself needing to respond on her sixth and final attempt. She did exactly that, jumping 13.91m &ndash; into a -1.9m/s wind &ndash; to move into first place and secure the world U20 title.
Romania&rsquo;s Daria Vr&icirc;nceanu took silver with a season&rsquo;s best of 13.70m, while Spain&rsquo;s Ana Estrella De Leon also produced a season&rsquo;s best, jumping 13.58m for bronze.
<h2>Hegemann holds off K&auml;rh&auml; for hammer gold</h2>
Germany claimed two medals in the women&rsquo;s hammer final as Clara Hegemann and Nova Kienast finished first and third.
Hegemann moved into the lead with 68.99m in the fourth round and that mark proved enough for gold, holding off world U20 leader Pinja K&auml;rh&auml; of Finland.
K&auml;rh&auml;&rsquo;s best of 68.51m came in the second round and secured silver, while Hegemann&rsquo;s German teammate Kienast produced a season&rsquo;s best of 67.89m to take bronze, just 39 centimetres ahead of USA&rsquo;s Burklie Burton.
Sofiah Gravley for the World Athletics Media Academy
&nbsp;

Late-round drama provided a fitting finish to the field events at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Rosselli and Angelova save best for last as Dia soars 5.80m in Oregon

<ul>
<li>USA set world U20 4x100m record of 38.16</li>
<li>Michal Rada adds 400m hurdles gold to 2024 silver</li>
<li>Bakr El Asri dominates 3000m steeplechase</li>
</ul>
USA stormed to a world U20 record of 38.16* to get 4x100m gold on the final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Sunday (9).
Blake Hamilton, Dillon Mitchell, Kyler Brown and Tate Taylor teamed up to smash the world U20 record of 38.51 that was set by South Africa when winning the world U20 title in Nairobi in 2021.
Taylor received the baton in the lead and blazed the anchor leg to take his team to a dominant win. It completed a gold medal treble for the 18-year-old at Hayward Field as he won the 100m on Thursday and the 200m on Saturday.
Hamilton secured his second medal of the championships, adding relay gold to his 200m silver.
Great Britain &amp; NI got 4x100m silver, matching the European U20 record of 38.90, while Jamaica clinched bronze in 39.01 &ndash; a second medal for 100m silver medallist Gary Card.
&ldquo;It means a lot winning this gold medal,&rdquo; said Taylor. &ldquo;We knew we were ready for something special.&rdquo;
Brown added: &ldquo;This is a fast team; we never had a thing like this before. We were very excited here yesterday and now we have the gold.&rdquo;
USA&rsquo;s relay success continued in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m &ndash; the final event of the championships.
Quincy Wilson, Cameron Tucker, Alexander Osayemi and Jayden Deleon teamed up to run a world U20 lead of 3:01.39 &ndash; the fifth-fastest U20 performance in history &ndash; to successfully defend the title for the third successive time after dominating the race. Deleon and Wilson added the title to their respective gold and silver medals from the individual 400m.
South Africa earned silver, 400m bronze medallist Leendert Koekemoer running a strong anchor leg to cross the finish line in an African U20 record of 3:02.76.
France earned the third place on the podium with a national U20 record, finishing two seconds back in 3:04.80.
&ldquo;It means a lot being able to run with these guys,&rdquo; said Wilson, who formed part of USA&rsquo;s gold medal-winning 4x400m squad at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. &ldquo;They have been working hard all weekend. Just knowing how much they work and sacrifice means a lot to me.&rdquo;
That final gold for USA further strengthened the host nation&rsquo;s place at the top of the medal table in Oregon with 12 gold, seven silver and five bronze medals.
<h2>Rada upgrades silver to gold</h2>
Czechia&rsquo;s Michal Rada won 400m hurdles gold, setting a European U20 record of 48.59 to add this title to the world U20 silver medal he won as a 17-year-old in Lima in 2024.
Another 17-year-old secured silver this time, Japan&rsquo;s Taiju Goto running 49.23 to finish runner-up ahead of South Africa&rsquo;s Matodzi Ndou in 49.90.
&ldquo;It was a super hard race because of the headwind, and the competitors were world class,&rdquo; said Rada. &ldquo;This is the sweetest reward I could have. It was amazing &ndash; winning a gold medal and then seeing my family crying, I knew I had to go over to them. This medal is half for them.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a791163ad26de9917e6832e.jpg" alt="Michal Rada celebrates his 400m hurdles win in Oregon" />
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Michal Rada celebrates his 400m hurdles win in Oregon (&copy; World Athletics Media Academy <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Benjamin Fox)
There was a dramatic end to the 3000m steeplechase, won comfortably by Spain&rsquo;s Bakr El Asri who had time to celebrate on his approach to the finish line.
El Asri ran 8:28.35 to win by more than four seconds ahead of Kenya&rsquo;s Emmanuel Lemiso Someki who earned silver with a PB of 8:32.81.
Spain&rsquo;s Marti Torregrossa was clear in third place but Kenya&rsquo;s Nicholas Kitum Losiwareng charged into medal contention on the final lap and pushed his way on to the podium, pipping Torregrossa 8:38.05 to 8:38.13.
Kenya earned two more medals in the 1500m, Wilson Chepkwech winning gold in a PB of 3:37.46 ahead of his teammate David Kapaiko Sekento who ran a PB of 3:38.32 to earn silver.
The medallists all raised their game for this final, Morocco&rsquo;s Osama Er Redouani also setting a PB of 3:39.68 to finish third.
Sandra Vasquez-Ramirez for the World Athletics Media Academy
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
&nbsp;
</div>
</div>

USA stormed to a world U20 record of 38.16* to get 4x100m gold on the final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Taylor anchors USA to world U20 4x100m record in Oregon

Liranyi Alonzo of the Dominican Republic completed a sprint triple crown and Dayli Cooper and Anisleidis Ochoa achieved a double victory for Cuba as Eduardo Herrera did for Mexico on the closing days of the athletics competition at the Central American and Caribbean Games at the Felix Sanchez Stadium in Santo Domingo.
A 100m winner on the opening day of track action with a Games record of 11.10, Alonzo added the 200m gold two days later with 23.07 (-3.4m/s). Her teammate Estrella de Aza had equalled the Games record of 22.69 in the semifinals, but had to settle for fifth in the medal race.
Alonzo completed the triple crown a day later as the third leg runner of the 4x100m squad, who rewrote the Games and national record with 43.00. Patricia Sine, Fiodaliza Cofil and Aza joined her on the team.
Over a week after a similar double at the Pan American Championships, Daily Cooper achieved a similar feat. She first clinched the 1500m gold in 4:07.46, almost three seconds faster than the previous Games record set in 2023.
A day later, the 2024 Olympic and 2025 world semifinalist dominated her main event, 800m, in 1:59.00, equalling the 40-year old Games record set by her fellow Cuban Ana Fidelia Quirot.
Ochoa accomplished a first in the history of the CAC Games, first winning the 5000m and then the 3000m steeplechase in 9:50.88, a Games and national standard. Her silver medal in the 1500m came in a personal best of 4:08.87.
In a season summed up by three Mexican records, distance runner Eduardo Herrera celebrated his first international titles. He ran the 5000m solo and won comfortably by almost 12 seconds in 13:50.86. A day later, he took the 1500m title in 3:46.07.
After a blistering 19.76 in the semifinal, Jose Figueroa of Puerto Rico clinched the 200m title in 19.98 (-2.4m/s). He was the leadoff man in his country&rsquo;s victory in the 4x400m with 3:00.75, in a close battle with the Dominican Republic (3:00.94).
Franquelo Perez, Yohandris Andujar, 100m bronze medallist Melbin Marcelino and Yancarlos Martinez joined forces to take the 4x100m gold for the Dominican Republic record in 37.98, a national record, ahead of Jamaica (38.08). Puerto Rico (38.12) with Figueroa as the second leg runner, and Colombia (38.17) followed with national records.
Puerto Rico&rsquo;s Alysbeth Felix, competing in her fifth Games, added the heptathlon gold to her victory in the long jump. Thanks to a 6.62m leap to start the second day, Felix scored a national record of 6136.
Grenada&rsquo;s two-time world champion and 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Anderson Peters prevailed in a hotly contested javelin with 83.95m. Seventh at the 2023 Games, Costa Rica&rsquo;s Ivan Jose Sibaja set a national record of 82.15m for silver. Colombia&rsquo;s Billy Julio (81.02m) took the bronze medal in the final throw as Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s world champion and defending champion Keshorn Walcott settled for fourth with 80.92m.
Cuba&rsquo;s Lazaro Martinez (triple jump) and world bronze medallist Silinda Morales (discus), Dominican Republic&rsquo;s 400m champion Marileidy Paulino, her teammate Rosa Ram&iacute;rez and Mexico&rsquo;s Uziel Mu&ntilde;oz, both in the shot put, were the only athletes to successfully defend their titles from the 2023 edition.
The host nation dominated the medal tally with 14 gold, five silver and four bronze, ahead of Cuba (10-11-7) and Mexico (10-7-11). Eighteen countries won at least one medal.
The world&rsquo;s oldest regional multisport event, the CAC Games were inaugurated in 1926 and celebrate their centennial edition in Santo Domingo. The Dominican Republic previously hosted the Games in 1974 and 1986.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for World Athletics

Liranyi Alonzo of the Dominican Republic completed a sprint triple crown at the Central American and Caribbean Games at the Felix Sanchez Stadium in Santo Domingo.

Alonzo, Cooper, Ochoa and Herrera highlight closing days at CAC Games

The final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 promises a busy finish to five days of competition at Hayward Field, with relay teams battling for medals and more individual titles to be decided.
Here are some of the events to watch as the championships draw to a close.
<h2>Relays take centre stage</h2>
The USA head into the men&rsquo;s 4x100m final after clocking the fastest time in the opening round, setting a season&rsquo;s best of 38.87. Switzerland followed with a national U20 record of 39.32, while defending champions Jamaica also progressed with a season&rsquo;s best of 39.51.
With several teams separated by relatively small margins, Jamaica will face a tough challenge as they look to retain the title they won in Lima two years ago.
Australia produced the fastest performance of the opening round of the women&rsquo;s 4x100m, setting an area U20 record of 43.44.
Jamaica followed closely with a season&rsquo;s best of 43.61 as they continue their pursuit of a fourth successive world U20 title in this event. Nigeria ran 43.65, the USA clocked 43.67 and Switzerland 43.99, setting up what should be a closely contested final.
The USA came to Oregon seeking a third successive men&rsquo;s 4x400m title and showed their strength in the opening round, leading the qualifiers with a world U20-leading 3:04.55.
South Africa were not far behind, setting a season&rsquo;s best of 3:05.08, while Jamaica ran 3:06.44 and Australia 3:07.04 &ndash; also season&rsquo;s bests &ndash; to book their places in the final.
The defending champion USA team also led the way in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m, clocking 3:32.66 in the opening round.
Italy set a national U20 record of 3:33.63, with Australia close behind in 3:33.68 and Great Britain and Northern Ireland running 3:33.82. With little more than a second separating those four teams, the final could produce a close battle for the medals.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/oregon26/news/preview/wu20-oregon-26-preview-relays" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Oregon 26 relays preview</a>
<h2>Discus rivals ready for final showdown</h2>
The men&rsquo;s discus final should also provide plenty of competition after several athletes produced their best performances in Saturday&rsquo;s qualification round.
Austria&rsquo;s Stefan Gaisbauer led qualifying with a PB of 63.11m, while Italy&rsquo;s Francesco D&rsquo;Angelo was close behind after improving his own best to 62.63m.
Jamaica&rsquo;s NACAC U23 champion Joseph Richard Salmon qualified with 62.10m but heads into the final with the best PB in the field at 67.55m. If he can get close to that mark, he should be firmly in contention for gold.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/oregon26/news/preview/wu20-oregon-26-preview-throws" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Oregon 26 throws preview</a>
<h2>Fine margins in 400m hurdles finals</h2>
Mariam Kareem produced the fastest performance of the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles semi-finals, lowering her United Arab Emirates U20 record to 56.39.
South African champion Tumi Ramokgopa and Germany&rsquo;s Rebekka Feirle could provide strong opposition after both clocked 56.80 in the same semi-final, with Feirle setting a PB. Romania&rsquo;s Alexandra Ștefania Uță was also impressive, winning her semi-final in 56.87.
With less than half a second separating the four fastest qualifiers, the medals remain very much up for grabs.
The men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles also looks set to produce a competitive final.
Japan&rsquo;s Taiju Goto was fastest in the semi-finals, clocking 49.19, while USA&rsquo;s Miller Warme was next quickest with 49.48. South Africa&rsquo;s Matodzi Ndou followed with 49.66 and Czechia&rsquo;s Michal Rada, the world U20 silver medallist in Lima two years ago, won his semi-final in 49.67.
With all four heading into the final in strong form, another close contest looks likely.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/oregon26/news/preview/wu20-oregon-26-preview-hurdles-steeplechase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WU20 Oregon 26 hurdles preview</a>
Sandra Vasquez-Ramirez for the World Athletics Media Academy

The final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 promises a busy finish to five days of competition at Hayward Field

Three things to watch on day five in Oregon

<ul>
<li>Belo da Silva scores world U20-leading PB of 8112 to win decathlon</li>
<li>Inzoli beats McGroder by just 1cm in long jump as Krutilov&aacute; wins pole vault</li>
<li>Ayachi takes high jump gold after three athletes clear 2.21m</li>
</ul>
Fine margins and big performances defined another evening of field-event action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday (8).
Sweden&rsquo;s Liam Belo da Silva produced the most commanding performance of the night, breaking 8000 points for the first time to win the decathlon, while the men&rsquo;s high jump and long jump delivered much tighter contests. Just one centimetre separated gold and silver in the long jump, and three athletes cleared the winning height in the high jump before countback decided the medals.
There was further drama in the women&rsquo;s pole vault, where Nicole Krutilov&aacute; held her nerve to take the title with a 4.45m clearance.
<h2>Belo Da Silva dominates decathlon</h2>
Liam Belo da Silva delivered across two days and 10 events to win the decathlon with a PB and world U20-leading 8112, breaking the 8000-point barrier for the first time.
The Swedish athlete had entered the championships as the world U20 leader with 7981 points and gradually took control of the competition, despite having to contend with a nagging heel issue throughout the two days of action. One of his strongest moments came in the high jump, where his 2.15m clearance equalled the championship decathlon best and helped propel him into the overall lead.
Belo da Silva continued to build his advantage on the second day. After clocking 15.12 in the 110m hurdles, he produced another championship decathlon best in the discus, throwing 51.95m. A 4.80m clearance in the pole vault left him 133 points clear with just the javelin and 1500m remaining.
While Belo da Silva was strengthening his grip on gold, the javelin transformed the battle for the other medals.
The Netherlands&rsquo; Mikai Snoek produced a huge PB of 70.25m, six metres farther than everyone else. Japan&rsquo;s Kiichi Miyashita was next best with a PB of 64.42m, while Czechia&rsquo;s Adam Juli&scaron; threw a season&rsquo;s best of 59.92m.
That left Juli&scaron; second overall going into the 1500m, with Snoek just 13 points behind and France&rsquo;s Kilian Trochain also still in the medal hunt. Belo da Silva, meanwhile, held a commanding lead.
The final event therefore became as much a battle for silver and bronze as it was the conclusion of Belo da Silva&rsquo;s title bid.
Belo da Silva clocked a season&rsquo;s best of 4:39.51 to finish with a national U20 record of 8112, comfortably securing gold.
Behind him, Snoek ran 4:38.53 to overhaul Juli&scaron; in the closing standings. The Dutch athlete finished with a PB of 7887 points for silver, just 10 points ahead of Juli&scaron;, who also set a PB with 7877. Trochain finished another 21 points back in fourth with 7856.
<h2>Inzoli hangs on by one centimetre</h2>
Just one centimetre separated gold and silver in a dramatic finish to the men&rsquo;s long jump.
Italy&rsquo;s Daniele Leonardo Inzoli took an early lead with 7.93m in the opening round before improving to 7.97m with his second attempt. He didn&rsquo;t register another legal mark, recording four consecutive fouls, but his early effort continued to hold up.
Australia&rsquo;s Mason McGroder &ndash; who earned world U20 bronze in Lima two years ago at the age of 15 &ndash; kept the pressure on. He improved to 7.94m in the third round and matched that mark in the fourth, before producing his best jump when it mattered most.
On his sixth and final attempt, McGroder soared to a PB of 7.96m &ndash; falling just one centimetre short of Inzoli&rsquo;s mark and giving the Italian the world U20 title.
India&rsquo;s Shahnavaz Khan, who entered the championships as one of the leading contenders after jumping 8.30m earlier this year, moved into third with 7.84m in round three. He came close to improving with 7.83m in the fifth round but ultimately had to settle for bronze.
<h2>Ayachi wins three-way high jump battle</h2>
Younes Ayachi lived up to his status as world U20 leader to claim the men&rsquo;s high jump title, but he was pushed all the way in a closely fought final.
Nine athletes remained in contention after clearing 2.17m, but the medals were ultimately decided at 2.21m, with Ayachi, India&rsquo;s Basant and Great Britain&rsquo;s Otis Poole all clearing the height.
Ayachi produced the cleanest series of the competition, clearing 2.06m, 2.12m, 2.17m and 2.21m on his first attempt. With neither he nor his rivals able to negotiate 2.24m, that flawless record secured gold for the Algerian.
Basant equalled his PB of 2.21m, clearing it on his second attempt to earn silver and become the first Indian high jumper to win a medal at the World U20 Championships.
Poole, meanwhile, saved his best for when it mattered. After clearing each of the first three heights at the first time of asking, the Briton needed three attempts at 2.21m but eventually sailed over to set a PB and secure bronze.
<h2>Krutilov&aacute; keeps her cool for pole vault gold</h2>
Nicole Krutilov&aacute; produced a composed performance to win the women&rsquo;s pole vault title with a 4.45m clearance.
The Czech athlete needed two attempts at her opening height of 4.10m, but from there she was flawless, clearing 4.25m, 4.35m, 4.40m and 4.45m at the first attempt. With the title already secured, she then had three attempts at 4.50m but was unable to go higher.
Ukraine&rsquo;s Olha Belchenko remained in contention deep into the competition. She cleared 4.40m to equal her PB, but could not follow Krutilov&aacute; over 4.45m and took silver.
The battle for bronze came down to countback after USA&rsquo;s Kylie Neira and Australia&rsquo;s Jamison Harding both improved their PBs to 4.35m. Neira cleared the height on her first attempt, while Harding needed all three, giving the US athlete the final place on the podium.
Morgan Hoopes for the World Athletics Media Academy

Fine margins and big performances defined another evening of field-event action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday

Belo da Silva breaks 8000 as jumps titles go down to the wire in Oregon

<ul>
<li>D&eacute;j&agrave; vu as Madeline Cooper matches world-leading time</li>
<li>Mia Maxwell sweeps the sprints</li>
<li>Yordanos Tsigab and Shito Gumi of Ethiopia go 1-2 in 3000m</li>
</ul>
Madeline Cooper equalled her world U20 lead to win the 100m hurdles and Mia Maxwell completed a sprint double to add to USA&rsquo;s gold medal haul at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday (8).
There was a sense of d&eacute;j&agrave; vu for Cooper as she ran 12.91 &ndash; matching the world U20-leading PB she set to win the US U20 title on the same Hayward Field track in June.
This time the performance secured her a world title. South Africa&rsquo;s Tumi Ramokgopa got silver in 12.96, competing in the 100m hurdles final just over an hour after racing in the 400m hurdles semifinals and also qualifying for that final on Sunday.
Tiana Marshall of Jamaica ran a PB of 12.97 to take home the bronze as she held off Switzerland&rsquo;s Jil Sanchez &ndash; a dramatic final that ended with an emotional reaction from Marshall.
&ldquo;I just went out there to have fun. In the rounds I was tired and getting beat, but now in the final I believed in myself, my coaches and my abilities,&rdquo; said Cooper, who also ran in the 4x100m heats during the morning session. &ldquo;It feels amazing because we have so many hurdlers on this USA team so getting to be a part of that is crazy. It means so much to be a part of this history.&rdquo;
<h2>Maxwell gets golden sprint double</h2>
Two days on from her 100m win, Mia Maxwell returned to take the 200m title in a PB of 22.37 to complete the sprint double.&nbsp;
She became the fifth woman to win a world U20 100m and 200m double and the first since Briana Williams of Jamaica in Tampere in 2018.
Jamaica&rsquo;s Shanoya Douglas also repeated her position from the 100m, getting a second silver medal in 22.68.&nbsp;
Mariah Maxwell got bronze behind Douglas in 22.77, creating a unique double medal win for the Maxwell twin sisters.
It was the first time that one nation had claimed all four sprint titles at the World U20 Championships as Tate Tayor also won the men&rsquo;s 100m and 200m for USA.
&ldquo;At the beginning of this year I was going through mental and physical struggles, so to have this moment and share it with my family is really special,&rdquo; said Mia. &ldquo;It was just amazing. I was trying to execute and have fun. It has been a really long weekend and a really long year overall.&rdquo;
<h2>Tsigab and Gumi go 1-2 for Ethiopia</h2>
Yordanos Tsigab and Shito Gumi got gold and silver for Ethiopia in the 3000m, kicking away over the final 60 metres to pass Uganda&rsquo;s Charity Cherop. Tsigab won in a PB of 8:43.56 and Gumi took silver in 8:45.06. Cherop clinched bronze in 8:45.59 after leading for most of the race.
Tsigab was the only one of the medallists who had not contested the distance double &ndash; Cherop and Gumi went 1-2 in the 5000m final on Wednesday. Behind them in the 3000m, Carmen Cernjul set a Swedish U20 record of 8:52.60 to finish fourth.
Slovenia&rsquo;s Živa Remic ran 2:03.03 to win a competitive 800m final that saw the top three separated by less than half a second. She went straight to the front and was joined by Ioulianna Roussou of Greece, taking control early on.
They were side by side at the bell, before Roussou gained a narrow lead and Remic ran around her, kicking wide to take the win.&nbsp;
Roussou was second in 2:03.08, while Great Britain's Shaikira King closed well to take home bronze in 2:03.52.
At the age of just 16, Remic has already won a world U20 gold and European U20 silver. She adds this latest title to the European U18 crown she claimed in Rieti last month. She will still be eligible to compete at the next World U20 Championships in 2028.
The women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles semifinals also took place on Saturday, with 100m hurdles silver medallist Ramokgopa among those to qualify for Sunday&rsquo;s final. Mariam Kareem of United Arab Emirates ran a national U20 record of 56.39 to go quickest overall in the semifinals, while Ramokgopa won her heat ahead of Rebekka Feirle of Germany as they both clocked 56.80, split by just 0.005. Romania&rsquo;s Alexandra Ștefania Uță won her heat in 56.87.
In addition to Kareem&rsquo;s performance, three other athletes set national records to make the final: Duru Iklim Kadanali of T&uuml;rkiye with 56.91, Eleni Iakovaki of Greece with 57.10 and Rania El Hamdaoui of Morocco with 57.36.&nbsp;
Bahamas&rsquo; Kei-Mahri Hanna and Shevaughn Thomas of Jamaica will both also be in the final but USA&rsquo;s Natalie Dumas will not join them after she tripped over the eighth hurdle and fell.
Sofiah Gravley for the World Athletics Media Academy
&nbsp;

Madeline Cooper equalled her world U20 lead to win the 100m hurdles and Mia Maxwell completed a sprint double to add to USA’s gold medal haul at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Cooper and Maxwell claim gold to add to USA’s medal haul in Oregon

<ul>
<li>Le'Ezra Brown matches world U20 110m hurdles record</li>
<li>Tate Taylor runs championship record to claim sprint double</li>
<li>Italy set world U20 mixed 4x100m record in electric final</li>
</ul>
USA&rsquo;s Le'Ezra Brown equalled the world U20 110m hurdles record* and Italy improved the world U20 mixed 4x100m record* at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday (8).
During an action-packed penultimate session, USA&rsquo;s Tate Taylor completed a sprint double by winning the 200m in a championship record of 19.83.
The spotlight was on Brown in the 110m hurdles and he ran a blazing 12.72 to equal Sasha Zhoya&rsquo;s world U20 record set when the French athlete won the 2021 world U20 title in Nairobi. Brown started quickly and finished strongly to win gold ahead of Japan&rsquo;s Jeremy Koga (12.97) and USA&rsquo;s Zacchaeus Brocks, who equalled his PB of 12.98.
Brown&rsquo;s 12.72 followed his North American U20 record of 12.89 in the heats and his wind-aided 12.82 in the semifinals. His historic performance saw him beat a field that set four national U20 records. Norway&rsquo;s Anthony Johnsen (13.00) and Bahamas&rsquo; Jahcario Wilson (13.08) both ran national U20 records to place fourth and fifth, respectively. Following them was Brazil&rsquo;s Odair Goncalves in an area record (13.15) and Koray Uygun in a Turkish U20 record (13.20).
&ldquo;It is crazy. I felt it in my warmup. I did one acceleration and my coach told me I was ready,&rdquo; said Brown. &ldquo;I was running good and I just knew it was going to happen. It is big, we have been talking about this for some time. I want to be a national champion and be running at LA 28.&rdquo;
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<h2>Taylor completes sprint double</h2>
USA&rsquo;s Taylor achieved the fifth men&rsquo;s 100m and 200m double in the history of the World U20 Championships, setting a championship record of 19.83 to win the 200m.
He closed fast, pulling away over the last 100m. Taylor&rsquo;s compatriot Blake Hamilton went stride for stride with Taylor for the first 100m and held on to finish second in 20.31, clinching a US top two.
NACAC U23 Champion Jayden Green took home bronze for Barbados in 20.55, edging out Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Makaelan Woods by 0.03. Japan&rsquo;s Tomoro Ide was fifth in 20.67 and Jamaica&rsquo;s Gary Card, the 100m silver medallist, finished sixth in 20.74 .
&ldquo;It means a lot,&rdquo; said Taylor. &ldquo;I am super proud of myself and this team and the guy next to me (Blake Hamilton).&rdquo;
Hamilton said: &ldquo;Second in the world is something not a lot of people can say. Also running next to Tate is something not a lot of people can say.&rdquo;
<h2>Italy break record to claim gold in inaugural mixed 4x100m</h2>
Italy started a thrilling night of finals off with a bang, setting a world U20 record to win the inaugural world U20 mixed 4x100m final.&nbsp;
Edwin Fermin Galvan, Elisa Valensin, Francesco Pagliarini and Kelly Doualla combined to run 41.21 to break the world U20 record of 41.60 set by Great Britain &amp; NI in the heats. That had beaten the world U20 record of 41.64 set by Australia in the first heat, as the event made its debut at the World U20 Championships.
Great Britain placed second in the final in 41.38 &ndash; a time that beat their previous record from day two in Oregon. The United States were third, just 0.01 behind Great Britain.
<h2>Bouchajda narrowly defeats Williams in tightly contested 800m</h2>
Imad Bouchajda won Morocco a first ever world U20 800m title in front of a fired up Hayward crowd. After a well-judged race, Bouchajda crossed the line in 1:44.64 to narrowly beat Australia&rsquo;s Daniel Williams (1:45.36).&nbsp;
Spain&rsquo;s Alejandro Rios finished strongly to claim the bronze in 1:46.25. Uganda&rsquo;s Shafeck Murungi stormed away from the field in the opening stages but he ran out of steam in the second half and finished eighth.&nbsp;
<h2>Favourites cruise into 400m hurdles final</h2>
Asian U20 champion Taiju Goto didn&rsquo;t miss a beat in the 400m hurdles semifinals, running 49.19 to win his heat and punch his ticket into the final. Czechia's Michal Rada, the 2024 world U20 silver medallist, cruised to a 49.48 heat win and USA&rsquo;s Miller Warme ran a 49.48 to win another heat. South African U20 record-holder Matodzi Ndou also comfortably qualified, running the third-fastest time of the round. US U20 winner Keenan Davis also advanced to the final.&nbsp;
Owen Bogert for the World Athletics Media Academy
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
&nbsp;

USA’s Le'Ezra Brown equalled the world U20 110m hurdles record* and Italy improved the world U20 mixed 4x100m record* at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

World U20 records by Brown and Italy, Taylor runs championship record in Oregon

Australia&rsquo;s Isaac Beacroft roared to a world U20 5000m race walk record of 18:40.37* on the fourth morning of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday (8).
The 19-year-old turned the tables on China&rsquo;s Pu Huajia, who beat the Australian to the U20 title at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Bras&iacute;lia in April. Timing his finish to perfection, Beacroft picked up the pace again on the final lap and Pu couldn&rsquo;t respond, finishing three seconds back in an Asian U20 record of 18:43.70.
The drama continued beyond the finish line as Japan&rsquo;s Naoto Roppongi completed the distance in third place but was handed a time penalty for three red cards and so bronze went to Italy&rsquo;s Nicol&ograve; Vidal in a PB of 18:56.19. After that 30-second penalty, Roppongi finished fourth in a PB of 19:24.43.
Ireland&rsquo;s S&eacute;amus Clarke finished fifth in 19:28.27, India&rsquo;s Nitin Gupta was sixth in 19:32.30 and Mexico&rsquo;s Osvaldo Miramontes set an area U20 record of 19:34.07 in seventh.
It was a second major victory for Beacroft in just over a week as he won the 10,000m race walk at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on 31 July. He improved on his fourth-place finish at the 2024 World U20 Championships in Lima, adding this title to the U20 title he claimed at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, also in 2024. Despite his nation's race walk success, Beacroft became the first athlete from Australia to win a race walk title at the World U20 Championships.
"Coming into the race, I thought that it was going to take a world record performance to win and it did," said Beacroft, who surpassed the 18:50.00 set as the time to beat for a world U20 record. "So, I was prepared for that in my head and I knew that I was capable, I have seen it in my training.
"Pu Huajia is a lovely man, he is very good to compete against. He is very gracious in winning and very gracious in losing as well. So, I think that is going to be a very long rivalry. I am super excited to continue to do it."
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Italy&rsquo;s Serena Di Fabio dominated the women&rsquo;s 5000m race walk, clocking a championship record of 20:57.57 to win by 20 seconds.
The 18-year-old took control of the race early on and ticked off the laps metronomically, striding away from a chase group featuring France&rsquo;s Chlo&eacute; Le Roch and China&rsquo;s Yang Yutong. Le Roch secured silver in a national U20 record of 21:17.92, while Yang got bronze in 21:31.99 as the next 13 athletes behind Di Fabio all set PBs.
Ibuki Hori closed well to finish fourth in 21:36.62, one place ahead of her Japanese teammate Harumi Tabata in 21:57.99
Di Fabio started as the world U20 leader thanks to the European U20 record of 20:42.74 she set in Caorle in July. She became Italy&rsquo;s first race walk winner at the World U20 Championships and went one better than in the U20 race at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Bras&iacute;lia where Yang beat the Italian by 10 seconds.
Yang crossed the finish line in fourth place but already had the bronze secured as Tunisia&rsquo;s Imen Saii had earlier received three red cards and was subject to a time penalty.&nbsp;Saii was later disqualified.
Le Roch gained her first global medal after finishing fourth at the World Race Walking Team Championships in April and eighth in the 10,000m race walk at the last edition of the World U20 Championships in Lima.
"It is a big motivation knowing that Italy has so much history in race walking. I have the opportunity to meet and train with some good Italian race walkers, it is an honour," said Di Fabio. "I am going to celebrate with my team, I am actually the team captain. It is a big responsibility. I wanted to do this role in the best way possible and I think I did."
<h2>Belo da Silva leads decathlon</h2>
Sweden&rsquo;s world U20 leader Liam Belo da Silva topped the decathlon by 133 points with two events to go, despite visibly dealing with some foot pain. He started the day in second place and dropped to sixth after clocking 15.12 in the 110m hurdles, which was led by Hungary&rsquo;s Zal&aacute;n Zemen with a championship decathlon best of 13.70.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a77c0328e6db23eccf80e4c.JPG" alt="Liam Belo da Silva in decathlon discus action" />
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Liam Belo da Silva in decathlon discus action (&copy; World Athletics Media Academy <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Zara Linneman)
But Belo da Silva was preparing for another championship decathlon best of his own and he launched himself into the lead with a PB of 51.95m in the discus &ndash; more than five metres farther than any of his rivals. He then cleared 4.80m in the pole vault to hold on to the lead with only the javelin and 1500m to go.
Kilian Trochain of France moved into second place with 6621 after clocking 13.88 in the 110m hurdles and clearing 4.80m in the pole vault, while Sweden&rsquo;s David Berglund moved into third place on 6619, his performances including 5.00m to top the pole vault. France&rsquo;s Mael-Bephassou Lannurien, who was second to&nbsp;Belo da Silva on the entry list, ended day one in the lead but dropped to seventh ahead of the last two events after clocking 13.99 in the 110m hurdles, throwing 35.84m in the discus and clearing 4.00m in the pole vault.
<h2>Relays heat up</h2>
USA ran a world U20 lead of 3:04.55 to make a statement in the men&rsquo;s 4x400m heats. The team won the third heat ahead of South Africa, anchored by individual 400m bronze medallist Leendert Koekemoer, and Jamaica as they respectively clocked 3:05.08 and 3:06.44. Australia won the second heat in 3:07.04 from Poland and Zimbabwe, the latter in a national U20 record of 3:08.56, while Botswana won the first heat in 3:08.22 to also make the final along with France and Germany.
The host nation also led the heats in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m, clocking 3:32.66 to top the first round ahead of Italy, who won the second heat in a national U20 record of 3:33.63. Germany won the third heat in 3:34.35 ahead of Slovenia in a national U20 record of 3:35.60 and they will be joined in the final by Australia, Great Britain &amp; NI, Nigeria, Jamaica and India.
Australia set an Oceanian U20 record of 43.44 to storm into the women&rsquo;s 4x100m final. Jamaica were second in 43.61 and 17-year-old Oluebube Ezechukwu finished fast for Nigeria to edge USA by just 0.02 for the final qualification place from that race, 43.65 to 43.67. Switzerland won the first heat in 43.99 from Belgium and Spain in respective national U20 records of 44.33 and 44.54. Germany won heat two in 44.09 from Trinidad and Tobago and Canada.
USA did make the men&rsquo;s 4x100m final, going quickest in the heats with 38.87. Switzerland were second in that heat in a national U20 record of 39.32. Great Britain &amp; NI (39.38), Trinidad and Tobago (39.40) and Jamaica (39.51) were the other heat winners, while Belgium clinched the sole non-automatic qualifying spot with a national U20 record of 39.45.
A total of 13 athletes achieved the automatic qualification mark of 60.50m, setting the tone for a competitive discus final. Austria's Stefan Gaisbauer led with his PB of 63.11m, while Francesco D'Angelo also threw a PB of 62.63m. Jamaica&rsquo;s Joseph Richard Salmon, who has thrown 67.55m this year, had two fouls but then launched himself into the final with a 62.10m third attempt.
Three athletes achieved the automatic qualifying mark of 13.35m to soar into the triple jump final &ndash; Romania&rsquo;s Daria Vr&icirc;nceanu (13.60m), Sweden&rsquo;s Johanna Sund&eacute;n (13.58m) and Germany&rsquo;s Antonia Bronnert (13.43m). Bulgaria&rsquo;s 17-year-old Viktoria Angelova (13.03m), who topped the entry list, also did enough to advance to the final.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
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Australia’s Isaac Beacroft roared to a world U20 5000m race walk record of 18:40.37 on the fourth morning of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26

Beacroft sets world U20 record to claim race walk crown in Oregon

Romania&rsquo;s Madalina Florea claimed her first Sierre-Zinal title while Kenya&rsquo;s Philemon Ombogo Kiriago secured his third victory at the renowned 31km race, the latest stage of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Cup, in Switzerland on Saturday (8).
Florea, who finished third at Sierre-Zinal in 2024, won the women&rsquo;s race in 2:55:44 after making her decisive move on the descent. Defending champion Caroline Jepkoech Kimutai came through strongly over the closing kilometres to take second in 2:56:30, while Britain&rsquo;s Morven Goodrum impressed on her debut to finish third in 2:57:12.
Kiriago, meanwhile, prevailed after a close battle with compatriot Patrick Kipngeno. The pair exchanged the lead during the latter stages before Kiriago finally broke clear on the descent to win in 2:26:24, 32 seconds ahead of Kipngeno. Michael Selelo Saoli completed an all-Kenyan podium in 2:29:36.
The Sierre-Zinal course climbs from 560 metres in Sierre to a high point of 2424 metres over the opening 24km before a 7km descent to the finish in Zinal, making the closing downhill section capable of dramatically reshaping the race.
In the women&rsquo;s contest, Kimutai initially pushed to the front but Goodrum was quickly alongside her, while Florea, Britain&rsquo;s Kirsty Skye Dickson and the Netherlands&rsquo; Nienke Brinkman were also prominent.
By 5km, Goodrum and Dickson were together at the head of the race with Florea close behind. Kimutai and Brinkman completed the leading group, while Oria Liaci, Laura Hottenrott and Jessica Paguay were among the chasers. World Cup leader Ruth Gitonga, Miriam Chepkirui, Anna Gibson and Vivien Bonzi were also in pursuit.
As the long climb continued, Goodrum, Florea and Brinkman repeatedly exchanged positions at the front, rarely separated by more than 20 seconds. Dickson began to lose ground, while Kimutai remained within striking distance.
The race changed once the athletes began the descent. Florea moved clear of Goodrum and established a gap of about 30-40 seconds. At 26km, Brinkman was more than two minutes behind the leading pair, but Kimutai was moving quickly through the field.
The defending champion passed both Liaci and Brinkman to move into third and then caught Goodrum during the final descent. Florea, though, had done enough to hold on, reaching Zinal 46 seconds ahead of Kimutai. Goodrum followed another 42 seconds later to secure third on her first appearance at the race. Liaci was fourth in 2:58:36 and Brinkman fifth in 2:58:53.
The men&rsquo;s race developed differently, with Kipngeno and Kiriago among the early leaders alongside Britain&rsquo;s Jacob Adkin, the European uphill champion. Richard Omaya Atuya, Julius Ott, Brayan Rodriguez Flores, Anthony Felber, Christian Allen and Elhousine Elazzaoui were also in the leading group during the opening stages.
Adkin took control during the climb, leading through the Ponchette and Chandolin checkpoints with Kipngeno just seconds behind and Kiriago and Atuya also close.
Kipngeno and Kiriago then increased the pressure before the end of the climb. By the Hotel Weisshorn checkpoint at 20km, they were running together at the front, with Atuya in third and Adkin close behind. Saoli, meanwhile, began to make progress through the field.
Kiriago and Kipngeno remained locked together as the course turned downhill, the lead changing hands several times. Eventually Kiriago managed to open a gap and carried it through to the finish, earning his third Sierre-Zinal victory after his previous wins in 2023 and 2025. Kipngeno finished second in 2:26:56, while Saoli moved through to third in 2:29:36.
Adkin held on for fourth in 2:30:49, with Kevin Kibett fifth in 2:30:58.
With assistance from WMRA

Romania’s Madalina Florea claimed her first Sierre-Zinal title while Kenya’s Philemon Ombogo Kiriago secured his third victory

Florea and Kiriago claim Sierre-Zinal victories

World Athletics Heritage and the Museum of World Athletics have partnered with the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, Lotto and Golazo to present a free exhibition celebrating five decades of one of athletics' great meetings.
What began as a tribute to Belgian middle-distance runner Ivo Van Damme has become one of the world's most prestigious athletics meetings. Now the story of its first 50 years is being told through a new exhibition in the heart of Brussels.
&lsquo;From Ivo to Mondo&rsquo; was officially opened on Friday (7), ahead of its public opening on Saturday 8 August at the Lottery Shop on Place De Brouck&egrave;re. The exhibition runs until Sunday 6 September, the day after the Memorial hosts the Wanda Diamond League Final at the King Baudouin Stadium.
The Memorial Van Damme was established in 1977 in memory of Ivo Van Damme, who died in a car accident only months after winning Olympic silver medals in both the 800m and 1500m at the Montreal Olympic Games.
Organised in collaboration with World Athletics Heritage and the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA), the exhibition tells the story of the meeting through artefacts donated by some of the greatest athletes in Memorial Van Damme history. Historical programmes, archive documents and memorabilia help to bring five decades of performances and memories to life.
The official opening featured speeches from Jannie Haek, CEO of the National Lottery; Wilfried Meert, co-founder and president of the Memorial Van Damme; and Sylvia Barlag, World Athletics Council Member, representing World Athletics. In her remarks, Barlag highlighted the long relationship between World Athletics and the Memorial Van Damme, which dates back to the inaugural meeting in 1977.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6a773d87a50b09046958516e.jpeg" alt="Opening of the &lsquo;From Ivo to Mondo&rsquo; exhibition" />
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Opening of the &lsquo;From Ivo to Mondo&rsquo; exhibition
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Among the documents on display is a letter from the Royal Belgian Athletics League asking the international federation to support Daring Leuven, Ivo Van Damme&rsquo;s club, in finding a suitable date for the inaugural Memorial, in coordination with the 1977 World Cup in D&uuml;sseldorf.
The exhibition also highlights the Memorial's unique place in the evolution of international athletics. Since its creation in 1977, the meeting has accompanied every major step in the professionalisation of athletics and in the development of the international calendar: the Golden Series, the Grand Prix, the Golden Four, the Golden League and finally the Diamond League, whose 2026 Final returns to Brussels in September.
For Barlag, the occasion also had a personal dimension. She competed in the high jump at the Memorial Van Damme in 1980 and recalled the years she trained in Belgium under coach Wilfried Geeroms.
The ribbon was cut by Kim Gevaert, meeting director of the Allianz Memorial Van Damme and 2008 Olympic 4x100m champion, marking the official opening of the exhibition.
Five showcases chart five decades of athletics excellence, from Ivo Van Damme&rsquo;s generation to today&rsquo;s stars. Among the artefacts presented for the first time:
<ul>
<li>The complete competition kit worn by Noureddine Morceli at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo. The Algerian middle-distance great won three times at the Memorial Van Damme and still holds the meeting&rsquo;s mile record with 3:47.30.</li>
<li>Shoes worn by Daniel Komen, whose 12:39.74 world 5000m record in Brussels in 1997 remains one of the defining performances in Memorial history.</li>
<li>The <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/elaine-thompson-herah-commonwealth-games-2022-mowa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 Commonwealth Games singlet of Elaine Thompson-Herah</a>, who has run 10.54 for 100m and shares the Brussels 100m meeting record at 10.72.</li>
<li>The kit worn by Melissa Jefferson-Wooden at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, where she became a triple world sprint champion.</li>
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The exhibition also captures the distinctive personality of the Memorial Van Damme beyond the track. Its history has been shaped by a strong local identity, artistic posters and trophies, and social and philanthropic initiatives that have <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/mowa-bronze-trophy-memorial-van-damme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">connected the meeting with Belgian society</a>.
&ldquo;For World Athletics Heritage, this project reflects exactly the role we want to play: bringing athletics history to life and using powerful storytelling to inspire new generations,&rdquo; said Barlag.
Visitors can also collect a new series of collector postcards during the exhibition, each highlighting another chapter of the Memorial Van Damme story.
&lsquo;From Ivo to Mondo&rsquo; is open to the public from 8 August to 6 September at the Lottery Shop, Place De Brouck&egrave;re, Brussels. Admission is free. Opening hours are 10:00&ndash;20:00.
Pierre-Jean Vazel for World Athletics Heritage
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World Athletics Heritage and the Museum of World Athletics have partnered with the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, Lotto and Golazo to present a free exhibition celebrating five decades of one of athletics' great meetings

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