High jump silver medallist Michaela Hruba at the IAAF World Junior Championships Oregon 2014 (© Getty Images)
Michaela Hruba was narrowly beaten in a brilliant final two years ago by Morgan Lake; this year the Czech jumper is set to go head-to-head with the talented Ukrainian Yuliya Levchenko for the title in Bydgoszcz.
Hruba, who began her sporting life as a triathlete, cleared 1.95m indoors this winter but the world U18 champion is ranked a close second on the 2016 world U20 outdoor list with 1.93m to Levchenko, who recently finished second at the Ukrainian Championships with a 1.95m clearance.
Nerves are unlikely to be a factor for either of the 18-year-old jumpers who can already boast senior championship experience: Hruba made the European Championships final in Amsterdam last week while Levchenko made the Ukrainian team for the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015.
The Czechs claimed a brace of medals at the World Youth Championships in Cali last year and Hruba’s compatriot Lada Pejchalova is another contender with a 1.90m lifetime best, along with Mexico’s Ximena Lisbeth Esquivel, who has also cleared 1.90m this summer.
Notable absentees include Lake and world indoor champion Vashti Cunningham who have both made their respective teams for the Olympic Games next month. Levchenko’s compatriot Alina Skukh – a 1.92m performer – opted to compete in the heptathlon at the inaugural European Youth Championships in Tbilisi.
Steven Mills for the IAAF
