The US quartet of Brian Herron, Josephus Lyles, Zachary Shinnick and Sean Hooper after their 4x400m world U20 record at the Pan-American Junior Championships in Trujillo, Peru (© Talia Vargas/organisers)
A US quartet broke the world U20 record on the final day of the Pan-American U20 Championships in Trujillo, Peru, clocking 3:00.33*, to cap the 19th edition’s three-day event on Sunday (23).
Zachary Schinnick, Josephus Lyles, Brian Herron and Sean Hooper eclipsed the previous world U20 record of 3:01.09 set by another US quartet at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Grosseto.
Headed by that world record, 13 championship records were set in Trujillo’s Estadio Chan Chan, marking this edition, the first held on Peruvian soil, as one of the most successful in the history of the event, which was first held in 1980, in Sudbury, Canada.
In the 400m hurdles on Sunday (23), Quincy Hall of the US won in 49.02, breaking the previous best set by USA’s William Wynne with 49.31 in 2009. The 19-year-old came to Trujillo with personal bests of 45.12 (400m) and 49.39 (400m hurdles) and delivered his best race, also posting a 2017 U20 world lead. Mexican Fernando Vega took second in 49.96, a new national junior record.
Geist dominates shot put
Jordan Geist delivered another remarkable result in Trujillo with his 22.02m victory in the shot put, setting a championship and US U20 record in the process. Eachof his four valid attempts --21.53m, 22.02m, 20.69m and 20.98m-- were superior to the previous championship record of 20.36m, set by compatriot Mason Finley in 2009. Jamaica’s Kevin Nedrick (20.34m) and American Adrian Piperi (20.26m) completed the podium.
The final day of action also witnessed four other championship records.
Cuban Adriana Rodríguez tallied 5733 points (13.37, 1.72m, 12.04m, 24.00, 6.00m, 35.31m, 2:28.50) in the heptathlon. Mexican Alegna González broke the meeting standard in the 10,000m race walk with 44:43.89 to win by more than a minute. Eric van der Els of the US won the 1500m in 3:43.16. And in the women's 4x400m, the US squad --Syaira Richardson, Jaevin Reed, Arria Minor, and Takyera Roberson-- won by nearly five seconds in 3:28.57, also a 2017 world U20 lead.
Other day three winners included Tate Curran of the US who took top honours in the pole vault at 5.20m. Robert Vilches of Mexico won the high jump with a first attempt clearance at 2.21m.
Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF
* pending the usual ratification procedures
