Isabelle Pedersen of Norway in action (© PHOTO PLOHE)
The 6th IAAF World Youth Championships started on a high note courtesy of Norway’s Isabelle Pedersen who won heat 2 of the girl’s 100m Hurdles in a new World Youth leading time of 13.35, an improvement over her personal best by more than two tenths of a second.
Pedersen was a clear winner as Samantha Elliott of Jamaica and Rikenette Steenkamp of South Africa took the next automatic qualifiers in this race in 13.72 and 13.76 respectively.
The second fastest overall this morning was Finland’s Nooralotta Neziri who took heat 5 in 13.63 while China’s Yarong Zheng improved her personal best to 13.68 in heat 4. Previous World Youth leader Kori Carter of the USA took heat 1 in an effortless 13.73.
Pedersen’s 13.35 is only 2 hundredths of a second off the exclusive all-time World Youth top 10, a list she will most likely be part of if she further improves in the next rounds.
******
The IAAF is pleased to announce the opening of a new Statistics session, courtesy of Ottavio Castellini and Felix Capilla, the World Youth All time lists which can be accessed here.
Field Events Finals line-ups
Infield, the morning’s qualification rounds included the girls’ Shot Put and the boys’ Discus Throw with both finals scheduled for this afternoon’s session.
In the girls’ shot only four athletes achieved the automatic qualifier of 13.90; they were led by Margaret Satupai of Samoa whose second round 14.67 is her season’s best performance. The other three automatic qualifiers only need one effort to make it through. The German duo of Laurine Normann and Lena Urbaniak threw 14.50 and 14.42 respectively confirming their status as favourites for the title being the leading throwers on the World Youth lists. China’s Yangzi Dong also advanced with her opening throw of 13.99.
Interestingly, Germany will be one of four countries with two representatives in the final as Mingyue Yang of China also advanced with Mexico’s pair of Mariela Hernandez and Cecilia Dzul and Brazil’s Mariana Grasielly Marcelino and Livia Avancini also in the mix for a medal.
The boys’ discus final promises great clashes as no fewer than 9 automatic qualifiers were recorded this morning with World Youth leader and runner up Hamid Manssour of Syria and Ryan Crouser of the USA needing only one effort to top the qualification rounds at 62.49 and 62.59 respectively.
India’s Prabhjot Singh, Cyprus’ Michael Klatsia and Traves Smikle also advanced after their opening effort landed past the qualifying standard of 57 metres.
The final line-up will be completed by Damian Kaminski and Wojciech Praczyk of Poland, Mazvydas Butkus of Lithuania and Alexander Thompson of the USA.
First round heats
Twelve heats of the boys’ 100m concluded the morning session on day one and it was a sad end of the journey for Bryan Irias of Costa Rica, Gideon Trotter of South Africa and Joseph Millar of New Zealand as one after the other they were disqualified for false starting in heat 5.
Unaffected by the delay, World Youth leader Prezel Hardy took heat 6 cutting his effort with 15 metres to go in an effortless 10.83. Hardy was way behind the fastest time of the morning which was set by Canada’s Aaron Brown in heat 4. No fewer than 40 athletes advanced to this afternoon’s second round including Italian champion Giovanni Galbieri whose 10.74 runner up finish in heat 7 was as expected the most cheered on.
There were no major surprises in the girls’ 100m heats as USA and Great Britain filled the four fastest spots courtesy of World Youth leader Ashton Purvis (11.57), Shauna Thompson (11.71), Jordan Clark (11.74) and Jodie Williams (11.85).
There are great expectations on Williams, who is the co-World Youth leader at 11.48, and Thompson after Great Britain won gold and bronze with Asha Philip and Ashlee Nelson two years ago in Ostrava. For Purvis who could only manage seventh place in Ostrava’s final it is redemption time as two years on she looks set to follow in the steps of sister Julian Purvis who won the 100m Hurdles gold in Ostrava.
With no fewer than 8 heats in the boys’ 800m qualifying for one of three semi finals proved a tactical affair top of the list was Sweden’s Johan Rogestedt whose winning 1:51.48 in the third heat was also a new personal best. Rogestedt led Ethiopia’s Fikadu Dejene through the line in 1:51.83 with Great Britain’s Adam Cotton winner in heat 1 was the only other sub1:52 of the day.
Kenya’s Nicholas Kiplangat Kipkoech and Peter Langat Kiplangat easily advanced to the second round and will try and conquer their country’s third consecutive title in the history of the event.
Octathlon begins
After two events in the boys’ Octathlon, Russia’s Maksim Fayzulin, who is the World Youth leader with 6163 points lies in first position with a good 10.96 in the 100 and a below par 7.13 in the Long Jump for a score of 1715 points. The Russian could not find his momentum in the second event finding himself more than 30 centimetres off his best mark.
It wasn’t a good morning for Cuba’s Lazaro Romero who currently stands in 13th position. The strongly built 17-year-old clocked 11.61 in the 100 and jumped 6.68 for a total of 1469 points and will have to be at his best if he wants to be in the mix for a medal.
France’s Kevin Mayer who had the best result of the field in the Long Jump with 7.24 is currently in second at 1664 points with Germany’s Steffen Klink in third 8 points adrift.
Laura Arcoleo for the IAAF
