The US team blazed to the fastest U20 mixed 4x400m in history, running 3:15.31 in front of a passionate home crowd at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Wednesday (5).
At the end of an action-packed first day of competition at Hayward Field, the quartet of Joshua Shelton, Taylor-Nicole Overton, Jaelen Hunter and Olivia Harris combined to take more than two seconds off the previous best of 3:17.69 achieved by another US team at the 2022 edition of the World U20 Championships in Cali.
Linda Botková took Czechia from sixth to second with a powerful anchor leg, crossing the finish line in 3:18.16, while the Australian team clinched bronze in 3:18.45 – both national U20 records that respectively move them to third and fourth on the world U20 all-time list.
Kenya’s Frankline Kibet and Uganda’s Charity Cherop enjoyed a golden return to the USA. Kibet added a world U20 5000m title to the world U20 cross-country crown he claimed in Tallahassee in January, while Cherop clinched her first global gold to go with her world U20 cross-country bronze from Tallahassee and the 5000m silver she secured in Lima two years ago.
Kibet clocked 13:28.27 to lead a Kenyan top two ahead of Nehemiah Kipngeno (13:30.09), while Cherop ran 15:07.91 to win ahead of Ethiopia’s Shito Gumi (15:07.91).
Brazil’s Alessandro Borges managed the throw of his life to win the shot put. With 20.35m he got the gold ahead of Korea’s Park Si-hoon (20.31m).
More to follow…
