World Athletics U20 Championships Biennial championships by World Athletics
The final of the 3000m steeplechase at the 2008 Championships in Poland.
The World Athletics U20 Championships is a biennial world championships for the sport of athletics organised by the World Athletics , contested by athletes in the under-20 athletics age category (19 years old or younger on 31 December in the year of the competition.[ 1] [ 2]
The competition was launched as the IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics in 1986 and renamed to IAAF World U20 Championships in November 2015. The current name was adapted with the name change of the sports governing body in 2019.
Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby is the most successful athlete at the championships, having won one gold and four silver in individual and relay sprinting events between 2000 and 2004. Chris Nelloms , Davidson Ezinwa and Dexter Lee share the position of most successful male athlete, at four medals each.[ 3]
Championships
The 2016 Championships were due to be held in Kazan , Russia before the IAAF's suspension of the All-Russia Athletic Federation , which prohibits Russia from hosting international competitions. The championships were relocated as a result.[ 2] [ 4]
All-time medal table
As of 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships .
Championships records
This section needs to be updated . Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2022 )
Men
Event
Record
Athlete
Nation
Date
Meet
Place
Age
Ref.
100 m
9.91 A (+0.8 m/s ) WU20R
Letsile Tebogo
Botswana
2 August 2022
2022 Championships
Cali , Colombia
19 years, 56 days
[ 5]
200 m
19.96 A (−1.0 m/s )
Blessing Afrifah
Israel
4 August 2022
2022 Championships
Cali , Colombia
18 years, 282 days
[ 6]
Letsile Tebogo
Botswana
19 years, 58 days
400 m
44.58 A
Anthony Pesela
Botswana
21 August 2021
2021 Championships
Nairobi , Kenya
19 years, 73 days
[ 7]
800 m
1:43.76 A
Emmanuel Wanyonyi
Kenya
22 August 2021
2021 Championships
Nairobi , Kenya
[ 8]
1500 m
3:35.53
Abdalaati Iguider
Morocco
15 July 2004
2004 Championships
Grosseto , Italy
3000 m
7:42.09 A
Tadese Worku
Ethiopia
18 August 2021
2021 Championships
Nairobi , Kenya
[ 9]
5000 m
13:08.57
Abreham Cherkos
Ethiopia
13 July 2008
2008 Championships
Bydgoszcz , Poland
110 m hurdles (0.99 m)
12.72 A (+1.0 m/s ) WJR
Sasha Zhoya
France
21 August 2021
2021 Championships
Nairobi , Kenya
[ 10]
400 m hurdles
48.51
Kerron Clement
United States
16 July 2004
2004 Championships
Grosseto , Italy
3000 m steeplechase
8:06.10
Conseslus Kipruto
Kenya
15 July 2012
2012 Championships
Barcelona , Spain
[ 11]
High jump
2.37 m WJR
Dragutin Topić
Yugoslavia
12 August 1990
1990 Championships
Plovdiv , Bulgaria
Steve Smith
Great Britain
20 September 1992
1992 Championships
Seoul , South Korea
Pole vault
5.82 m
Armand Duplantis
Sweden
14 July 2018
2018 Championships
Tampere , Finland
[ 12]
Long jump
8.20 m (+1.4 m/s )
James Stallworth
United States
9 August 1990
1990 Championships
Plovdiv , Bulgaria
Triple jump
17.27 m A (±0.0 m/s )
Jaydon Hibbert
Jamaica
5 August 2022
2022 Championships
Cali , Colombia
17 years, 200 days
[ 13]
Shot put (6 kg)
22.20 m
Jacko Gill
New Zealand
11 July 2012
2012 Championships
Barcelona , Spain
22.30 m X
Andrei Toader
Romania
19 July 2016
2016 Championships
Bydgoszcz , Poland
[ 14]
23.34 m X[ 15]
Konrad Bukowiecki
Poland
19 July 2016
2016 Championships
Bydgoszcz , Poland
[ 16]
Discus throw (1.75 kg)
69.81 m A
Mykolas Alekna
Lithuania
22 August 2021
2021 Championships
Nairobi , Kenya
[ 17]
Hammer throw (6 kg)
85.57 m WJR
Ashraf Amgad Elseify
Qatar
14 July 2012
2012 Championships
Barcelona , Spain
[ 18]
Javelin throw
86.48 m WJR
Neeraj Chopra
India
23 July 2016
2016 Championships
Bydgoszcz , Poland
[ 19]
Decathlon
8425 pts
Tomas Järvinen
Czech Republic
29–30 August 2024
2024 Championships
Lima , Peru
18 years, 314 days
[ 20]
100 m (wind)
Long jump (wind)
Shot put
High jump
400 m
110 m h (wind)
Discus
Pole vault
Javelin
1500 m
10.82 (−0.2 m/s )
7.66 m (+1.5 m/s )
13.54 m (6 kg)
2.12 m
48.88
13.78 (−0.2 m/s ) (0.99 m)
49.18 m (1.750 kg)
4.60 m
55.79 m
4:29.78
10,000 m walk (track)
39:24.85
Rayen Cherni
Tunisia
30 August 2024
2024 Championships
Lima , Peru
17 years, 303 days
[ 21]
4 × 100 m relay
38.51 A WU20R
Mihlali Xhotyeni Sinesipho Dambile Letlhogonolo Moleyane Benjamin Richardson
South Africa
22 August 2021
2021 Championships
Nairobi , Kenya
[ 22]
4 × 400 m relay
3:01.09 WJR
Brandon Johnson LaShawn Merritt Jason Craig Kerron Clement
United States
18 July 2004
2004 Championships
Grosseto , Italy
Decathlon disciplines
Event
Record
Score
Athlete
Nation
Date
Meet
Place
Age
Ref.
100 m
10.51 (−0.3 m/s )
973 pts
Ashley Moloney
Australia
10 July 2018
2018 Championships
Tampere , Finland
18 years, 119 days
[ 23]
Long jump
7.74 m (+1.2 m/s )
995 pts
Cedric Dubler
Australia
22 July 2014
2014 Championships
Eugene , United States
19 years, 190 days
Shot put (6 kg)
16.51 m
883 pts
Yordanis García
Cuba
16 August 2006
2006 Championships
Beijing , China
17 years, 268 days
[ 24]
High jump
2.15 m
Attila Zsivoczky
Hungary
21 August 1996
1996 Championships
Sydney , Australia
19 years, 114 days
400 m
46.86
965 pts
Ashley Moloney
Australia
10 July 2018
2018 Championships
Tampere , Finland
18 years, 119 days
[ 25]
110 m hurdles (0.99 m)
13.74 (−0.3 m/s )
1008 pts
Ayden Owens
Puerto Rico
11 July 2018
2018 Championships
Tampere , Finland
18 years, 44 days
[ 26]
Discus throw (1.750 kg)
51.67 m
905 pts
Santiago Ford
Cuba
20 July 2016
2016 Championships
Bydgoszcz , Poland
Pole vault
5.00 m
910 pts
Ilya Shkurenyov
Russia
21 July 2010
2010 Championships
Moncton , Canada
19 years, 191 days
Mathias Ako
France
23 July 2014
2014 Championships
Eugene , United States
Javelin throw
71.59 m
914 pts
Niklas Kaul
Germany
20 July 2016
2016 Championships
Bydgoszcz , Poland
18 years, 160 days
[ 27]
1500 m
4:21.35
802 pts
Kevin Mayer
France
21 July 2010
2010 Championships
Moncton , Canada
18 years, 161 days
Defunct events
Women
Event
Record
Athlete
Nation
Date
Meet
Place
Age
Ref.
100 m
10.95 A (−0.1 m/s )
Tina Clayton
Jamaica
3 August 2022
2022 Championships
Cali , Colombia
17 years, 351 days
[ 30]
200 m
21.84 A (+1.1 m/s )
Christine Mboma
Namibia
21 August 2021
2021 Championships
Nairobi , Kenya
[ 31]
400 m
50.50
Ashley Spencer
United States
13 July 2012
2012 Championships
Barcelona , Spain
[ 32]
800 m
1:59.13 A
Roisin Willis
United States
3 August 2022
2022 Championships
Cali , Colombia
17 years, 362 days
[ 33]
1500 m
4:04.27 A
Birke Haylom
Ethiopia
6 August 2022
2022 Championships
Cali , Colombia
16 years, 212 days
[ 34]
3000 m
8:41.76
Beyenu Degefa
Ethiopia
20 July 2016
2016 Championships
Bydgoszcz , Poland
[ 35]
5000 m
14:39.71
Medina Eisa
Ethiopia
27 August 2024
2024 Championships
Lima , Peru
19 years, 237 days
[ 36]
100 m hurdles
12.77 A (+0.2 m/s )
Kerrica Hill
Jamaica
6 August 2022
2022 Championships
Cali , Colombia
17 years, 153 days
[ 37]
400 m hurdles
54.70
Lashinda Demus
United States
19 July 2002
2002 Championships
Kingston , Jamaica
3000 m steeplechase
9:12.71
Sembo Almayew
Ethiopia
29 August 2024
2024 Championships
Lima , Peru
19 years, 218 days
[ 38]
High jump
2.00 m
Alina Astafei
Romania
29 July 1988
1988 Championships
Sudbury , Canada
Pole vault
4.55 m
Angelica Moser
Switzerland
21 July 2016
2016 Championships
Bydgoszcz , Poland
[ 39]
Long jump
6.82 m (+1.7 m/s )
Fiona May
Great Britain
30 July 1988
1988 Championships
Sudbury , Canada
Triple jump
14.62 m (+1.0 m/s ) WJR
Tereza Marinova
Bulgaria
25 August 1996
1996 Championships
Sydney , Australia
Shot put
18.76 m
Cheng Xiaoyan
China
21 July 1994
1994 Championships
Lisbon , Portugal
Discus throw
68.24 m
Ilke Wyludda
East Germany
31 July 1988
1988 Championships
Sudbury , Canada
Hammer throw
71.64 m A
Silja Kosonen
Finland
21 August 2021
2021 Championships
Nairobi , Kenya
[ 40]
Javelin throw
63.52 m A
Adriana Vilagoš
Serbia
2 August 2022
2022 Championships
Cali , Colombia
18 years, 212 days
[ 41]
Heptathlon
6470 pts
Carolina Klüft
Sweden
19–20 July 2002
2002 Championships
Kingston , Jamaica
100m H (wind)
High jump
Shot put
200m (wind)
Long jump (wind)
Javelin
800m
13.53 (+1.2 m/s )
1.92 m
12.18 m
23.81 (+0.2 m/s )
6.19 m (+0.0 m/s )
46.83 m
2:13.55
10,000 m walk (track)
42:47.25 WJR
Anežka Drahotová
Czech Republic
23 July 2014
2014 Championships
Eugene , United States
[ 42]
4 × 100 m relay
42.59 A WU20R
Serena Cole Tina Clayton Kerrica Hill Tia Clayton
Jamaica
5 August 2022
2022 Championships
Cali , Colombia
18 years, 40 days 17 years, 353 days 17 years, 352 days
[ 43]
4 × 400 m relay
3:27.60 WJR
Alexandria Anderson Ashlee Kidd Stephanie Smith Natasha Hastings
United States
18 July 2004
2004 Championships
Grosseto , Italy
Heptathlon disciplines
Defunct event
Mixed
Disqualifications
Doping
Several athletes have been stripped of medals due to doping.[ 3]
Age falsification
Two athletes subsequently lost their medals as a result of fraudulently misstating their age on official documents: Bahrain's 2006 steeplechase silver medallist Tareq Mubarak Taher and Morocco's Ahmed Baday (1998 5000 metres bronze). In addition to this, later analysis of Moses Kiptanui 's age when having won the 1990 1500m showed he was marginally over age (aged 19 years, 315 days) at the time of his victory, though this result has not been rescinded.[ 3]
Title defenses
Given the age limitations on the competition it is rare that athletes get the opportunity to defend previous individual titles. A total of 22 athletes have managed this feat, eight of them men and fourteen women.[ 3] In addition to this Anita Weyermann won the 3000 m title after taking the 1500 m title two years earlier.
Doubles
A total of fifteen athletes have won two individual titles at the same championships (nine men, six women). The majority of these are sprint or long-distance combinations, although Andrew Howe (200 m and long jump), Margus Hunt (discus throw and shot put) and Morgan Lake (high jump and heptathlon) managed to win novel doubles.[ 3] Many others achieved a double between an individual victory and being a member of a winning relay team.
Men
Athlete
Nation
Events
Year
Peter Chumba
Kenya
5000 metres, 10,000 metres
1986
Ato Boldon
Trinidad and Tobago
100 metres, 200 metres
1992
Haile Gebrselassie
Ethiopia
5000 metres, 10,000 metres
1992
Daniel Komen
Kenya
5000 metres, 10,000 metres
1994
Francis Obikwelu
Nigeria
100 metres, 200 metres
1996
Assefa Mezgebu
Ethiopia
5000 metres, 10,000 metres
1996
Christian Malcolm
United Kingdom
100 metres, 200 metres
1998
Andrew Howe
Italy
200 metres, long jump
2004
Margus Hunt
Estonia
Discus throw, shot put
2006
Bayanda Walaza
South Africa
100 metres, 200 metres
2024
See also
References
External links
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