Yohannis 9:15.81 U20WL
EUGENE (USA, Aug 7): Steeplechase (senior) African bronze medallist Almaz Yohannis clocked a new U20 world lead of 9:15.81 when winning the women’s 3000m steeplechase at the World U20 Champs. She gradually began to pull away from her rivals in the final km and won convincingly ahead of fellow Ethiopian Wosane Asefa (9:30.50), Kenya’s Anatasha Cheptoo (9:37.18), Majken Soderlund Larsson of Sweden (9:48.01 U20EL/NR) and European U20 medallist Ema Berková of Czechia (9:49.06 U20NR). Favored African silver medallist Mercy Chepngeno Koskey of Kenya started to lose ground at 2000m and retired later.
In the second women’s final of the day, European U20 medallist Anastazja Kus of Poland won the 400m in 51.06 U20NR from US Ataja Stephens-Vazquez (51.36), Tianna Springer of Guyana (51.76) and Slovakia’s Lenka Gymerská (52.37 U20NR).
Shanoya Douglas in 22.53 (0.5), 100m champion Mia Maxwell in 22.87 (1.2) with Italy’s Margherita Castellani third (22.99 U20NR), and Oghene Oyibu of Nigeria in 23.13 (0.3) won the 200m semifinals.
In the 100m hurdles, semi wins for Tumi Ramokgopa of South Africa in 13.02 (0.5), Jamaica’s Tiana Marshall 13.02 (0.1) and Daryl Ndasi of Germany 13.10 (0.9) PB, while American Paige Sheppard was the fastest in the 800m semifinals with 2:01.97.