Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 at Hayward Field will feature some of the fastest under-20 sprinters globally, competing in the 100m, 200m, and 400m events for both men and women.
In the women’s 100m, Jamaica’s Shanoya Douglas is the only athlete with a personal best under 11 seconds, clocking 10.98 seconds in Kingston earlier this year. Douglas, undefeated this season and a prior multi-title winner including the 4x100m relay at the 2022 World U20 Championships in Lima, aims for multiple golds in Oregon. Her main rivals include US Maxwell twins, Mia and Mariah, who placed first and second at the US U20 Championships.
Other notable women sprinters are Guyana’s Athaleyha Hinckson, who set a South American U20 60m record in February, Switzerland’s Xenia Buri, and Italy’s 16-year-old Kelly Doualla, who recently claimed the European U18 title.
On the men’s side, Jamaica’s Gary Card leads the 100m field, having posted 9.93 seconds this season, a national U20 record and joint third on the world U20 all-time list. The USA’s Tate Taylor and South Africa’s Marko Ferreira have personal bests of 10.04 seconds. Taylor, who also won gold in both the 100m and 200m at the US U20 Championships, will be competing on familiar ground. Great Britain’s Jake Odey-Jordan, a previous 200m bronze medalist, is also among the top contenders.
In the women’s 200m, Shanoya Douglas holds the Jamaican U20 record with a time of 22.11 seconds set at the CARIFTA Games and is ranked joint third on the world U20 all-time list. The Maxwell twins are again among her strongest competition.