The IAAF World U20 Championships in 2018

Welcome, fans of athletics! We are pleased to present you with this website dedicated to the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships, which recently ended. The championship, held in Tampere, Finland, between 10 and 15 July 2018, left us with many positive emotions and you’ve watched it, then you know what we mean!

Background of the Organization and the Championship

Let us first explain what the IAAF World Championship is. IAAF stands for “International Amateur Athletic Federation”. The federation was founded on 17 July 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden, after the closing ceremony of the 1912 Summer Olympics.

The IAAF is responsible for regulating the sport of track and field athletics. Its governing body assembles national associations of more than 160 countries. It aims to bring together all nations by encouraging cooperation and ensuring that no country or individual competitor is discriminated against. The IAAF is also responsible for ratifying and collecting all the world records in track and field athletics.

Naturally, the biggest competition held by the IAAF is the World Championship. In this case, we are talking about the championship featuring athletes who have not yet turned 20 (U20). The competitors in the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships could be born no earlier than 1 January 1999.

The IAAF World U20 Championships has been held since 1986, with the first host being Greece. Each competitor represents their country of birth and in the end, the country with the highest number of medals (favouring gold), similar to the Olympics, is crowned champion. A total of 156 nations plus 2 teams took part in the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships, 39 of which were awarded medals.

Sports at 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships

These were all the disciplines at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships:

• 100 m
• 200 m
• 400 m
• 800 m
• 1500 m
• 3000 m SC (or steeplechase)
• 3000 m (women only)
• 5000 m
• 10,000 m (men only)
• 100 m hurdles (women only)
• 110 m hurdles (men only)
• 400 m hurdles
• 4 x 100 m relay
• 4 x 400 m relay
• 10,000 m walk
• High jump
• Pole vault
• Long jump
• Triple jump
• Shot put (6 kg)
• Discus throw (1.750 kg)
• Hammer throw (6 kg)
• Javelin throw
• Decathlon (men only)
• Heptathlon (women only)

As usual, the events were segregated by sex and they had different qualifying requirements, with some even having different objectives. Next, there are three phases that a sport might have – qualification, heats, semi-finals, and final. Generally, there isn’t a sport that features all these phases; most sports feature a combination of two or three phases, while some only have one.

100 m

The 100-metre race final for men was held on 11 July after a heats phase on 10 July and a semi-final held earlier on 11 July. Lalu Mohammed Zohri (Indonesia) won the golden medal with time 10.18 seconds. The silver medalist is Anthony Schwartz (United States) with time 10.22 (.211) seconds. Eric Harrison, the other American contender, won bronze with time 10.22 (.220) seconds.

The 100-metre final women similarly had three phases, with the final being on 12 July. The big winner was Briana Williams (Jamaica) with time 11.16 seconds. Next was Twanisha Terry (United States) with time 11.19 seconds, while Kristal Awuah (GB) finished third with time 11.37 seconds. Curiously, just like in the men’s race, the silver medalist won the semi-final, but then finished second in the final itself.

200 m

The 200-metre final for men was held on 13 July after a heats and a semi-final phase. The race was dominated by Great Britain, which produced the golden and silver medalist. Jona Efoloko (GB) won with time 20.48 seconds, while Charles Dobson (GB) finished with time 20.57 seconds. Eric Harrison (United States) won third place with time 20.79 seconds.

The 200-metre final for men took place on 14 July. Briana Williams (Jamaica) won this race as well with time 22.50 seconds. The silver medalist was Lauren Rain Williams (United States) with time 23.09 seconds, while the bronze medalist Martyna Kotwila (Poland) finished with time 23.21 seconds.

400 m

The 400-metre final for men occurred on 13 July right after the heats and semi-final phases. The big winner was Jonathan Sacoor (Belgium) who won with time 45.03 seconds. Next was Christopher Taylor (Jamaica) with 45.38 seconds. The bronze medalist was Chantz Sawyers (Jamaica) with time 45.89 seconds.

The 400-metre final for women was held on 12 July. Hima Das from India dominated the three phases, winning every single one. She finished with time 51.46 seconds in the final. The silver medalist was Andrea Miklos (Romania) with 52.07 seconds, while the bronze – Taylor Manson (United States) with 52.28 seconds.

800 m

The 800-metre men’s final was held on 15 July after the heats and semi-finals. Solomon Lekuta (Kenya) won the race with time 1:46.35 minutes. Another Kenyan Ngeno Kipngetich won second place with 1:45.54 minutes, while Eliott Crestan (Belgium) won third place with 1:47.27 minutes.

The 800-metre women’s final took place on 12 July. Diribe Welteji (Ethiopia) won the race in 1:59.74 minutes. Carley Thomas (Australia) finished second in 2:01.13 minutes, while Delia Sclabas (Switzerland) finished third in 2:01.29 minutes.

1500 m

The 1500-metre final for men occurred on 12 July after the heats phase. George Meitamei Manangoi (Kenya) won the golden metal with time 3:41.71 minutes. The silver medalist was Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) with 3:41.89 minutes. Finally, the bronze medalist was Justus Soget (Kenya) with 3:42.14 minutes.

The 1500-metre final for women was held on 15 July. Alemaz Samue (Ethiopia) won the race in 4:09.67 minutes. Miriam Cherop (Kenya) came second with 4:10.73 minutes, while Delia Sclabas (Switzerland) came third with 4:11.98 minutes.

3000 m SC

The 3000-metre steeplechase final for men took place on 15 July after the heats phase. Takele Nigate (Ethiopia) took the gold medal with time 8:25.35 minutes. Leonard Kipkemoi Bett (Kenya) won silver in 8:25.39 minutes, while Getnet Wale (Ethiopia) won bronze with 8:26.16 minutes.

The 3000-metre steeplechase final for women occurred on 13 July. Celliphine Chespol (Kenya) won the race in 9:12.78 minutes. Peruth Chemutai (Uganda) won silver with time 9:18.87 minutes. Finally, Winfred Mutile Yavi (Bahrain) won bronze with time 9:23.47 minutes.

3000 m (women only)

The 3000-metre women’s final took place on 11 July; there was no previous phase. Nozomi Tanaka (Japan) won the race in 8:54.01 minutes. Meselu Berhe (Ethiopia) won second place with time 8:56.39 minutes, while Tsigie Gebreselama (Ethiopia) got third place with 8:59.20 minutes.

5000 m

The 5000-metre men’s final occurred on 14 July with no previous phase. Edward Zakayo Pingua (Kenya) won a golden medal with time 13:20.16 minutes. Stanley Waithaka Mburu (Kenya) won a silver medal with time 13:20.57 minutes, while Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) won bronze with time 13:20.78 minutes.

The 5000-metre women’s final occurred on 10 July. Beatrice Chebet (Kenya) won the race in 15:30.77 minutes. Ejgayehu Taye (Ethiopia) earned second place with time 15:30.87 minutes and Girmawit Gebrzihair (Ethiopia) earned third place with time 15:34.01 minutes.

10,000 m (men only)

The 10,000-metre men’s final took place on 10 July without any previous phase. It was won by Rhonex Kipruto (Kenya) who finished in 27:21.08 minutes. The silver medalist Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda) finished in 27:40.36 minutes and the bronze medalist Berihu Aregawi (Ethiopia) finished in 27:48.41minutes.

100 m hurdles (women only)

The 100-metre hurdles final for women occurred on 15 July after heats and a semi-final. The race was highly contested as both Tia Jones (United States) and Brittany Anderson (Jamaica) finished for the exact same time of 13.01 (.002) seconds. The judges, however, chose Tia Jones as the winner after reviewing the photo finish. Courtney Jones (United States) came third with time 13.19 seconds.

110 m hurdles (men only)

The 110-metre hurdles final for men took place on 12 July. Jamaica won big in this event with Damion Thomas winning gold in 13.16 seconds, and Orlando Bennett winning silver in 13.33 seconds. The bronze medalist was Shunsuke Izumiya (Japan) with time 13.38 seconds.

400 m hurdles

The 400-metre hurdles men’s final was held on 14 July after the heats and semi-final phases. Sokwakhana Zazini (South Africa) finished first in 49.42 seconds. Bassem Hemeida (Qatar) finished second in 49.59 seconds, while Alison dos Santos (Brazil) finished third in 49.78 seconds.

The 400-metre hurdles women’s final was held on 13 July. The winner of the race was Zenéy van der Walt (South Africa) who finished in 55.34 seconds. Shiann Salmon (Jamaica) got second place with time 56.11 seconds and Yasmin Giger (Switzerland) got third place with time 56.98 seconds.

4 x 100 m relay

The 4 x 100 m relay final for men occurred on 14 July after the heats. The American team, consisting of Eric Harrison, Anthony Schwartz, Austin Kratz and Micah Williams, came first with time 38.88 seconds. The Jamaican team, consisting of Xavier Nairne, Christopher Taylor, Jhevaughn Matherson and Michael Stephens, came second with time 38.96 seconds. The German team, consisting of Lucas Ansah-Peprah, Marvin Schulte, Milo Skupin-Alfa and Luis Brandner, finished third with 39.22 seconds.

The 4 x 100 m relay final for women occurred on 14 July. The German team, made up of Victoria Dönicke, Corinna Schwab, Sophia Junk and Denise Uphoff, won gold with time 43.82 seconds. Second came the Irish team, made up of Molly Scott, Gina Akpe-Moses, Ciara Neville and Patience Jumbo-Gula, with time 43.90 seconds. And third came the British team, made up of Kristal Awuah, Alisha Rees, Georgina Adam and Ebony Carr, with time 44.05 seconds.

4 x 400 m relay

The 4 x 400 m relay final for men took place on 15 July after heats. The event was won by the Italian team, comprising of Klaudio Gjetja, Andrea Romani, Alessandro Sibilio and Edoardo Scotti , in 3:04.05 minutes. The American team, comprising of Elija Godwin, Nicholas Ramey, Justin Robinson and Howard Fields, came second with time 3:05.26 minutes. The British team, comprising of Alex Haydock-Wilson, Joseph Brier, Alastair Chalmers and Alex Knibbs, won bronze with time 3:05.64 minutes.

The 4 x 400 m relay final for women took place on 15 July. The American team, comprising of Symone Mason, Shae Anderson, Julia Madubuike, Taylor Manson, won gold in 3:28.74 minutes. The Australian team, comprising of Ella Connolly, Cara Jardine, Jemima Russell, Carley Thomas, came second with time 3:31.36 minutes, while the Jamaican team, comprising of Janielle Josephs, Stacey-Ann Williams, Shiann Salmon, Calisha Taylor, came third with time 3:31.90 minutes.

10,000 m walk

The 10,000-metre walk men’s final was held on 14 July without previous phases. Yao Zhang (China) won gold in 40:32.06 minutes. David Hurtado (Ecuador) won silver in 40:32.06 minutes and José Ortiz (Guatemala) won bronze in 40:45.26 minutes.

The 10,000-metre walk women’s final was held on 14 July. Alegna González (Mexico) won gold in 44:13.88 minutes. Meryem Bekmez (Turkey) won silver in 44:17.69 minutes and Glenda Morejón (Ecuador) won bronze in 44:19.40 minutes.

High jump

The high jump final for men was held on 14 July after a qualification phase. Four athletes jumped exactly 2.23 m. Two of them, Antonios Merlos (Greece) and Roberto Vílches (Mexico), tied for first place. The next two, JuVaughn Blake (United States) and Breyton Poole (South Africa), tied for bronze.

The high jump final for women was held on 15 July. Karyna Taranda (Belarus) won gold after jumping 1.92 m. Second came Sommer Lecky (Ireland) with a 1.90 m jump. Finally, María Fernanda Murillo (Colombia) got bronze for her 1.90 m jump.

Pole vault

The men’s pole vault final took place on 14 July after a qualification phase. Armand Duplantis (Sweden) won gold by hitting the 5.82 m mark. Both Zachery Bradford (United States) and Masaki Ejima (Japan) hit the 5.55 m mark with the former winning silver and the latter – bronze.

The women’s pole vault final took place on 12 July. Amálie Švábíková (Czech Republic) won gold by hitting the 4.51 m mark. Both Lisa Gunnarsson (Sweden) and Alice Moindrot (France) hit the 4.35 m mark with the former winning silver.

Long jump

The men’s long jump final took place on 11 July after qualifications. Yuki Hashioka (Japan) won first place after jumping 8.03 m. Maikel Vidal (Cuba) won second place with 7.99 m, and Wayne Pinnock (Jamaica) won third with 7.90 m.

The women’s long jump final took place on 13 July. Lea-Jasmin Riecke (Germany) got the gold with her 6.51 m jump. Ayaka Kora (Japan) came second with her 6.37 m jump, while Tara Davis (United States) came third with a 6.36 m jump.

Triple jump

The men’s triple jump final occurred on 14 July after qualifications. Jordan Díaz (Cuba) won gold after hitting the 17.15 m mark. Martin Lamou (France) won silver by hitting the 16.44 m and Jonathan Seremes (France) won bronze after his 16.18 m.

The women’s triple jump occurred on 15 July after qualifications. Aleksandra Nacheva (Bulgaria) struck gold by hitting the 14.18 m mark. Mirieli Santos (Brazil) came second with 13.81 m, and Davisleydi Velazco (Cuba) came third with 13.78 m.

Shot put

The men’s shot put final was held on 10 July after qualifications. Kyle Blignaut (South Africa) won gold after hitting the 22.07 m mark. The silver medalist was Adrian Piperi (United States) who hit the 22.06 m mark, while the bronze medalist was Odysseas Mouzenidis (Greece) who hit the 21.07 m mark.

The women’s shot put final was held on 11 July. Maddi Wesche (New Zealand) won gold with 17.09 m. Both Zhang Linru (China) and Jorinde van Klinken (Netherlands) both hit the 17.05 m, with the former winning silver.

Discus throw

The discus throw men’s final occurred on 15 July after qualifications. Kai Chang (Jamaica) won gold by hitting 62.36 m. Yauheni Bahutski (Belarus) won silver with 61.75 m and Claudio Romero (Chile) won bronze with 60.81 m.

The discus throw women’s final occurred on 12 July. Alexandra Emelianova (Moldova) won gold by reaching 57.89 m. Helena Leveelahti (Finland) got silver with 56.80 m and Silinda Morales (Cuba) got bronze with 55.37 m.

Hammer throw

The hammer throw men’s final was held on 13 July after qualifications. Jake Norris (Great Britain) won gold after reaching 80.65 m. Mykhaylo Kokhan (Ukraine) came second with 79.68 m, while Mykhailo Havryliuk (Ukraine) came third with 77.71 m.

The hammer throw women’s final was held on 14 July. Camryn Rogers (Canada) got the gold after hitting 64.90 m. Alyssa Wilson (United States) won silver with 64.45 m and Yaritza Martínez (Cuba) won bronze with 63.82 m.

Javelin throw

The javelin throw men’s final occurred on 14 July after qualifications. Nash Lowis (Australia) won after hitting 75.31 m. Tzuriel Pedigo (United States) won silver with 73.76 m and Maurice Voigt (Germany) won bronze with 73.44 m.

The javelin throw women’s final occurred on 11 July. Alina Shukh (Ukraine) won with 55.95 m. Tomoka Kuwazoe (Japan) got silver with 55.66 m and Dana Baker (United States) got bronze with 55.04 m.

Decathlon

The man’s decathlon took place on 10 and 10 July. It’s a point-based event, which was won by Ashley Moloney (Australia). The silver medalist was Gary Haasbroek (Australia) and the bronze medalist – Simon Ehammer (Switzerland).

Heptathlon

The women’s heptathlon took place on 12 and 13 July. The big winner was Niamh Emerson (Great Britain), followed by Sarah Lagger (Austria) and Adrianna Sułek (Poland).

Top Countries

We discussed the winners in each event and now it’s time to give you the top 5 countries based on the number of medals:

1. Kenya: 6 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze
2. Jamaica:4 Gold, 5 Silver, 3 Bronze
3. United States: 3 Gold, 8 Silver, 7 Bronze
4. Ethiopia: 3 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze
5. Great Britain: 3 Gold, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze