Beckmon Finishes Second In Close Matchup With Australia's Delta Amidzovski; Alana Reid Beats Adaejah Hodge In Women's 100; Bayanda Walaza Edges Puripol Boonson For Men's 100 Gold

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

World Athletics Photos

Sophia Beckmon successfully secured the first medal for the United States on the second day of the World Athletics U20 Championships on Wednesday in Lima, Peru, earning silver in the women’s long jump.

The former Oregon City High standout and now an All-Big Ten performer for the University of Illinois hit a mark of 21 feet, 5.50 inches (6.54m) in the fifth round to take home her first global medal. She is the reigning NACAC U23 champion from 2023.

Beckmon, who qualified for the U.S. U20 team in 2022 but did not make the trip to Cali, Colombia, had something to prove in Lima. She was four centimeters behind Australia’s Delta Amidzovski, who jumped a lifetime best 21-7.25 (6.58m) to win the competition. Her best jump also came in the fifth round.

In the lone track finals of the day, Jamaica’s Alana Reid and South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza won their respective 100-meter finals.

Reid out lasted Montverde Academy FL standout Adajaeh Hodge, representing the British Virgin Islands, in the women’s final in 11.17 to 11.27 to secure gold.

Walaza held off Thailand’s Puripol Boonson in the men’s final by a margin of 10.19 to 10.22. Walaza’s teammate Bradley Nkoana finished in bronze position in 10.26.

Bingyang Han and Jingru Huang of China went 1-2 in the women’s discus final, with Han winning with a throw of 188-10 (57.57m) and Huang throwing 185-3 (56.47m) for second.

Gracelyn Leiseth (Florida) threw 173-5 (52.87m) to finish fifth and Reese Garland (USC) took home ninth with 165-10 (50.56m) for the U.S.

Croatia’s Jana Koščak dominated the women’s heptathlon competition en route to capturing gold, scoring 5,807 points with six event wins. 

Abigail Elmore, a recent grad of Gunter TX headed to Florida, scored 5,052 points to finish 13th for the U.S.

U.S. in Qualifying Rounds

In the 400, Jayden Davis (Arizona State) and Sidi Njie (Westlake GA) safely advanced through the qualifying round on the men’s side and Zaya Akins (South Carolina) and Michaela Mouton (Houston) followed the same trajectory through their qualifying round on the women’s side.

With the semifinals continuing in the afternoon, all four managed to advance on to their respective finals, with Davis running 45.79 and Njie running 46.56 to first and third overall in the men’s semifinals and Akins running 52.11 and Mouton running 52.72 to finish third and seventh overall in the women’s semifinals.

Jasmine Robinson (North Cobb GA) and Braelyn Baker (Bear Creek WA/Duke) both finished second in their respective heats of the women’s 400-meter hurdle qualifying round to advance to the semis, with Robinson running 58.25 in heat one and Baker running 59.31 in heat three.

Vance Nilsson (Gilbert AZ/Florida) and Premier Wynn (Norfolk State) advanced on in the men’s 400 hurdles, with Nilsson winning heat four in 51.98 and Wynn finishing second in 51.89 in heat five.

BYU teammates Carter Cutting and Wyatt Haughton both advanced in to their respective distance finals, with Cutting running 3:44.95 in the men’s 1,500 to finish fourth in his qualifying heat and Haughton secured a spot into the men’s 3,000 steeplechase final, finishing third in his heat in 8:59.09.

Dylan McElhinney (Hunter College NY) cruised to a 4:21.74 effort through her semifinal heat of the women’s 1,500 to make the final. Rachel Forsyth, a recent graduate of Ann Arbor Pioneer MI who competes for Canada, ran 4:20.85 for the second-fastest time of the three semis. 

Tito Alofe (Harvard) and Scottie Vines (De Beque CO/Colorado) both cleared 6-11.50 (2.12m) to advance to the men’s high jump final.

Bryce Barkdull (Andover Central KS/Kansas) and Victor Olesen (St. Christopher’s VA) safely moved on to the final of the men’s pole vault, with both clearing 16-8.75 (5.10m).

Evelyn Bliss (Bucknell) and Alysa Keller (BYU) both earned spots into the women’s javelin final after finishing seventh and 12th, respectively, in the qualifying rounds, with Bliss throwing 167-0 (50.92m) and Keller throwing 160-2 (48.83m).