Tate Taylor, Maxwell Twins, Mixed 4x400 Relay, 800-Meter Runners All Advance For U.S. 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Keith Webber and Tim Healy Photos

EUGENE – A handful of U.S. medal hopefuls got their first taste of international competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships under ceiling of smoky skies on Wednesday at Hayward Field. 

Tate Taylor breezed through his first-round heat of the men’s 100 meters in 10.05 seconds, fastest of anyone across eight heats. Jamaica’s Gary Card, the World U20 leader, ran 10.07.

Second American Kyler Brown won the eighth and final heat in 10.19. 

In women’s 100, twin sisters Mariah and Mia Maxwell both won heats. Mariah won third in 11.33 seconds and Mia won the sixth in 11.37. 

The U.S. will compete for a gold medal Wednesday evening in the mixed 4x400 relay team after a quartet of Joshua Shelton, Natalie Dumas, Jaelen Hunter and Olivia Harris ran a time of 3:18.86, a world-leading time in the U20 category. 

Taylor and Dumas were both elected team captains by the other members of the U.S. team. 

Paige Sheppard finished third in her heat and advanced to Friday's semifinals of the women's 800 meters with 2:06.40 and Ellie Barada also advanced with 2:06.57.

The big news coming out of the women's 800 meters was that Kenyan Nancy Jepngetich, who won the first heat, was later disqualified for cutting in before the cone. And New Zealand's Boh Ritchie, another medal contender, tripped and fell and did not finish. 

Kaleb Burroughs was the fifth and qualifier to the semifinals in his heat of the men’s 800 meters, running 1:51.77. Stepfon Dodoo also advanced with 1:53.01 in the fifth and final heat. 

“First time wearing the USA jersey, you’ve got to leave it all out there,” Burroughs said. “I felt my legs starting to get heavy in that last 100.”

Kayden Hulet advanced to the final of the men’s hammer throw with a mark of 72.83m. He was fourth in his qualifying group. 

The U.S. got one of two through in the men's shot put. Michael Kpomassy will compete in Wednesday night's final as the final qualifier. U.S. U20 champion Omar Hussein was two spots out. 

In the women's long jump, Abby Mecklenburg and Parker Coes did not make the cut for the finals. 

Javelin thrower Nolan Carey was 17th in qualifying for the men's javelin and did not advance.

Thea Brown of Great Britain leads the women’s heptathlon through two events with 2,043 points. Americans Chiora Enyinna-Okeigbo and Destiny Look are 10th and 22nd, respectively, with five events remaining.  

The air quality index in Eugene this morning showed levels of 170, which is considered unhealthy. The smoke settled into the Willamette Valley on Monday after wind blew wildfire smoke west though the Cascade Mountains. 

The air quality is expected to improve gradually throughout the week.