Thursday Morning Recap: U.S. Finding Its Way In New Event At U20 Championships; Quincy Wilson, Jayden DeLeon Top Qualifiers In Men's 400; Miles Nesmith Pops Big Mark In Triple Jump; Jaslene Massey Set For Two Finals Tonight

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Keith Webber and Tim Healy

INTERVIEWS

EUGENE -- The World Athletics U20 Championships broke in a new event on Thursday, the mixed 4x100 relay, and the athletes chosen to participate were delighted to be part of it. 

First heat: World U20 record for Australia. 41.64 seconds. 

Second heat: World U20 record for Great Britain. 41.60 seconds. 

Third heat featured the United States and the quartet of Cy Lugo, Ahlayna Taylor, Nicholas Altheimer and Aster Jones was still getting used to one another, and their chemistry in the exchange zone. The team won the third semifinal in 41.82, but alas, no world record. 

The final is set for Saturday. 

Jones, a five-time Oregon state high school champion at Roosevelt in North Portland, and the other members of the team were on the roster as "relay pool," so to get an assignment like this one felt pretty good. 

"It's definitely different, but it works," Jones said. "In the short amount of practice that we've had, I feel like what we just did was not too bad, and I think during the final we'll be 10 times better."

Thursday morning's session Hayward Field saw a slight improvement in air quality index numbers (175) from Wednesday night, and the wildfire smoke is expected to dissiplate over the weekend. 

In the men's 400 meters first round, U.S. standouts Quincy Wilson and Jayden DeLeon took care of business with the two fastest times across seven heats. DeLeon ran 45.63 seconds in the fifth heat and Wilson took the seventh in 45.74. 

In qualifying for the men's triple jump final, Miles Nesmith from Memphis, Tenn., popped a big mark of 14.61m (53-10.25) to lead all of the athletes who advanced to the final. That jump was a personal best and elevated him to a tie for No. 3 on the all-time high school list. It was also the farthest jump by a U.S. prep in 22 years. 

Yevhen Zhmailo, from Lake Washington WA but competing for Ukraine, also advanced. 

Atajah Stephane-Vazquez led all of the women's 400-meter competitors across eight heats with 51.44 seconds. 

"It was the easiest 51 I've ever run," she said. 

Long Beach Wilson CA junior Clara Adams also won a heat to advance to the semifinal round. 

In the men's 400-meter hurdles first round, Miller Warme of Kamiak WA ran the fastest time with 49.88 seconds. U.S. teammate Keenen Davis also got through without and trouble with 50.97. 

Natalie Dumas and Tatum Lynn both advanced in the women's 400 hurdles. Dumas ran a leg on Team USA's prelim of the mixed 4x400 relay on Wednesday and will receive her gold medal along with the rest of the team at a ceremony later this evening. 

Jaslene Massey made it through qualification of the women's shot put and faces the daunting task tonight of competing in both the discus and shot put finals. In the shot put, she will face Jessica Oji of Penn, who represents Nigeria and took silver at last week's Commonwealth Games in Scotland. Oji threw 17.56m Thursday morning, Massey 15.99m for fifth-best. 

In the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase prelims, Soheib Dissa of Algeria, who is a freshman at Duke and grew up in Connecticut, was fifth-fastest in a personal best 8:48.60. 

Austen Carrera of the U.S. scraped into the final with the 17th spot, in 8:53.45. The other U.S. entrant, Eli Fitchen-Young, did not start. 

A sparking second day for Finland's Enni Virjonen catapulted her past Great Britain's Thea Brown with one event left tonight (the 800). Virjonen had the best long jump and javelin throw of the competition Thursday morning and has a 169 point lead over Brown with 5,353 points.

Chiora Enyinna-Okeigbo and Destiny Look are 16th and 20th with one event left.