EUGENE – Simon Rosselli dealt with adversity in different ways over the past week.

 

The first was away from the track: Wildfires burning through his neighborhood in the Spokane area.

 

The stress also built up in the Hayward Field discus ring Sunday afternoon.

 

Trailing Estonia’s Sten-Erik Irr by almost a meter heading into the final round of the men’s discus final, the future Oregon Duck went from fifth place to world U20 champion with an American U20 record 66.39 meters (217-9) on the last day of the World Athletics U20 Championships.

 

Rosselli’s gold was the first of six medals the United States earned in the final session, which brought the team’s total to a record-breaking 24 medals, besting the Soviet Union’s record of 22 from the 1988 championships.

 

Rosselli’s clutch moment was unlike any of the others performed by his teammates. 

 

“That was a lot, that was very suspenseful for sure,” Rosselli said.

 

Not to mention he did all of this while trying to forget about what was going on back home in Spokane to focus on his competition. Rosselli’s house sat near one of three fires that caused the destruction of hundreds of homes in the greater Spokane area. Luckily, his house was spared. Some of his neighbors weren't so fortunate.

 

“That’s heavy,” said Rosselli, who knew some friends that did lose homes.

 

“Spokane has gone through a lot, but Spokane bands together, that’s what they do…things will rebound. Maybe not this year, maybe not next year, but eventually Spokane will be back.”

 

After Saturday’s qualifying round, where he only threw a one-and-done, the Mead High graduate knew there was more left in his arm. He showed it in round one with a personal best 63.32m (207-9), then an improvement of 64.16m (210-6) in round three.

 

Entering round four, he was in bronze position behind Jamaican’s Joseph Salmon and Kamari Kennedy. Then, Iir of Estonia launched a big throw.

 

The 18-year-old Iir hit a personal best 64.57m (211-10) to move into the lead, knocking Salmon, Kennedy and Rosselli down one spot. Rosselli, at that moment, was out of medal position.

 

Rosselli didn’t improve through rounds four and five but luckily stayed inside the top six to earn one final throw in round six.

 

“Every throw I just was rushing it and getting too excited,” Rosselli said. “I was really nervous going into the last throw because all I had to do differently was calm down and relax. But to calm down and relax really meant I was going to have to slow down everything going to that that last throw.”

 

Upon entering the ring for the final time, he went over to his coach, TJ Crater, in the stands. It was the first time Crater had been in the same stadium all season and not communicating instructions through Rosselli's mom.

 

“I’d go over to TJ and I do what he tells me,” Rosselli said. “I had my coach for the first time and so I just walked over to him and I said, ‘TJ, what do I need to do?’”

 

Rosselli hurried back over to the cage and went back inside one last time. And with his final chance, he let it rip.

 

The discus landed right between the 60-meter line and the championship record line of 69.81m (229-0). The board confirmed: 66.39m. He not only took the lead, he destroyed Mason Finley's 2009 American U20 record of 65.34m (214-4).

 

“I saw that the only way I can win is to break the American record,” Rosselli said.

 

He passed Irr, Salmon and Kennedy all together with one throw, and neither could respond with their last attempts. Rosselli achieved his goal of beoming a world U20 champion.

 

“I have to go do something special like I said I was going to do,” Rosselli said. “This is holding me to my word…I had to just walk out there and protect my home. I know no one can beat me in Hayward and that’s nothing but affirmed now.”

 

The mental fortitude Rosselli showed was powerful. From seeing his hometown covered in smoke and ashes, he knew a moment like winning a world U20 title would bring some light to his community.

 

“It doesn't matter if my house might be burned down or if I'm fifth place going into the sixth round,” Rosselli said. “I can overcome anything and especially inside Hayward, taking in some of that Hayward magic… No one can beat me.”

 

 

Two years after earning silver in Lima, Peru, Australia’s Izobelle Louison-Roe won her elusive gold medal in the women’s high jump with a clearance of 1.92m (6-3.50).

 

“It’s incredible,” Louison-Roe said, who also won an Oceanic title this year. “I dreamt about it as a possibility, but for it to actually happen was absolutely incredible.”

 

Louison-Roe’s clearance sheet was perfect from her first attempt at 1.75m (6-0.75), all the way to her winning height before bowing out at 1.94m (6-4.25).

 

“I was really happy with my comp because I was getting those first attempt clearances, which you always want,” Louison-Roe said.

 

Louison-Roe was one of three women in the competition to clear 1.90m, with the rest of the podium featuring Lillian Batori of Hungary in silver and Spain’s Aitana Alonso in bronze.

 

U.S champion Bailiey Hensgens rounded out the top eight with a clearance of 1.80m (5-10.75).

 

In other field event finals:

 

>> Zackaria Dia of France made four consecutive heights from 5.65m (18-6.50) to 5.80m (19-0.25), winning the men’s pole vault title. Estonia’s Henri Apri cleared a national U20 record 5.75m (18-10.25) for silver.

 

Isaiah Whitaker of the U.S., originally fourth, was promoted to bronze after U.S. teammate Jaxon Jarabek was disqualified for wearing illegal shoes.

 

>> Clara Hegemann and Nova Kienast secured two medals for Germany in the women’s hammer final. Hegemann won with a throw of 68.99m (226-4) and Kienast took over bronze position with a sixth-round mark of 67.89m (222-8).

 

The United States’ Burklie Burton, soon to be a sophomore at Oklahoma State, finished one spot off the podium in fourth, throwing 67.50m (221-5).

 

>> Viktoria Angelova of Bulgaria, sitting in seventh with one attempt to go, landed a sixth-round mark of 13.91m (45-7.75) to overtake Daria Vrînceanu of Romania by over 20 centimeters for gold in the women’s triple jump. Vrînceanu, 13.70m (44-11.50), finished silver and Spain’s Ana Estrella De Leon, 13.58m (44-6.75), earned bronze.

 

>>Egypt’s Aseel Osame Abdel Hamid led from her first throw to her last in the women’s javelin competition, earning gold with her final throw of 59.82m (196-3). Croatia’s Vita Barbić, also with her throw in round six, took silver with 56.60m (85-4).

 

Chinese Taipei’s Yu-Chin Tai threw 54.34m (178-3) for bronze. Another U.S. fourth-place finish came from Emily Harbach, throwing 54.27m (178 feet).