Team USA athletes seek big finish in Poland

 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

 

The IAAF may have changed the name of World Juniors slightly, to the U-20 World Championships, but bi-annual event will go on for the 16th time at Bydgoszcz, Poland this week. 

After the 2014 World Juniors in Eugene, Ore. this event was originally awarded to Kazan, Russia. But last November, former IAAF President Lamine Diack was arrested for turning a blind eye toward doping and other corruption. In January of this year, the Russian federation was suspended by IAAF and its new leadership for its widespread  doping scheme, and that also meant losing the U-20 Championships.

Bydgoszcz, which also hosted the 2008 World Juniors, stepped in quickly and became the new host site. 

Historically, the U-20 Championships (World Juniors) has been an important steppingstone in the careers of rising track and field stars. Many who find success here go on to the Olympic Games. 

For the U.S. athletes -- typically top-end high school elites and college freshmen -- a chance to compete at the U-20 Championships (World Juniors) is a first opportunity to travel outside of the U.S., wear the national team uniform, and represent the country. It's an experience that helps young athletes understand first hand what international track and field is all about.

 

Here is a day by day look at what's to come this week in Bydgoszcz. Our John Nepolitan is on-site for photo coverage of the meet.

 

Tuesday, July 19 --

 

The decathlon begins, which means that Cale Wagner (Nebraska) will be the first U.S. athlete in action. 

There are a host of qualification/prelim rounds: the men's shot put, women's 3,000-meter steeplchase, women's javelin, men's 1,500, women's 800, men's long jump, men's 100, women's pole vault, women's discus and women's 400 are all part of a busy first day.

There are three scheduled finals. In the women's 10K racewalk, U.S. athletes Anali Cisneros and Meaghan Podlaski are in a field of 35 competitors.

In the men's shot put, 2015 World Youth gold medalist Adrian Piperi of The Woodlands TX will take a step up to the junior implement. Piperi has been on a roll the past month with victories at New Balance Nationals Outdoor and U.S. Juniors. Bronson Osborn of Esperanza CA gives the U.S. a second great chance to have a finalist. The favorite, however, is Poland's Konrad Bukowiecki, who has a personal best of 22.94m (75-3.25). Bukowiecki was fourth at World Indoors in Portland in March (he owns the world U20 record with the senior implement) and won the World Junior title in Eugene two years ago. He will no doubt be headed to Rio as well.

Conditions should be cool and comfortable for the men's 10,000 meters. Thomas Pollard (Iowa State) and Colin Burke (UCLA) will likely be chasing the East Africans for a spot on the medal stand.

 

Wednesday, July 20 --

 

In the morning, the decathlon resumes amid a flurry of other activity. World youth champion Candace Hill gets started in the 100 meters prelims. Women's shot put and 400-meter hurdles also gets started. Anna Cockrell will get a chance to go for gold after Sydney McLaughlin decided to stay home, rest and focus on the Olympic Games. Also, the men's 110 hurdles and discus, hammer, triple jump and 400 meters get started.

In the afternoon, there are five finals. 

In the women's shot put, high school standouts Alyssa Wilson and Elena Bruckner both have great chances to make the podium. They are two of the best preps of all-time in this event.

In the men's long jump, Ja'Mari Ward and Harrison Schrage should be in the thick of an exciting competition. Both of them jumped over 25 feet at the U.S. Junior meet.  In 2014, Travonn White jumped 25-4 for fourth place -- behind who Chinese jumpers and a bronze medalist from Japan.

In the women's 3,000 meters, the U.S. sends NXN cross country champ Katie Rainsberger and Olympic Trials 1,500 participant Kate Murphy to the starting line. Both should be competitive in a race that Mary Cain won with much fanfare in 2014, when she ran 8:58.48. To reach a medal, Rainsberger and Murphy probably need to run at least five seconds faster than they did in Clovis.

In the women's javelin, Katelyn Gochenour from Marian, Neb. will hope to survive Tuesday's qualifying and make the finals.

Noah Lyles of T.C. Williams, fresh off a star turn in the finals of the 200 at the Olympic Trials, will see if he get closer to the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters. He'll be joined by Hakim Montgomery (Troy).

 

Thursday, July 21 --

 

The top two high school pole vaulters will fly into action. Chris Nilsen (USA) and Armand "Mondo" Duplantis (Sweden) will go head to head for the third time. Nilsen edged Duplantis at Great Southwest and then beat him at New Balance Nationals Outdoor when both had bad days. Duplantis, the reigning World Youth Champion, recently PR'd with a clearance at 18-1. Nilsen competed at the Olympic Trials but did not make the opening height. 

Michael Norman will return to the 200 meters as he represents the U.S. for the first time. Norman was magnificent at the Olympic Trials and may be aiming for Noah Lyles' all-time high school record of 20.09. Trentavis Friday won the gold medal in the 200 in 2014 in Eugene by running 20.04 but did not get the record because of a 2.3 m/s tailwind.

Taylor McLaughlin (Michigan) will open his effort to try and win a medal in the 400-meter hurdles. He rolled an ankle at the Olympic Trials but hoped to be healed and ready to go in Poland.

New Balance Nationals Outdoor heptahlon champion Emma Fitzgerald will get started as well. 

Women's hammer and long jump, and men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, also get started in the morning session.

There are eight finals in the evening.

Top high school throwers Elena Bruckner and Kiana Phelps give the U.S. a pair of medal chances in the discus.

Collegians Charles Brown Jr. (Texas Tech) and Armani Wallace (Florida State) are the U.S. entrants in the men's triple jump.

In the women's 400 meters, World Youth silver medalist Lynna Irby and Ohio State freshman Karrington Winters will both hope to be in the final. This is a strong event for the U.S. -- in 2014, Kendall Baisden and Olivia Baker earned gold and bronze medals.

In the men's 1,500, collegians Diego Zarate (Virginia Tech) and Kendall Muhammad (Kentucky) are entered for the U.S.

Samantha Watson and Aaliyah Miller, who both cracked 2:03 in the 800 meters in Clovis, will need a similar effort, or better, to make the podium in Poland. No U.S. athletes survived the prelims in 2014 and it took 2:02.71 to get a medal in the final. Watson, the World Youth champion, and Miller, the Texas state champ, are capable of winning medals. However, they will have to summon big efforts at the end of a long season.

The men's 110-meter hurdles, always a strong event for the U.S., could be in good hands with NBNO champion Marcus Krah and the University of Houston's Amere Lattin. It's not going to be easy. In 2014, France's Wilhelm Belocian ran a world junior record 12.99 seconds. 

Candace Hill and Jayla Kirkland are the U.S. entrants in the women's 100 meters and this could be a very good event for Team USA. Hill went through the Olympic Trials to gain valuable experience but the first-year pro from Rockdale County GA is clearly focused on the U20 Championships to make her mark on the season. And Kirkland, from Woodlawn AL, has been spectacular late in the season with a victory at NBNO.

 

Friday, July 22 --

 

Alexa Efraimson geared her season around one big goal -- becoming the first U.S. athlete to medal in the women's 1,500 at the U20 Championships. And if the Olympic Trials were any indication, she has the fitness and toughness to do it. Efraimson and Christina Aragon of Billings MT get started with the prelims during a busy morning session.

Qualifying for men's javelin, women's high jump and women's triple jump takes place as the heptathlon gets closer to its conclusion. Heats of the women's 100 hurdles, men's 800 and women's 200 are also on the morning schedule.

There seven finals on the afternoon/evening bill in addition to first looks at the USA teams in the 4x100 relays and the final event of the heptathlon.

In the men's high jump, Darius Carbin of Mt. Pleasant CA and Michael Burke II of UCLA are entered for the U.S. Carbin captured the World Youth bronze medal last summer.

In the women's long jump, the U.S. will have Bria Matthews of Georgia Tech and Samiyah Samuels of Cypress Springs HS TX. 

In the women's 3,000 steeplechase, collegians Kelly Naumann (Iowa State) and Rachel Nichwitz (Arkansas) will represent the U.S. 

Former Barrington RI high school teammates Bobby Colantonio and Adam Kelly (Princeton) could both make the finals of the men's hammer, but it's not a given. No American throwers made the finals in 2014.

Collegians Wil London III (Baylor) and Kahmari Montgomery (Missouri) are both potential medalists in the men's 400 meters. 

Anna Cockrell and late substitution Brandee Johnson of Nansemond River VA could both be finalists in the women's 400 hurdles.

Norman could cut loose in the men's 200 and go after both the gold and the HS record to conclude Friday's action.

 

Saturday, July 23 --

 

Day 5 starts off with the men's 10K racewalk. The U.S. is represented by Cameron Haught and A.J. Gruttadauro. About the same time, qualifying for men's discus begins.

In the mid-morning, the U.S. sends Anna Rohrer and Bella Burda to the line in the women's 5,000 meters. Both are tough competitors who have run on big stages, but this will be great experience for them.

In the women's triple jump, Matthews of Georgia Tech and Chinne Okoronkwo of Mountlake Terrace WA, are entered.

The U.S. 4x400 relay teams will be in action looking to secure spots in the finals.

In the afternoon/evening session, there are eight finals.

Joy McArthur and Olatoye Sade are entered in the women's hammer.

The finals of the men's pole vault could include both Nilsen (U.S.) and Duplantis (Sweden), as well as Virginia Tech's Deakin Volz.

Jayla Kirkland and Taylor Bennett are both potential finalists for the women's 200. That will mean a lot of work for Kirkland, who will already have run in the 100 and possibly the 4x100 as well.

Collegians Hudson Keffer (Arizona State) and Thomas Peters (Southern Mississippi) are entered for the U.S. in the men's javelin, but qualifying for the final will be no easy task.

The men's 5,000 meters final will include Wisconsin freshmen Zack Snider and Olin Hacker.

In the men's 400 hurdles final, Taylor McLaughlin (Michigan) and Amere Lattin (Houston) are entered. In order to medal, it will likely take a sub-50 second performance.

The finals of the 4x100 relays give the U.S. two chances at gold if they can avoid a mishap on baton exchanges. 

 

Sunday, July 24 --

 

The U20 Championships concludes with a two-hour session and eight finals to wrap up the competition.

In the women's high jump, the U.S. has Nicole Greene (North Carolina) entered.

The women's 100 hurdles will be one of the events worth paying close attention to. Georgia high school freshman Tia Jones ripped off a national high school record 12.84 in the semifinals in Clovis and if she can back that up in Poland, she could be looking at gold. Alexis Duncan of DeSoto TX, who edged Jones in the final in Clovis, should be a factor in the medal hunt as well.

Preps Connor Bandel, the NBNO champion, and Bronson Osborn, are entered for the U.S. in the men's discus.

Collegians Alex Rogers (Texas) and Kai Benedict (Cal) are the U.S. entrants in the men's 3,000 steeplechase.

Alexa Efraimson will try to put her stamp on this meet in the 1,500 finals. Three years ago she won bronze in this event at the World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine. Christina Aragon could be a factor here, too, in her final race before heading to Stanford.

In the men's 800, collegians Vincent Crisp (Texas Tech) and Brian Bell (Houston) will try to crash this final and then fight for a spot on the podium. 

The meet concludes with the 4x400 relays and a chance for the U.S. to put it's sprint depth to work. The U.S. won gold in both 4x4s in 2014.