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Jim Spier, NSSF - Live on-site
Sunday Report
from NationalScholastic.org
World Youth Champs Day 5 Complete (only session)
Boys Medley (100-200-300-400)
Isaiah Sweeney handed off second to Dexter Lee of Jamaica in about 10.0. Japan got into the mix and Kenneth Gilstrap (21.3) was in third place when he handed off to William Wynne. Wynne got off to a great start and moved into second behind Jamaica before fading slightly down the homestretch where he handed off third behind Jamaica and Japan (33.8). Danzell Fortson, now in third, moved into second behind Jamaica on the backstretch, but Japan with Urano anchoring, was moving well. Both Fortson and Urano passed Jamaica's Duane Extol with 50 meters to go. Then it was a battle of wills and stamina between Fortson and Urano, with Fortson barely edging Urano. The U.S. got the World Youth lead of 1:51.34 to Japan's 1:51.42. Jamaica was third in 1:52.18.
Girls Medley (100-200-300-400)
Chalonda Goodman got the US to the lead with a very fast 11.3 (hard to get these, obviously). The Jamaicans with Jura Levy, moved into the lead, passing Ashton Purvis (24.8). Ryann Krais could not quite make up the distance on Simone Tracey of Jamaica, but held off a charge around the turn by Australia's Olivia Tauro, and was gaining Tracey at the handoff, Krais running 37.5. Erica Alexander got the baton and chased Latoya Mc Dermott of Jamaica for 350 meters, then passed her and ran a great 52.1. The US got the gold in a World Youth leading 2:05.74. Jamaica was second in 2:06.77 and Canada overtaking Australia down the homestretch to get third in 2:09.08.
Boys 1500m Final
Blake Shaw has … courage. He got a real indoctrination into international running and comported himself very nicely. The pace of 59.96 and 2:02.73 forced him into the back of the pack, but he never gave up. With a lap to go (with the clock at 2:49.51), and eventual winner Fredrick Musyoki Ndunge of Kenya leading, Blake tried to get into the lead pack. He moved into sixth - in with the 3:45 types. As soon as he got to the 1200m mark (3:04.25 for the leader), those types pulled away dramatically.
The point is that Blake gave it a shot. He ultimately faded to ninth in 3:53.36. Ndunge got a personal best of 3:44.27 (with a 54.76 last 400m!) with teammate Josphat Mitunga Kithii second in 3:44.66 and Dawit Wolde, closing, third at 3:46.03.
Quote from the winner Ndunge: "This is my first year doing athletics. But, before, I was running as a child, of course.”
Girls 800m Final
This was to be a true test for Chanelle Price. She had the best time, by over two seconds, of anyone in the field. But there were a few dangerous runners in the group, including last year's World Junior medallist Winny Chebet of Kenya. Chanelle used her formula for success - take the lead early and hold it. She set a fast pace, leading the pack at 200m (28.33), 400m (58.60). At 500 meters, all the runners were with Price save one. Price led at 600m (1:30.47), dropping no one.
With 100m to go, Winny Chebet, just behind Price, tried to push her way between Chanelle and Olha Bibik of Romania, who was just to the right of Price and in second. She did force Chanelle to lose her concentration and threw her off pace slightly. At that moment, the field passed Price on the outside and Chanelle faded to next to last. I'm not sure if the "bump" made a difference, ultimately, but it certainly distracted Chanelle precisely at the wrong moment. Chebet was ultimately disqualified. The winner was Elena Mirela Lavric of Romania (2:04.29), with Alison Leonard (Great Britain, 2:05.36) second and Juana Ivis Mendez of Cuba third (2:05.42). Chanelle ran 2:06.55 for fifth.
Girls 100m Hurdles (30") Final (-1.3)
It was Shermaine Williams (Jamaica) and Jasmin Stowers (Pendleton, SC) one-two over the first three hurdles. By hurdle five, Julian Purvis had taken the lead. Williams tried to respond but could not and Purvis got the clear win, running a PB 13.41. Williams was second (13.48), and the slowest entrant in the field, Anne Zagre of Belgium, out in lane 8, had a major improvement to finish third, running a PB 13.58.
Boys 200m Final (-0.2)
From the beginning, it looked like it might be a Jamaican sweep. Ramon McKenzie was in lane 4 and led early and throughout to get the win in 20.67. Out in lane 6, teammate Nickel Ashmeade, a medallist in the 100 meters, seemed to have second locked up. But ponytailed Ramil Guliyev of Azerbeijan, with the best start in the field, began to gain on McKenzie. He wound up second, running 20.72, nipping Ashmeade in a PB 20.76. Kenneth Gilstrap, the youngest in the field, finished sixth in 21.63.
Girls 200m Final (-1.9)
Barbara Leoncio of Brazil had a good start in lane 3 and took the lead for the first 30 meters. She was quickly joined by Ashton Purvis in lane 4 as those two led for the first half of the race. In lane 2, after a very bad start (1.96, the worst in the field), Chalonda Goodman was starting to gain. Leoncio started to pull away and Goodman was right with her. Meanwhile, Nivea Smith of the Bahamas and Rosangela Santos of Brazil, the 100 meter silver medallist, were starting to run down Purvis. Goodman ran out of track as she approached the finish and could not quite catch Leoncio. Both Smith and Santos passed Purvis at 190m with Smith getting the bronze (23.69).
Leoncio flashed a big smile as she crossed the finish, then broke down in tears. Her time of 23.50 was a PB. Goodman was second in 23.54. Had Goodman equaled Leoncio's reaction of .156 seconds, she would have gained .04, enough to get the win.
Boys 400m Low Hurdles Final (33")
Spencer Wynne, William Wynne's father who is here in Ostrava, told me that William wanted to run in the high 48's today. Well, he came close, setting a new World Youth record with the great time of 49.01. Nathan Arnett of Bahamas was the early leader through two hurdles, being chased closely by Reginald Wyatt, to his inside. Wynne was third at that point. Wyatt passed Arnett at about 180 meters, with Wynne gaining. By the sixth hurdle, Wynne had the lead and started to pull away. Down the homestretch, Wyatt started to fade, and the field started to catch up with him, and it looked like they would. But he held on for second (50.33), barely edging Amaurys Valle of Cuba (50.37).
Girls Long Jump Final
The US had no one here, but this event was indicative of the great field event competition here. Ivana Spanovic of Serbia led the entire competition with a jump of 21-0.5. Then, on the next to the last jump of the competition, Darya Klishina of Russia got the meet record, jumping 21-2.75. She had been in second. Spanovic could not improve so got the silver.
Girls Javelin Final
Again, no US athletes here, but another terrific competition. The Finns, Carita Hinkka (169-4) and Sini Kiiski (166-6) led throughout the entire competition - until the last round. Tazmin Brits of South Africa was third through round 5. Then, on her final throw of the competition for her, she unleashed a throw of 169-8 to get the win. Both Finns could not improve, so they finished 2-3.
Quote from the winner Brits of South Africa. (loses something, of course, in the Czech to English, translation) : "I was very, very nervous before the last attempt, but that made that I felt my body and that made that had a long long throw in the last attempt. This gold I want to celebrate, even I am under 18, I would like to have a beer this night. But I must take care that my coach will not see me drinking."
Boys Pole Vault Final
Nico Weiler of Germany (and, last year, an exchange student at Los Gatos, CA HS) passed until 16-2.75, a height he made on his first attempt. No others made that height, so he won the competition with just one jump. He passed at 16-4.75, then went to the meet record height of 17-3, which he made on his third attempt. The bar was moved to 17-9.75, but he failed on all three attempts at that height. There was a two-way tie for second at 15-11 between Manual Conception of Spain and Shota Doi of Japan.
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