Day 3 - Friday

Highlights

Ebony Collins 55.96 destroys 400H field by more than 2 seconds with US#3 all time mark. David Klech 51.84, Tim Grier 53.09, Latavia Thomas 2:10.17, Devon Williams 2:11.04, and Kamorean Hayes 47-10 advance to finals.

• G-400H final - Wilson Long Beach CA soph Ebony Collins 55.96 win makes her the 3rd fastest US high school girl ever, but it isn't even a school record. Wilson's Lashinda Demus ran 55.76 in 2001 for US#2 all time. The US record is held by Leslie Maxie CA (55.20 in 1984). Jim Spier on site in Marrakech said Collins ran "as near a perfect race that can be run."
• G-400 final - Brandi Cross TX 53.34 finished fourth in a hot final won by El Jack Nawal SUD in 51.19 MR, with Danijela Grgic of Croatia 51.30 third.
• B-400 final - California duo of Bryshon Nellum 46.81 (from lane 1) and Zach Chandy 47.29 finished 3rd and 4th behind Al-Nour Adam Mohammed SUD, who had his own way in 46.56.
• B-400H heats - David Klech CA, already in the LJ final, won his heat in 51.84 to advance to the semis. Timothy Grier GA 53.09 also qualified for the semis. The other three heat winners were all faster -- Robert Kigen KEN 51.40, Daak Mohammed KSA 51.40 and Idriss Abdulagadir SUD 51.42.
• G-800 heats - West Catholic PA star Latavia Thomas 2:10.17 and Devon Williams MD 2:11.04 each advance to the finals. Five girls ran under 2:10 in this round.
• G-SP heats - Kamorean Hayes NC, already in the discus final, advances with a throw of 47-10, second best after du Toit Simone RSA 49-4.5.
• B-DT heats - Darius Savage CA 148-8 failed to advance.
• G-HJ final - Desirae Gonder CA 5-7 finished 12th. .
• B-LJ final - David Klech CA 23-6 finishes 9th.
• B-Hammer final - Walter Henning NY 232-7 finished 8th.

Jim Spier's Report from Marrakech

Girls 800m heats

top 2 in each of the 6 heats advance and those with the next 4 fastest time.

Heat 1 - An easy win for the 2:04 Katherine Katsanevakis of Australia, winning in 2:09.14.  Indian Juma Khatun SK got a PR 2:09.89 to automatically qualify for the semis

Heat 2 - These are all tactical races with the race beginning at the 500 meter mark.  This one was true to form as Galina Posashkova of Russia and Emma Jackson of Great Britain (2:05 and 2:06 coming in, respectively), taking 1-2 (2:09.25 and 2:09.60).

Heat 3 - Carolyn Plateau (Great Britain) is the favorite here, coming in with a 2:06.06 seasonal best.  Plateau led the pack through a 69.36 first 400m and the race began.  Plateau burst ahead and extended her lead through 600m at which point Flaviouis Teresa Kwamboka of Kenya approached and ultimately passed Plateau with 80 meters to go.  It was Kwamboka at 2:11.27 and Plateau at 2:11.63 the auto qualifiers.

Heat 4 - The favorites - Daniela Donisa (Romania at 2:06.81 pr), and Angela Wagner (South Africa) at 2:05) with Devon Williams of the US in lane 1.  Williams took the lead and held it for 700m, with Wagner in lane 2 the entire time. Donisa was biding her time in 3rd throughout all of this and shot past those 2 with 80 meters to go, winning in 2:10.74, with Wagner second in 2:10.88 and Williams a close third in 2:11.04.  Williams does have a shot at being a time qualifier.

Heat 5 - Another true-to-form race, with Kenyan Winney Chebet winning in 2:10.56 followed by German Sabrina Buchrucker (2:11.28).

Heat 6 - Devon Williams is the leading time qualifier going into this race and 6 have to run faster than 2:11.04 for her to not get into the semi finals.  As expected, this would be a fast one, with the leader coming across 400 meters in 63.89.  Latavia Thomas (US) held the lead through 720 meters when Halima Hachlaf of Morocco past her and went on to win in 2:09.35.  Thomas was second in 2:10.17.

Boys 800m

No surprise here.  It was a relatively fast pace, with South African Jan Masenamela taking the lead at 400 meters in 53.21.  The Kenyans Gilbert Keter and Jackson Kivuna were well back - even in fifth and sixth place with 200 meters to go.  Then they "turned on the jets" and passed the four in front of them with ease, taking first and second in 1:48.42 and 1:48.57, respectively.  The time was a meet record.  Masenamela held on for third (1:49.73),  just edging Shaka Ntsimako of Japan (1:49.76).

Boys 400m final

The favorite here was Adam Mohammed Al-Nour of the Sudan.  He led from the gun and was never really pushed, winning in 46.56, a PB.  Bryshon Nellum of the US was in lane 1, not the best of lane draws, and was in the middle of the pack until the homestretch when he put on a burst to get third, running a PB 46.81.  Kenyan Julius Kirwa was last a 100 meters, 5th at 250 meters, then charged down the homestretch to get the silver medal.  He, too, got a personal best, running 46.81.  The other American, Zach Chandy, also PR'd, running 47.29 and taking fourth.

Girls 400m final

Brandy Cross of the US had her "hands full" with the field.  The favorite, Nawal El Jack of the Sudan was the prohibitive favorite and she fulfilled her promise.  The field was virtually even after 80 meters when El Jack took the lead in lane 6.  The race was then for second between Danijela Grgic (Croatia), Aymee Martinez (Cuba) and Brandy Cross.  El Jack faded slightly over the last 60 meters as Grgic closed, with both Martinez and Cross fading.  El Jack won in 51.19 for a meet record, with both Grgic (51.30) and Martinez (52.04) getting PBs.  Cross was fourth in 53.34.

Girls 400H final

Running with confidence in as near a perfect race that can be run, Ebony Collins destroyed a good field running 55.96, the third best high school performer ever.  Leslie Maxie (Mills, Millbrae, CA, 55.20, 1984), and Lashinda Demus (Wilson, Long Beach, CA, 55.76, 2001) are the only other high schools to have run faster.  Collins becomes the US Junior leader, and also gets the sophomore class record (prior held by Demus - 57.04 - 1999).  Note that she accomplished all of this, but didn't get her high school record!. 

Boys 400H heats

4 heats - top 3 in each heat + those with next 4 fastest times advancee to semis.

Heat 1
Weikus Jonas (South Africa) in lane 7 with fasted listed PB of 51.84 and David Klech (USA) in lane 8.  Klech led from the gun and was a step ahead of Jonas through 8 hurdles at which point he pulled away.  Klech's time (51.84) was noted as equalling the world youth best time in this event for the year.  And, technically, it is true as they use 33" hurdles.  Klech has a PB of 51.28 over the higher (36") hurdles, seemingly a better performance.

Heat 2
Robert Kigen (Kenya) came in at 52.7, the second fastest seed in this heat.  His hurdling form looked like it was borrowed from his steeplechasing countrymen (maybe it's the Kenyan genes?), as he took the win becoming the  new world youth leader (51.40).

Heat 3
Beware of those listed with no time.  That was the case of Abdulagadir Idriss of the Sudan, who led from the gun, running 51.42, the second fastest time in the world this year.  He was in lane 5 and, while Timothy Grier of the US and Christoph Kaesmacher of Germany were seemingly battling it out for second, Victor Valentin of Puerto Rico snuck in from lane 8 to get the runnerup spot and automatic qualifier (52.71).  Kaesmacher was third and Grier fourth.  Grier will have to wait for 2 more heats to see if he gets a time qualifier.

Heat 4
Yet another World leader.  Mohammed Daak ran an easy 51.40 to win the fourth and final qualifying heat.  He did so relatively easily and appears to be the favorite in tomorrow's semi-finals. Tim Grier of the US made the cut and will be in the semis as well.

World Youth Championships index page

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