Oregon City graduate Sophia Beckmon finally got to represent her country on the world stage, finishing second in the long jump at the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Lima, Peru, on Wednesday.
The story of the day was the duel between Beckmon and Australia's Delta Amidzovskiy.
Beckmon took her first title on Wednesday with a commanding score of 21 feet, 3.25 seconds, but Australia's Delta Amidzovskiy came out on top with a time of 21 feet, 3.50 seconds.
After a few short jumps, Beckmont landed a 21-05.50 on her fifth attempt, but Amidzowski, who missed her third and fourth attempts, posted a 21-07.25 in the same round. Amidzowski's time was good enough for the gold medal, but Beckmont's time put her in second place.
Poland's Julia Adamczyk took third place with a jump of 20 feet, 9.75 inches.
Beckmon was one of the top track and field athletes in the state of Oregon during his high school career. The Oregon City athlete holds the state record in the long jump (22.04) and is third all-time in the 100 (11.33) and 200 (22.99).
Beckmon was eligible to compete in the U-20 World Championships in 2022 but was unable to return home due to passport issues.
Carter Cutting (from left), Max Girardet and Ryan Lewis react after the men's mile run during the Portland Track Festival at Griswold Stadium at Lewis & Clark College in Southwest Portland, Saturday, June 11, 2022. By Naji Saker for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Also on Wednesday, Wilsonville graduate Carter Cutting, now competing collegiately at BYU, placed fourth in the second qualifying round in the men's 1,500-meter race. Cutting placed 12th overall in the qualifying rounds and advanced to Saturday's final.
Cutting moved to Wilsonville from Draper, Utah, for his senior year of high school. In his one year competing at Oregon, he won the 1,500 meters at the Class 5A state championships and was runner-up in the 800 meters and the 4×400 meter relay.
— Nik Streng, [email protected], @NikStreng
