A record 1,700 athletes from more than 130 teams are preparing to compete in the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Lima 24, the 20th World Age Group Championships.
Speaking at a pre-competition press conference on Monday (26th), World Athletics CEO John Ridgeon praised the sport's future stars who will be in action at Estadio Atlético de la Videna from 27-31 August, and thanked the local organising committee, the Peruvian Sports Federation and the city of Lima for their support in staging the championships.
“I am extremely happy that this great city of Lima will be hosting the World U20 Championships,” said Ridgeon. “Lima is the first Peruvian city to host the World Athletics Series. 1,700 athletes from over 130 countries will compete in Lima. This is the largest single sporting event ever held in Peru and also the largest number of athletes ever to participate in this event in its 38-year history. I think these two statistics show that the championships are in very good shape.”
“I'm really looking forward to seeing some really great athletics over the next few days. Lima is where we'll get to see our future Senior Olympic and World Champions in action for the first time. I can't wait.”
Peru's Sports Minister Federico Tón Hurtado said organisers were “very excited” to host the event, which he called “an important event for Peruvian athletics and for the athletes who represent our country.”
He said the championships would inspire widespread excitement as a new Olympic cycle begins in a country “synonymous with beauty.” “We have Olympic plans for the Los Angeles Games and this is an important step towards that,” he added. “We are very proud to be hosting this event.”
Javier Chirinos, president of the local organising committee, said: “We have to pay tribute to the team that worked behind the scenes, without them none of this would have been possible. This is the first major event we are hosting in the region. Welcome to Peru.”
Athletes competing in Lima will include 22 Olympians from the Paris Games, including sprinters Tory Lewis, Bradley Nkoana, Lourdes Gloria Manuel and Alana Reid.
Despite being the world's second-best 100m runner-up, Australia's Lewis has said he will focus his individual efforts solely on the 200m in Lima and will also compete in the 4x100m. The 19-year-old is enjoying a strong season, winning the 200m at the Xiamen Diamond League in April and reaching the Olympic semi-finals in Paris, where he clocked a personal best of 22.89 in the heats.
“It was my first time running on such a big stage so it definitely boosted my confidence,” she said of her win in Xiamen, where she beat world 100m champion Shakari Richardson. “I definitely felt a little out of place, but I was in the outside (lane) so I surprised everyone, including myself.”
Lewis said she focused on the 200m in Lima because of the length of the season, having raced since January and ranking with the fourth-fastest time. “I want to medal in the 200m, hopefully gold, but I'll be happy with a personal best,” Lewis said. “Hopefully I can break the national record again (in the relay) and get a medal.”
Nkoana, an Olympic medallist who helped South Africa win silver in the relay in Paris, will compete in the 100m and 4x100m, while Walaza will also race in Lima.
Nkoana had qualified to compete at the 2022 World U20 Championships in Cali but missed the event due to injury. Now he will start Lima in the fastest time of any 100m competitor, a new personal best of 10.03, set last month in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
“I'm just trying to do my best and prepare to compete with the other players,” said the 19-year-old. “There are a lot of really strong players here, so I hope I can give them a good match.”
Nkoana and Walaza teamed up with Akani Simbine and Sean Maswangani to win an Olympic medal in Paris. When asked about the moment he will cherish most from his Olympic experience, Nkoana replied, “The look on Akani's face when he realised we had actually brought a medal home to South Africa. We know how much it meant to him, to the team and to the country. Being there with my mates and bonding is what I will cherish most.”
Jamaica's Reed is based in the United States as part of a training group that also includes world 100m champion Richardson and won bronze in the 200m in Cali two years ago. She is now focusing on the 100m and 4x100m in Lima and will start as the world U20 100m leader with a time of 11.09 in April, drawing on her experience in the relay in Paris where the team placed fifth. Her personal best of 10.92 is the national U20 record, set last year.
“The important thing for me is to stay focused and know that I have dreams that I want to achieve,” she said, looking ahead to the Games in Lima.
Speaking about racing in Paris, she added: “The biggest lesson I learned is to never doubt myself. Sometimes I'm not strong enough and sometimes I tend to prioritize people who are older than me, but I've learned that I am strong. It was a great experience to race with the older guys on the team.”
The Czech Republic athlete won the European U-20 400m title last year and finished fourth at the senior version of the continental championships in Rome in June in a new U-20 national record of 50.52 seconds before competing at the Olympics, where he reached the semi-finals.
“It's been the highlight of my season because I never imagined I'd be competing in the Olympics at 19,” said the national champion, who tops the 400m field list for Lima.
“It will be difficult (given the strong entry list in Lima), but I will do my best and we will see what happens.”
The championships will be a special opportunity for Peruvian athletes, and Cajetana Chirinos, a 16-year-old up-and-coming sprinter with a personal best 100m time of 11.79 seconds, is eager to seize the opportunity.
“The World Championships are beyond my level and I'm honored to participate and be part of the Peruvian team,” said Chirinos, who has been training in Brazil for five months this year. “My goal here is to improve my personal best and break the national record in both the 100 meters and the relay.”
Chirinos has experience in a variety of sports, from karate to swimming, but when it came time to choose, there was only one winner. “Athletics fell in love with me,” she says. “I want to compete at Los Angeles 2028. It will be an honor to be in Peru with such high-level athletes and to put on the uniform representing my country.”
World Athletics Championships