Most athletes don’t wear the Team USA uniform for the first time at the Olympic Games. Many of today’s Olympians like Sanya Richards-Ross, Jessica Cosby, Marquise Goodwin, Jason Richardson and Bershawn Jackson got their start in the Team USA uniform at the World Junior Championships.
This year more than 800 athletes met in Bloomington, Ind., for the USA Junior Championships for a shot at a national title and a spot on Team USA’s roster for the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain.
Wearing the USA uniform will be especially poignant for Nikita Kirillov of Georgia Tech who won the USA Junior pole vault. He broke the 19-year- old meet record set by Lawrence Johnson the year Kirillov was born.
“I’m originally Russian and I got my citizenship a while ago,” said Kirillov following the USA Junior Championships. “It’s definitely going to be a great honor representing the U.S. I’ve always wanted to.”
The throwers had an outstanding showing with multiple records falling victim to the young athletes.
Rodney Brown of LSU broke the USA Junior meet record in the men’s discus with a throw of 62.99m/206-8. Brown’s throw bettered the previous meet record set by Mason Finley in 2009 by more than two feet.
Shelby Ashe of Atlanta, Ga., improved her own American Junior record and meet record in the hammer with a monster throw of 68.12m/223-6. Ashe previously set the American Junior record in 2010 at 65.32m/214-3.
“I’m excited out of my mind. It’s just a great opportunity and I never really thought I’d be here at 19,” Ashe said. “So I’m just ready to have some fun and see what happens.”
Shelbi Vaughan of Mansfield, Texas, threw a new American Junior record twice during the discus competition. Vaughn first bettered the record on her fourth attempt with a heave of 60.03m/196-11. Her best mark and second record-breaking throw came on her final attempt with a mark of 60.59m/198-9. Vaughn’s record betters Olympian Suzy Powell’s mark from 1995.
At the conclusion of the USA Junior Championships, 61 athletes advanced to the IAAF World Junior Championships. For many of the athletes it will be their first time to wear the USA uniform, and for many it won’t be their last.