Chris Auckley
Chris Auckley
WORLD YOUTH ATHLETES SECURE SPOTS FOR
BY JOEY LAMAR
Competing on the world stage is every kid’s dream. The top 16 and 17 year old track and field athletes from across the nation competed recently at the USA World Youth Trials at Southern Illinois University on the Edwardsville campus to fulfill their dream.
Fierce competition ensued. Numbers printed on a results page do not always tell the story as spots were on the line to represent Team USA at the 8th IAAF World Youth Championships (see page 18 for a recap of the World Youth Championships).
Ky Westbrook (Chandler, Ariz.) edged out Ariana Washington (Signal Hill, Calif.) in the women’s 200m final by five-hundredths of a second. Westbrook sprinted across the finish line in 23.27 capturing her second championship of the trials. Her first title occurred earlier in the day in the women’s 100m final, where Westbrook stopped the clock at 11.65.
Competing solely in the heptathlon was not enough for Alexa Harmon-Thomas (Lawrence, Kan.) as she also added the high jump to her plate. Harmon-Thomas accomplished her first win of the day in the high jump as she cleared 1.75m/5-08.75. She then maintained her opening day lead in the women’s heptathlon. She posted the best long jump of the day with a mark of 5.85m/19-2.5, and she coasted to a 187 point victory, winning with 5,184 points.
Marlon Humphrey (Hoover, Ala.) made it two-for-two in the men’s hurdles events. First, Humphrey ran to victory in the 110m hurdles, where he easily won in a time of 13.67 into a strong headwind. He then won the 400m hurdles where he squeaked ahead of Kenneth Selmon (Mableton, Ga.) to take the win in 50.75, while Selmon clocked in just behind him in 50.90.
Kenzo Cotton (La Vista, Neb.) won the men’s 100m and 200m 16
trial titles. In the morning, he ran the 100m in 10.69. Five hours later, it was a different race with the same result, as Cotton finished first in the 200m with a time of 21.26.
The men’s pole vault provided drama and excitement as Devin King (Kentwood, La.) and Paulo Benavides (El Paso, Texas) both cleared 4.95m/16-02.75 creating a tie atop the leaderboard. King missed fewer attempts to secure the victory on tiebreaker.
Bailey Roth (Colorado Springs, Colo.) ran away from the field in dominating fashion in the men’s 2,000m steeplechase. The Colorado state champion finished in 5:47.42, with his closest competitor finishing 36 seconds behind.
The performances above were indicative of the high performance level exhibited throughout the two-day event.
BIG PERFORMANCES AT USA YOUTH OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hot temperatures, strong winds, thunderstorms and even hail were no match for the 2013 USA Youth Outdoor Championships at Southern Illinois University at the Edwardsville campus.
The nation’s top young athletes, which were divided into six age groups ranging from 8 and under to 17 and 18 year old age groups, took center stage competing for championships.
The six-day competition overflowed with standout performances from all ages.
In Thomas Burns’ first event, he navigated the 200m hurdles in 24.88 to win his first title. Then, he bolted around the track in the 400m in a time of 51.07. Showing no signs of fatigue, Burns
CHAMPIONSHIPS
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