Team USA nabs a pair of medals in 4x100 finals: NSAF @ World U20s, Day 5 P.M.

by Jim Spier

  

On the penultimate night of competition in the World U20 Championships, Team USA sprinted its way into the medals in both the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay – taking advantage of a DQ in the former and smashing its national record in the other.  The men appeared to fall short of the podium in their 4x1, crossing the line 4th, but when apparent winner South Africa was given a violation, they were awarded the bronze.  The women were runner-ups to Jamaica and their World U20 record, but in winning silver took down the USA U20 mark by .01 in 43.28.

The women’s 4x1 silver was the 2nd medal of the night for Jayla Jamison, as the sprinter also claimed silver in the individual 200m final.  Several other Team USA members scored well in running and field finals, and 100mH qualifying.

Read on for more details of the night’s action – which made it through yet another thunderstorm delay (one hour this time):

Women’s 100m Hurdle Semi Finals

(Top 2 in each heat and those with the next 2 fastest times advance to the final)

Jalaysia Smith (USC/De Soto, TX) had no problem in qualifying, winning her heat in 13.20.  While Jamaica looks primed for one or two podium spots (see below), don’t count out Smith to join them up there.

Eddiyah Frye (U of Georgia/St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, FL) was 17th in the 60m Hurdles at the 2019 NBNI 60m Hurdles.  With Kerrica Hill (Jamaica), 12.98 hurdler to her immediate left, Eddiyah started well but his the 4th hurdle, which threw her off balance.  She had a hard time recovering, running 13.92 for fifth.  Hill ran a World U20 leading 12.87 in winning.

Alexis James (Jamaica) won the third heat in 12.94, so Jamaica sends 2 sub-13 second hurdlers into the final.

(In the time between the hurdles and 800 meters being run on the track, we are lamenting the fact that no Americans have qualified for the 3 field events being contested at this moment:  Men’s High Jump, Women’s Hammer and Women’s Long Jump.  And later on today, no Americans  in the Men’s 400m Hurdles nor Men’s 3000m)


Men’s 800m Semi Finals

(Top 2 in each heat and those with the next 2 fastest times advance to the final)

Samuel Rodman (Princeton/Liberty, Bealeton, VA) was 7th at the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Champs (1:46.96).   He was third at 400m (leader was 54.74), fifth at 600m (leader at 1:22.01), then could not keep with the rest of the pack, finishing 1:49.47 in 7th.

Miles Brown (U of Michigan/Novi, MI) is the 2021 Nike Outdoor Nationals 800m runnerup (best of 1:47.37).  This heat was run at a slower pace (55.09, 1:23.01).  Miles was 7th at 400m, then 5th at 600m.  He faded to 6th at the finish, running 1:50.17.

The 3 heats in the 800m were run in heavy rain.


Women’s 200m Final

After a rain delay of about an hour, Jayla Jamison (U of South Carolina/Airport, West Columbia, SC), 3rd at 2021 Nike Outdoor Nationals, finished a strong second to favorite Brianna Lyston (Jamaica), 22.77 to 22.65.  Jamison’s time is a PB and new US Junior leader.

Mia Brahe-Pederson (Lake Oswego, WA), the 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals Champ and 7th in 100m on Wednesday, finished a respectable 4th behind Alana Reid (Jamaica).  It was Jamaica 1-3 and USA 2-4.

(In last year’s Nike Outdoor Nationals 100 Meters, Jayla Jamison was 2nd and Mia 4th)


Men’s 400m Hurdles Final

Yan Vazquez (Puerto Rico/Red Mountain, Mesa, AZ), the 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals Champion, shone brightly again for Puerto Rico.  As usual, Vazquez starts slow and finishes fast.  But it wasn’t fast enough to make the podium against three sub-50 performers.  He did get another national record (50.12) in finishing 4th.  He’ll be at UCLA in the fall.


Men’s High Jump Final

Like the Men’s 400m Hurdles, there were no Americans, but there was one U.S. High School student.  That is Brandon Pottinger of Jamaica who recently graduated from Trinity Palmer High School in Miami, FL.  In dreadful conditions (heavy rains), Pottinger prevailed to win at 7-00.25.  That was the lowest ever height for the gold medal.  The prior was 7-03.25 three years ago three years ago.


Men’s Triple Jump Final

Solomon Washington (U of Texas/Stony Point, Round Rock, TX), the 2021 Nike Outdoor Nationals runner-up, got a PR of 52-00 in qualifying.  He opened the competition here at 51-00.25.  The next jumper was Jaydon Hibbert of Jamaica, who wasted no time in getting a jaw-dropping meet record jump of 56-08.  His prior best was 54-02.5.  Solomon made the final of 8, but did not improve, finishing 8th

Federico Bruno (Italy/Benzie Central, Benzonia, MI).  He had entered as a high school senior at the 2020 Nike Indoor Nationals after jumping 46-08 to win the Michigan State High School indoor championships (exchange student at Benzie).  Two years later, representing Italy, he had improved to 51-08.5.  He qualified here, jumping 51-05, the 9th overall qualifier.  In the finals, he got a PB (51-10.5) and finished 7th.

Floyd Whitaker (U of Minnesota/Highland Regional, Blackwood, NJ), was the 2021 Nike Outdoor Nationals Champ and member of the NSAF Triple Jump Project.  Floyd got into the final of 8 with a jump of 51-2.  On his final jump, he PRed by a foot (!), the first time over 16 meters (16.01/52-06.5) and finished in 5th place.  Jaydon Hibbert (Jamaica) took 1 more jump after his meet record 56-08, then passed his next 4 jumps.


Men’s Javelin Final

Evan Niedrowski (Monmouth U/Wyomissing, PA), one of coach Barry Krammes’ Javelin Factory athletes, got his qualifier to advance to the 8 man final on his third throw in the prelims, throwing 227-02.  That’s where he remained through the finals.


Women’s 4x100m Relay Final

The US team was comprised of Jayla Jamison (U of South Carolina/Airport, West Columbia, SC); Autumn Wilson (St. Dominic Savio, Austin, TX), 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals champion; Iyana Gray (Texas-Arlington U/Eisenhower, Houston, TX); and Shawnti Jackson (Wakefield, Raleigh, NC), the 100m bronze medalist.  The US set a National Record, but was bested by Jamaica which set a World record.  Jamaica ran 42.59 and the US 43.28. 

The US’ time would have won every other U20 Championship except last year in Kenya.  In that meet, Jamaica ran 42.94.  Jamaica is the only team to have broken 43.00 at the U20 Championships.


Men’s 4x100m Relay Final

The US team included Laurenz Colbert (Baylor/ Eleanor Roosevelt, Greenbelt, MD), 7th in the 100 meters; Michael Gizzi (Alabama-Huntsville/Alcovy, Covington, GA); Brandon Miller (Grand Valley State/Fenton, MI) 5th in the 200 meters;  Johnny Brackins (USC/Lees Summit, MO), 6th in the Long Jump.  South Africa was announced as the winner, with the U.S.  finishing 4th.  However, South Africa was later disqualified, giving Japan the gold and moving the U.S. into the bronze medal position.

The only time the U.S. did not medal in this event in which they participated (they did not send teams in 2000 and 2021) was in 1986 where they were disqualified.

It was Japan’s first gold medal in this event. The only teams that have ever won this event are the USA (11 times), Great Britain (4), Jamaica (only 2, surprisingly, in 1998 and 2006) and South Africa (1, in 2021).


US Placings in today’s finals

  • W 200m Jayla Jamison  2nd
  • W 200m Mia-Brahe Pedersen 4th
  • W 4x100m    2nd
  • M TJ  Floyd Whitaker 5th
  • M TJ  Solomon Washington 8th
  • M JT  Evan Niedrowski 8th
  • M 4x100m    3rd

Medals to date:  13


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