Alana Reid and Olympic silver medallist Bayanda Walaza win 100m World U20 titles
The Jamaican and South African Paris 2024 Olympians both won a maiden World U20 sprint title on the second day at the Championships in Lima.
Jamaica’s Alana Reid and Bayanda Walaza from South Africa won the 100m titles at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima on Wednesday evening [28 August].
Reid was the quickest out of the blocks, comfortably leading from start to finish to take the race in 11.17 seconds for her first global title, weeks after running the lead leg in the women’s 4x100m final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 where the Jamaicans finished fifth.
Adaejah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands was the only one who managed to come close to Reid with a strong rally in the last 50m to finish second with 11.27. Kishawna Niles of Barbados won bronze in 11.37.
“I’m very pleased with my performance, knowing that I’ve been training so hard for this moment,” Reid told the Jamaica Observer after her race.
“It’s something that I’ve really been working towards since 2022. I came third in the 200m two years ago, and I told myself this is my last world junior [championships], so I just want to leave with something that I can look back on.
Walaza also took full advantage of his quick start blasting out of the blocks to secure men's 100m gold in 10.19 in freezing conditions.
The South African was a debutant at the Games in Paris and part of his nation’s 4x100m silver medal-winning team.
He edged out Puripol Boonson of Thailand who clinched silver in 10.22, the first ever medal for his nation at the World U20 Championships.
His 4x100m teammate Bradley Nkoana snatched the bronze in 10.26.