USA’s Tate Taylor and Jamaica’s Theianna-Lee Terrelong 100m first round, Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon; Taylor 10.05s, Terrelong 11.21s
World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: USA’s Tate Taylor and Jamaica’s Theianna-Lee Terrelong fastest in the 100m first round
World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: USA’s Tate Taylor and Jamaica’s Theianna-Lee Terrelong fastest in the 100m first round
Taylor finished one-hundredth of second off the personal best he set in May at the SEIKO Golden Grand Prix, while Terrelong beat out favoured teammate Douglas.
The United States’ Tate Taylor (10.05) and Jamaica’s Theianna-Lee Terrelong (11.21) led the way in the first round of the men’s and women’s 100 metres at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 on Wednesday (5 August).
The pair were the cream of the crop in an eight-heat field for the women and men, with the world’s top athletes aged between 16 and 19 all vying for a spot in the semi-finals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
For Taylor, the pre-event favourite in the men’s 100m, the first round offered little more than a chance to stretch his legs, as he got acclimatised to the environment at the stadium where he won his first Diamond League race last month.
“Still got to work some things in the drive-phase area, but other than that, I think it was a solid race," he told reporters, barely breaking a sweat in heat six. “I’m excited to see what the semi-finals got.”
Jamaica’s Gary Card , a relay medallist from the 2024 edition of the championships in Lima, Peru, posted the second fastest time in round one at 10.07 seconds.
And if what he told the media is true, his rivals might be in for an unwelcome surprise in the semi-finals, and if he advances out, the final: “I feel like I’m more ready than I was last time.”
South African rising star Marko Ferreira was also in good form during an overcast morning, clocking the third fastest time in round one at 10.11.
“The track feels unbelievably fast," he told Olympics.com. “It’s [feels] like the fastest track I’ve ever ran on.”
He’ll get the chance to test that theory in the men’s 100m semi-finals at 18:30 local time (PDT, UTC -7).
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Jamaica and United States set for a showdown in the women’s 100m semi-finals
While it was expected to see a Jamaican athlete atop the standings in the first round of the women’s 100 metres, the name associated with the flag was a surprise.
Dashing out of the blocks and down the home straight in heat four of eight, Terrelong sped to the finish in a time of 11.21 seconds – leaving everyone else in her dust.
The surprises continued further down the standings, with Saint Lucia’s Jady Emmanuel (11.28) and Germany’s Emma Goretzka (11.29) rounding out the top three, ahead of pre-event favourites Shanoya Douglas and twins Mia and Mariah Maxwell .
While she wasn’t the quickest in the first round, Douglas looked relaxed and composed on the track, clocking 11.35 to advance onto the semi-finals as the sixth fastest across all heats.
Asked if she felt the pressure associated with attempting the 100m and 200m double she responded “a little bit”, adding: “If you’ve been successful the whole season… you have to try your best to live up to that expectation. Only your best is good enough.”
Finishing just behind the 18-year-old rising star from Jamaica in eighth at 11.37, Mia Maxwell voiced her excitement to be competing at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships.
“I’m really excited to be here," she told the press. “My start felt amazing. I feel like I executed my plan well. I’m in a good position for the semi-finals.”
Like many athletes in the first round, she confessed to not feeling the affects of lessened air-quality, with smoke from wildfires in North America filling the sky.
“I haven’t really felt any smoke around,” she admitted. “I mean, the weather was nice. I’m really happy… kind of brought my little Texas weather to me in Oregon.”
Fans at Hayward Field will get to see if that translates to a fast time during the women’s semi-finals, which are scheduled to commence at 18:05 local time.
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Athletics | U20 World Championships | Oregon | United States of America