Anastazja Kuś wins women’s 400m final at World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 in Eugene; 51.06 seconds, shocks home favourite Ataja Stephanie-Vazquez
World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: Anastazja Kuś shocks Ataja Stephanie-Vazquez in the women’s 400m final
World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: Anastazja Kuś shocks Ataja Stephanie-Vazquez in the women’s 400m final
The 19-year-old from Poland overhauled the home favourite in the closing metres of the women’s 400m at Hayward Field, springing a memorable surprise on Friday, 7 August.
Anastazja Kuś is now a U20 World Champion.
Overtaking the United States’ Ataja Stephanie-Vazquez in the closing metres of the women’s 400m final at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, the shocked teenager crossed the line first in a time of 51.06 seconds on Friday (7 August).
Reaching the finish in 51.36, home favourite Stephanie-Vazquez was hot on her heels, despite tiring in the final few metres. While she fought valiantly to stay ahead of hard-charging Polish Olympian, she fell short just shy of the finish line at Hayward Field, grasping silver instead.
“It was a crazy race, it was very hard to win,” Kuś told reporters. “I was very surprised, because my goal was to pick up a medal here, but I didn’t think it’d be a gold medal.” Of course, like an individual world title, it was hardly an individual effort.
“My team was amazing to day,” she affirmed. “Their support for me is amazing. We have a lot of great 400m runners in [Poland], so I’m very grateful to be on this team.”
Visibly disappointed with how the race finished, Stephanie-Vazquez spoke briefly with the media, thanking those closest to her for their unwavering support throughout the 2026 season.
“I’m grateful for my mom and my coach, who worked so hard to get me here and take me where I am,” stated the 18-year-old 400m specialist. “That will be the end of the season for me. I go to college in four days.”
There was also a twinge of disappointment in the voice of Guyana’s Tianna Springer , who finished third in 51.36: “I am not satisfied with my performance, but I am happy with winning a medal.”
And rightfully so, given she had become only the second athlete from Guyana to win a global U20 medal, doing so by leaving six of the nine finalists in her dust – something she hopes will become more commonplace for athletes from the South American nation.
“It is very good to see Guyana athletes competing on the big stage,” Springer added. “Hopefully, me and Malachi Austin (6th in the men’s 400m) can set the tone for the next generation of young Guyana athletes.”
Vowing to upgrade bronze to gold at the Olympic Games Brisbane 2032 , she said to watch this space. That said, the night belonged to Kuś.
World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: Quincy Wilson, Tate Taylor, Shanoya Douglas lead stars in action, how to watch live
World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: Full schedule, results
Getty Images for European Athletics 2024
Athletics | U20 World Championships | Oregon | United States of America