Tate Taylor tops men's 200m semi-finals at World U20 Championships, Hayward Field, Oregon; Taylor 20.34s fastest semi-final time

Tate Taylor tops men’s 200m semi-finals at World U20 Championships, Hayward Field, Oregon; Taylor 20.34s fastest semi-final time

World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: Tate Tayler, Blake Hamilton top men’s 200m semi-finals

The newly minted U20 100m champion showed no signs of fatigue in the men’s 200m semi-finals, clocking 20.34 to win his heat at Hayward Field.

Can he do the double?

That’s the question on everyone’s mind after the United States’ Tate Taylor posted the fastest time in the men’s 200m semi-finals at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships on Friday (7 August), striding to the line in 20.34 seconds to win the third heat.

Teammate Blake Hamilton was next best under the blazing Oregonian sun, powering through the finish line to win heat one in a time of 20.38. Barbados’ Jayden Green was third fastest at 20.46.

“I felt heavy during that back end, maybe just a little fatigue from earlier. Nonetheless, we got it done,” reflected Hamilton. “It feels amazing, getting to stay at home to run in my country, for my country.”

Jamaica’s Gary Card , runner-up to Taylor in the men’s 100m final on Thursday (6 August), eased across the line sixth fastest in 20.64, setting up a highly anticipated second showdown between Jamaica and the United States’ fastest teenagers.

“I felt good, I understood what I had to do early, said a little prayer [and] executed the first part of my race,” Taylor told reporters after the semi-finals.

He also saluted the home crowd for giving him the energy necessary to move on: “All the lights, the seats, the crowd, the energy that they bring kind of fuels you for the better, so that’s exactly what happened.”

Trinidad and Tobago’s Makaelan Isiah Randall Woods won heat three in 20.47, punching his ticket to the final scheduled at 20:16 local time (PDT, UTC -7) on Friday, 7 August.

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Picture by USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Athletics | U20 World Championships | Oregon | United States of America