Regional wildfires cast a smoky haze over the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, as athletes and officials struggled with poor air quality on the first day of the five-day meet.
The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency reported an air quality index (AQI) of 237 in the evening session, classified as "very unhealthy." To mitigate the issue, meet organizers provided athletes and staff with N95 masks and made available enclosed tents with air conditioning.
Jaslene Massey, an 18-year-old women's thrower for Team USA from Orange County, California, was among the athletes who wore a mask due to her asthma. She removed it long enough to make a single throw in the discus qualification round, which went 182 feet and automatically advanced her to Thursday's final.
Massey is the U20 world leader in the discus and will be a freshman on the Oregon track and field team next season. Despite the challenging conditions, she remained focused on her performance, saying, "I just want to leave it all out there."
The men's and women's 100-meter sprint events saw no missteps among the favorites during Wednesday's preliminary and semifinal rounds. American Tate Taylor and Kyler Brown, along with world U20 leader Gary Card of Jamaica, advanced to Thursday's final with ease.
Taylor ran the fastest time in the semifinals with a heat win in 10.06 seconds, while Brown and Card clocked 10.16 to advance. Second-fastest was South Africa's Marko Ferreira, who finished in 10.13.
In the women's 100, American twins Mia and Mariah Maxwell, along with Jamaicans Theianna-Lee Terrelonge and Shanoya Douglas, secured their spots in Thursday's final. Mia Maxwell led the semifinals with a time of 11.13, followed closely by Douglas and Terrelonge, who crossed in 11.21.
Oregon sophomore Juan Gonzalez competed in the men's 5,000 meters, finishing 12th in 13:59, more than 30 seconds behind the winner. The Kenyan duo of Frankline Kibet and Nehemiah Kipngeno took the top two spots, with Kibet crossing the line in 13:28.27.
In the women's 5,000, Uganda's Charity Cherop dominated the field, winning with a time of 15:03.88. Ethiopia's Shito Gumi took second in 15:07.91, and Kenya's Joyline Chepkemoi finished third with a personal record of 15:09.08.
Other notable results included Estonia's Mia Uusorg, who set personal bests in the 100 hurdles and shot put, and Brazil's Alessandro Borges, who rallied for the title in the men's shot put with a late throw of 66-9¼.
The mixed 4×400 relay final saw Team USA dominate, with the team of Joshua Shelton, Taylor-Nicole Overton, Jaelen Hunter, and Olivia Harris winning gold in 3:15.31. The Czech Republic earned silver in 3:18.16, and Australia took bronze in 3:18.45.
The meet is set to continue on Thursday, with several athletes, including Jaslene Massey, looking to make a strong impression despite the challenging conditions.
Source: Yahoo Sports