Jamaica’s Kerrica Hill reinforced her dominance in the sprint hurdles by successfully defending her 100m hurdles crown at the World Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru, on Friday.
Hill, who first captured this title in Cali, Colombia, two years ago, showcased her prowess with a commanding win, crossing the line in 12.99 seconds.
From the starting gun, Hill asserted her authority, taking control of the race and never looking back. Her performance not only secured her back-to-back World U20 titles but also solidified her reputation as one of track and field’s rising stars.
Croatia’s Mia Wild earned the silver medal with a time of 13.15 seconds, while Australia’s Delta Amidzosvki claimed the bronze, finishing in 13.24 seconds.
Jamaica’s growing medal haul
Hill’s victory added to Jamaica’s growing medal haul at the Championships. Earlier in the week, Alana Reid had secured gold in the 100m, leading a Caribbean sweep of the podium. Following Reid, Adaejah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands captured silver, and Kishawna Niles of Barbados took home the bronze.
With Hill’s triumph, Jamaica now boasts two gold medals and a bronze at the Championships, continuing the nation’s legacy of excellence in sprinting and hurdling on the world stage. As the competition progresses, Jamaica’s young athletes remain poised to expand their medal tally, underscoring the depth of talent within the Caribbean.
In the 200m final, Adaejah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands emerged victorious, capturing gold and further elevating her career with a stellar 22.74-second finish. Jamaica’s Shanoya Douglas secured bronze in 23.10 seconds, with Australia’s Torrie Lewis finishing between them for silver in a personal best time of 22.88 seconds.
Elsewhere, Carlos Brown Jr. of the Bahamas finished eighth in the men’s 200m final, while in the men’s hurdles final, Jamaica’s Richard Hall and Cuba’s Yander Herrera narrowly missed the podium, both clocking 13.46 seconds for fifth and sixth places, respectively.
In other events
The men’s 110m hurdles was dominated by American Ja’Kobe Tharp, who won with a World Under-20 leading time of 13.05 seconds, followed by compatriot Andre Korbmacher (13.14 seconds) and China’s Yuanjiang Chen, who set a national U20 record of 13.21 seconds.
Meanwhile, Michelle Smith of the US Virgin Islands secured her spot as the favorite for gold in the women’s 400m hurdles, recording the fastest semi-final time of 56.39 seconds. Unfortunately, Haiti’s Gloria Guerrier (1:00.20) and Jamaica’s Kelly Ann Carr (1:00.33) did not advance.
Jamaica’s Daniel Wright will represent the Caribbean in the men’s 400m hurdles final after winning his semi-final in 51.11 seconds. Trinidad and Tobago’s Cheyne West (53.09 seconds) and Jamaica’s Trevoy Smith (54.24 seconds) both missed out on advancing.
Jamaica’s relay teams also impressed in the heats, with both the men’s and women’s 4x100m teams advancing to their respective finals with the fastest qualifying times. The women’s 4x400m team also secured a spot in their final, finishing second in their heat.
In the field events, Jamaica’s Shaiquan Dunn advanced to the men’s discus final with a throw of 57.82m.
