Card and Douglas settle for silver as Jamaica’s medal hunt begins in Eugene

Jamaica’s first medals at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships arrived in pairs Thursday night, but the nation’s two biggest sprint hopes were forced to settle for silver as American athletes Tate Taylor and Mia Maxwell stunned the Jamaican favorites at Hayward Field.

Gary Card and Shanoya Douglas entered the championships as the respective world leaders in the men’s and women’s 100 meters, creating strong expectations for Jamaica to sweep the premier junior sprint titles. Instead, both Jamaicans finished runner-up in races that produced a remarkable American double.

Taylor and Maxwell became only the second pair of athletes from the same country to win both the men’s and women’s 100m titles at a single World U20 Championships. The United States previously accomplished the feat in 2016 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, when Noah Lyles and Candace Hill captured the two crowns.

The two Jamaican silvers nevertheless provided the team with its first medals of the championships and moved Jamaica into ninth place on the medal table.

Taylor turns the tide on Card

Card appeared to have positioned himself perfectly for the men’s 100m title after exploding from the blocks and establishing an early advantage.

But Taylor refused to surrender ground.

The American remained alongside Card through roughly the first 60 meters before gradually separating himself from the Jamaican and powering to victory in a personal-best 9.94 seconds with a legal tailwind of 0.1 meters per second.

Card crossed in 10.05 seconds for silver, while South Africa’s Marko Ferreira secured bronze in 10.16 seconds.

Taylor’s performance was particularly significant because Card arrived in Eugene as the only athlete in the field to have broken 10 seconds during the season. The American's 9.94 seconds was also the second-fastest winning performance in World U20 Championships history.

For Card, however, the silver represented Jamaica's first medal of the competition and confirmation that he remains among the world's leading junior sprinters.

Maxwell ends Jamaica's four-Championship reign

Douglas faced an equally unexpected challenge in the women's 100m.

The Jamaican had been the only under-20 woman to break 11 seconds this season, having established a world-leading 10.98 seconds. Yet Maxwell seized control almost immediately and never allowed Douglas to reverse the order.

Running into a slight headwind of -0.1 meters per second, Maxwell crossed the finish line in 11.14 seconds, with Douglas just three hundredths behind in 11.17 seconds.

Italy’s Kelly Ann Maevane Doualla Edimo took bronze in 11.27 seconds, while Jamaica's Theianna-Lee Terrelonge finished sixth in 11.37 seconds.

Maxwell’s triumph ended a remarkable Jamaican sequence in the event. Jamaica had won the women’s 100m at the previous four editions through Briana Williams in 2018, Tina Clayton in 2021 and 2022, and Alana Reid in 2024.

For the first time in a decade, the women’s junior 100m crown therefore belongs to an American.

Difficult day away from the sprints

The medal success was accompanied by a series of setbacks elsewhere in the Jamaican camp.

Able Mills endured the most frustrating of them. After producing performances close to her lifetime bests during qualifying, Mills reached the finals of both the women's discus and shot put. However, competing in the two finals within a two-hour span, she failed to record a legal mark in either event.

Jamaica also missed out on representation in Friday's 400m finals after all four quarterfinalists were eliminated in the semifinals.

On the men's side, Jason Pitter, who had advanced from the opening round on time, finished sixth in his semifinal in 46.50 seconds, leaving him 14th overall.

Jabari Matheson also placed sixth in his semifinal, clocking 47.29 seconds. His workload had already been significant, having competed repeatedly during the championships, including an appearance in the mixed 4x400m relay.

The women's 400m produced a similar outcome. Daniellia Dixon was fifth in her semifinal in 53.77 seconds to finish 12th overall, while Shameika McLean placed fourth in 54.24 seconds and ended the competition 16th overall.

McLean had already raced three times since the start of the championships, adding another demanding assignment to an increasingly busy schedule.

Edwards leads next medal charge

Jamaica's campaign continues with Michael Andre Edwards carrying the next major medal hopes in the men's triple jump.

Edwards advanced to the final with a 16.00-meter effort, the fifth-best qualifying mark heading into Friday night's medal contest.

The morning session will also bring a substantial Jamaican sprint and hurdles presence.

Douglas and Sashana Johnson are set to contest the women's 200m, while Card and Nathaniel Martin will line up in the men's 200m. Ackeelah Bell and Tiana Marshall will begin their campaigns in the women's 100m hurdles, with Marquies Page and Taj O'Neil Gordon entered in the men's 110m hurdles.

With two medals already secured, Jamaica's challenge now shifts from defending its sprint reputation to expanding its medal haul, and turning Thursday night's silver breakthrough into a stronger championship campaign.