Lima, Peru – In the penultimate event of the second day of the Lima 2024 World U20 Championships, Alana Reid ensured Jamaica maintained its dominance in the women’s 100m title with a commanding victory in 11.17 seconds (0.0 m/s).
On a cold night for sprinting, Reid, who entered the championships with the world lead (11.07), got off to a strong start and maintained her composure to pull away from the field and cross the finish line with unbridled joy. It was a Caribbean sweep as Adaejah Hodge (11.27) of the British Virgin Islands won silver, and Barbadian sprinter Kishawna Niles, who trains in Jamaica with the MVP Club, clinched bronze in 11.37 seconds.
Adaejah Hodge Takes Silver, Niles Adds to Keep Caribbean Flag Flying High – Lima 2024
Reid’s victory ensured Jamaica’s fourth consecutive hold on the women’s 100m title at these championships, following Briana Williams’s 2018 victory in Tampere, Finland, and Tina Clayton’s back-to-back victories in 2021 and 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya and Cali, Colombia, respectively.
South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza Stuns Field with Lima 2024 100m Gold
Puripol Bonsoon of Thailand, who advanced to the men’s 100m semifinals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, was regarded as one of the leading contenders in the men’s event. However, he was upstaged by South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza, who carved out an impressive win in 10.19 seconds.
Bonsoon, who was out of medal contention at the halfway mark, powered through the field to grab silver and deny Walaza’s teammate Bradley Nkoana from making it a 1-2 finish for South Africa. Jamaica’s Deandre Daley finished fourth in 10.37 seconds after recovering from a fumble at the start. Gary Card, Jamaica’s second finalist, finished sixth in 10.44 seconds.
Jamaica’s wait for a World U20 champion in the men’s 400m since 1994 continued after Kemarrio Bygrave failed to advance from his semifinal. Bygrave, known for his middle-distance prowess, found the pace too to handle, finishing fourth in a pedestrian 47.56 seconds. His countrywoman Shanque Williams, the younger sister of Stacey-Ann Williams, clocked 54.47 seconds to finish a distant seventh in her 400m semifinal and did not advance.