Lima, Peru – Jamaica copped two gold medals on the final day of the World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, courtesy of their outstanding men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams. The Caribbean powerhouse finished fourth on the medal table with four (4) gold and one (1) bronze behind the USA, Ethiopia and the Republic of China.
Deandre Daley is known as one of the best anchor runners in his age group. Despite a disappointing run in the men’s 100m final, Daley showcased his trademark finish after collecting the baton in fourth position five metres behind leaders Great Britain. He accelerated through the field to secure a memorable gold for Jamaica’s men’s 4x100m in 39.18 seconds and sparked wild celebrations from his teammates, who watched in awe. This was the third fastest time in Jamaica’s men’s U20 history.
Deadre Daley says victory is for fans
Deandre Daley, “This one is for our fans at home because we missed out on the individual 100m. I also want to say that I listen to coaches and do well.”
Daley’s magical run added to the Jamaican festivities, which started ten minutes earlier when the women’s U20 4x100m team won gold in dramatic fashion in 43.39 seconds. Team USA held the advantage as the teams came around the top bend. Jamaica had individual gold medallist Alana Reid on anchor, and it appeared her presence forced the anchor runner for Team USA to move prematurely, which gave the incoming runner more work to complete the exchange.
On the other hand, Jamaica had a safe exchange with Reid, who sprinted away from Australia’s Jessica Milat after she briefly posed a threat but was no match for the individual champion. Australia were eventually disqualified, with Switzerland moving up to silver and Canada claiming third.
Alana Reid says her team “did fairly” in chilly weather
“The key to this race was for us to come out here and give our best. We did fairly well even though it is a bit chilly out there,” said Alana Reid. “I know that I would just run to the line once I got to the baton. So it was just for us to come out here and do our best. And I think we did that today.”
The winning time (43.39) was the second-fastest in Jamaica’s history, only behind the world record of 42.58 seconds set on 17 April 2022.
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