Jamaica and Team USA clash in explosive 100m sprints

By Noel Francis August 6, 2026

Gary Card keeps his World U20 title hopes alive, winning his semifinal to book his place in the men's 100m final. The Jamaican now prepares for a blockbuster showdown with American Tate Taylor.

EUGENE, Oregon – The second day of the five-day World U20 Championships promises to be thrilling as the best sprinters come face-to-face in the 100m finals. It is no surprise that athletes from Jamaica and Team USA are among the leading contenders.

In the women’s 100m final, Jamaica’s Shanoya Douglas, the world leader, will compete from lane six. She will be flanked by the Maxwell twins from Team USA, with Mia in lane five and Mariah in lane seven.

Douglas looked untested en route to the final, winning her heats and semi-final by comfortable margins. The world leader, who won the third semi-final in 11.21 ahead of Mariah Maxwell (11.25) is looking forward to the final.

“I still need to work on my start, but overall, I think I handle the execution. I did not panic; I held my form, said Douglas. (For tomorrow’s race) I am just focused, getting my mind, body and soul ready for this final and executing, executing, executing.”

Shanoya Douglas cruises into the women's 100m final after another composed performance at the World U20 Championships in Eugene. The Jamaican sprint star remains firmly on course for gold. — Shanoya Douglas cruises into the women’s 100m final after another composed performance at the World U20 Championships in Eugene. The Jamaican sprint star remains firmly on course for gold.

Douglas’s teammate, Terrelonge, will start in lane three in the final. Terrelonge (11.21), following a strong start, finished second in the second semi-final behind the impressive Mia Maxwell, who was the fastest qualifier in 11.13 seconds.

The men’s equivalent is perhaps the most mouth-watering contest on the night. Jamaica’s Gary Card looked irrepressible throughout the rounds. First, he won his heat in 10.07 after getting a decent start. However, in the semi-final he had to work a little harder. After a sluggish start, he breezed past the field to win in 10.16 seconds. Card’s biggest rival, American star Tate Taylor, also looked dominant. He won his semi-final, winning in 10.06 seconds.

In the final, Card and Taylor will line up side by side in lanes four and five. This is an event you won’t want to miss.

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Noel Francis

Noel Francis is without doubt one of the most naturally gifted track & field writers in Jamaica. His passionate, creative, informative and engaging writing style has been recognised and enjoyed worldwide. He started out writing several articles with trackalerts.com in 2013 and his marketability soared with a number of his stories being featured on the US based Track and Field News – The Bible of the Sport. He is now the IAAF correspondent in Jamaica and a regular contributor for the Florida based high school track website Dyestatfl.com. Noel has a first degree in Banking & Finance and works as a Treasury Officer in the financial industry.

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