The next generation of rising stars shined this weekend, putting trackflation on full display. Between the World Athletics U20 Championships at Hayward Field and the AAU Junior Olympic Games at Drake University, young athletes delivered incredible performances. Rising stars were born as countless world records were broken and champions were crowned.
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- Asher Denman Breaks World Record for 9 y/o Boys Long Jump at AAU Junior Olympic Games
- L'Ezra Brown Ties U20 World Record Over 110 Hurdles at World U20s
Here are the top 5 stories from this weekend, Saturday, 8/8 and Sunday, 8/9.
5. 8-Year-Old Emeri Cotton Breaks Three AAU JO Games Records
Looking at Emeri Cotton’s times, it is hard to believe that she is just eight years old.
Cotton had quite a week at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines. On Saturday, the 8-year-old broke her own 8-Under 400m JO Games record, clocking a blazing 1:03.32 for a new age group world record. Hours later, she broke another one of her records, this time running a 13.56 100m, into a headwind (-0.8) nonetheless.
Her two wins on Saturday completed her quest for triple gold, as she also won the 200m earlier in the week.
With the times Cotton is already running at eight years old, we could be witnessing the rise of the next sprinting sensation.
4. Two 9-Year-Olds Go Sub-59, Shatter Jonathan Simms 400m Record
We saw many dominant record-setting performances at the AAU Junior Olympic Games, but one of the weekend’s most exciting races came in the 9-year-old boys 400m.
From the gun, it was a battle for first between Clifford Pointer III and Kitai Jones. Both athletes entered the final with personal bests above 1 minute (1:02.24 and 1:01.49), which they ultimately completely shattered.
Pointer won the title in 58.70, improving his personal best by more than 3 seconds. Jones was right behind him in 58.95, taking more than two seconds off his best.
Both Pointer and Jones dipped under the previous JO Games and National Record of 59.25, held by collegian Jonathan Simms. Simms’ record stood for ten years after he set it at the 2016 AAU Junior Olympic Games.
3. Mia Maxwell Makes U.S. History with World U20 Sprint Double
A few states away, the record-breaking performances continued at the World U20 Athletic Championship at Hayward Field.
Mia Maxwell entered the championships ranked second in the 100m and third in the 200m, but left Eugene on top of the podium in both.
On Saturday night, Mia Maxwell battled Shanoya Mikalia Douglas in the 200m before pulling away for the win in a personal best of 22.37 (-0.2).
The victory secured Maxwell the 100m/200m double, after she held off Douglas to win the 100m in 11.14 (-0.1) on Thursday. With this sweep, she is the first American woman to win both the 100m and 200m at the World U20 Championship.
Next up for Maxwell is the start of her collegiate career, where she will be competing for the University of Texas alongside her twin sister, Mariah Maxwell.
2. Le’Ezra Brown Ties World U20 110m Hurdles World Record
There’s something about Hayward Field and hurdle world records.
Le’Ezra Brown put on a show in the Men’s 110m Hurdles, entering the final as the fastest qualifier after running a wind-aided 12.82 (+2.7).
In the final, Japan’s Jeremy Koga got out of the blocks first, but Brown quickly reeled him in before taking control of the race.
Brown crossed the line in 12.72 (+0.7), lowering his time from the semi-finals by 0.10 seconds and tying the U20 World Record. He is now a co-world record holder with Sasha Zhoya, who also ran 12.72 in 2021.
The University of Georgia sophomore also became the first American man to win the event at World U20s in ten years.
1. Tate Taylor Secures Triple Gold at U20s, Anchors Team USA to 4x100m World Record
Tate Taylor was unstoppable at Hayward Field.
On Saturday, he became the 200m U20 World Champion, setting a new Championship Record of 19.83 (+0.1). Taylor now owns two of the top eight marks this season in the world and stands ahead of sprinting greats like Andre de Grasse and Noah Lyles.
Taylor was far from finished for the weekend.
On Sunday, Taylor took to the track for his final race, the Men’s 4x100m, alongside teammates. Blake Hamilton, Dillon Mitchell, and Kyler Brown. Building on the lead Team USA had when he received the baton, Taylor stormed down the homestretch to lead the quartet to a U20 World Record of 38.16.
The two victories completed a triple-gold week for Taylor, who had already won the 100m in 9.94. He becomes the first man to win all three events in the history of the World U20 Championship. The teenager will be heading back home to Texas soon to begin his college career at Texas Tech.
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