Previews15 Jul 2016


Preview: women's 200m – IAAF World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz 2016

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Jayla Kirkland in the 100m at the IAAF World Youth Championships Cali 2015 (© Getty Images)

World U20 leader Sada Williams of Barbados will arrive in Bydgoszcz gunning for her country’s first gold medal in the 200m.

The 18-year-old paces the world with 22.61 from early March, a mark she backed up with a wind-assisted 22.72 to take the Carifta Games title, and more recently with 22.88, which propelled her to the national senior title less than three weeks ago.

Among those expected in the northern Polish city, US Junior Championships runner-up Taylor Bennett is closest to Williams on paper, with a 22.71 run from early April. The 19-year-old also has 11.33 credentials over the shorter event and clocked 23.20 at the US Junior Championships.

Further back, the field is wide open.

Jayla Kirkland won the US U20 title in 23.16, just 0.01 outside of her personal best set in Greensboro in June. Kirkland, 17, also has some championship experience to fall back on, having earned bronze over 100m at last year's IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali.

Others expected in the medal hunt are Mercy Ntia-Obong of Nigeria, who has clocked 23.17, and Edidiong Ofonime Odiong of Bahrain, whose personal best is just a tick behind at 23.18.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Khalifa St Fort, the 100m silver medallist at last year's IAAF World Youth Championships and a favourite here over the shorter distance, could be also be a factor over the 200m, but will need a marked improvement on her 23.55 personal best, set back in 2014, to wind up on the podium.

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

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