By A Correspondent
Less than one year after Nairobi hosted the World under-20 athletics championships, we are having another edition. This time at Cali, Colombia, that begins on Monday, August 1. Covid-19, still around, disrupted the international sports schedule drastically in 2020 and 2021. The World Athletics (WA) had to redraw its calendar and so too various regional organizations. The result was, among other things, a World Championships this year and next year, and a World Under-20 championships lasts year as well as this year. Unlike last year, when the US stayed away largely because of the sweeping Covid-19, from the Nairobi meet, the Americans are in full strength in Cali just after having comprehensively dominated the senior edition of the Worlds at home. However, China has not entered a team for the second successive edition of the junior championships which should come as a disappointment. Welcome would be the return of Germany, Britain and Japan and several other countries coming after skipping Nairobi. Contests thus should be razor-sharp as they should be in a competition of this stature. Fifteen of the athletes who competed at the World championships at Eugene, Oregon, USA, are entered in Cali. Among them the Asian focus could be on sprinters Hiroki Yanagita of Japan and the 16-year-old Thai sensation, Puripol Boonson. Yamagita was part of the Japanese team at the Oregon World championships, where his team was disqualified. The experience would not have been much for Yanagita though just being part of the senior team in a World championships must have been a proud moment for the 19-year-old Japanese. He was a member of the bronze-winning Japan team at the World Relays at Chorzow, Poland, last year. Yamagita has a personal best of 10.16s clocked in the semifinals of the National championships in Osaka in June when he was third in the final with 10.19s. Puripol, just 16, hit the headlines in the National Games of Thailand when he won the 100m in 10.19ss, an Asian under-18 record in March this year. A headwind of -3.0 spoilt what could have been a stunning timing when he won the South-East Asian Games title at Hanoi in 10.44s. He doubled at Hanoi winning the 200m in a personal best 20.37s, which was also an under-18 national record and world under-18 lead at that time. He later took the Qosanov memorial title in the longer sprint at Almaty in June in a personal best 20.19s, also an Asian under-18 record. The 100m field is, however, heavy with several other notable stars. Towering above them all would be defending champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana who clocked an under-20 world record of 9.94s in the heats in Eugene before bowing out in the semifinals in 10.17s. “If breaking the world record again comes in mind during the days (ahead), I’ll have to do it,” said Tebogo. “Competing against the big names was a bit tough but I held my head up. Being in the semi-final was a big achievement”, said the 19-year-old about his Eugene experience. He has a best of 10.08s for the season. He would be running the 200m and the shorter relay as well in Cali. He said recently that the team was ready for aiming for the gold in the 4x100m. Also in the fray would be Nigerian Godson Oghenebrume who clocked 10.22s in the semis in last year’s edition but was only eighth in the final with 10.74s, has a personal best 10.12s and is third best among the entries at Cali. Japan should fancy its chances in the men’s 10,000m walk where Shotaro Shimioke and Riku Ooie are among the top-rated athletes this season. The entry list is headed by Turk Maslum Demir who has a personal best of 40:42:09 timed this season. This edition of the championships having come a year after the previous one in Nairobi, some of the winners last year have been provided with a chance to defend their titles since they are still within the age group. One of them is South Africa’s Mine De Klerk who took the shot put-discus double last time. She has been entered in both though she could have stiffer competitions in both this time. De Klerk is third in shot put in the season lists with 17.19m while Pinar Akyol (17.46m) of Turkey and Nina Chioma Ndubusi (17.27m) of Germany are the toppers. In discus, De Klerk is fourth with 54.22m while Sweden’s Emma Srale is the leader with 56.38m. “I’ve been working hard to do the shot put and discus again,” De Klerk was quoted as saying. “The discus is going to be a lot harder, but I’ll try my best. I personally like shot put better.” India, the only Asian country to get among the medals in Nairobi (two silver and a bronze) has fielded a 23-member team in Cali. The team’s departure was delayed back home, leaving the participation of the full complement of the squad in a bit of uncertainty. Priya Mohan (400m) who was part of the bronze winning relay team last year has found a place in the team, but 17-year-old long jumper Shaili Singh, silver winner in Nairobi, has not made the trip owing to injury. Opening day’s programme on Monday, Aug 1 includes two finals, women’s 3000m and men’s 5000m.
