Jake Odey-Jordan stormed to Great Britain & Northern Ireland’s second medal of the 2024 World Athletics Under-20 Championships with bronze in the men’s 200m.

Odey-Jordan (coach: Victor Blackett) clocked 20.81 seconds to take the final spot of the podium behind gold medallist Bayanda Walaza of South Africa and fellow 16-year-old Gout Gout of Australia.

“It feels great,” he said. “I am just young, I have more to come. I got more years of being in Under-20s so I will make it count.

“I was just trying to complete my race model. I didn’t want to do something bad like chase on the curve.

“I just did what my coach wanted me to do and execute. I did what I could but the last 50m I gave out so I just have to work on it.”

In the same evening, Renee Regis (Darren Braithwaite, Shaftesbury Barnet) finished sixth in the women’s 200m in a time of 23.38.

“It was such a surreal feeling, I know half of these people went to the Olympics,” she said.

“Just being able to race with them is testament to how far I have come. It is such a great feeling.

“This is going to propel me into the future because I am going to meet these people again. I am happy about it.”

Innes FitzGerald (Gavin Pavey, Exeter) and Jess Bailey (Matthew Long, Leven Valley) both posted personal best times to finish fourth and eighth respectively in the women’s 3000m final.

FitzGerald was part of the lead group for the entire race, only losing touch of the podium on the final lap to finish in 8:57.01.

“The overwhelming feeling is I am happy,” she said. “There is obviously that bit of me that is gutted because I was so close.

“I put quite a lot of pressure on myself because I wanted to do my coach proud and everyone back at home and they will be proud of me whatever.

“I am glad I was racing for a medal and I didn’t just sit back. I wanted to get up there and I knew I had to be there at the bell. I didn’t quite have the legs in the last 100m but I fought and fought and came away with fourth which I am pleased with.”

Bailey also put in an impressive performance to clock a best-ever time of 9:06.92 and reflected on a brilliant experience in Peru.

“I am happy, I am content but you want more and you look forward to the future,” she said.

“I thought our tactics going into it were bob on, I knew what I needed to do, when I needed to do it. At the point when they pushed on, I knew I needed to be there but I think especially after the heats yesterday I just didn’t have it in my legs.

“I have really enjoyed it. Peru is not somewhere I have ever been before. I have brought the club’s Paddington Bear, he has been on a little tour of Peru and I will give it back to the kids at the club. It is part of inspiring the next generation.”

Sam Lunt (Wirral) set a new British Under-20 record in the men’s 400m hurdles, as he booked his spot in Saturday’s final in 50.00.

Lunt dipped under the previous record of 50.07 held by Paris 2024 Olympian Alistair Chalmers, sealing automatic qualification for the final in the process.

“That record was held by Alistair Chalmers and even he has noticed that I was getting closer,” said Lunt.

“This was my last chance [to break it] and on Wednesday I said I would leave everything out on the track. I said to my coach at the start of the season that’s the time I want and I have just gone and done it.

“Absolutely beautiful. It shows how hard the past 12 months have been. To come here and do that, it is something I am eternally grateful but I can’t get too excited, I have got the final tomorrow and I have got to bring it then.”

Ayesha Jones (Janina Pawnall, Marshall Milton Keynes) finished ninth in the women’s javelin final with a best effort of 49.37m

In the morning session, The women’s 4x400m relay team progressed to Saturday’s final in 3:36.69.

Jess Astill (Paul Keeble, Stevenage & North Herts) got Great Britain & Northern Ireland started with a split of 56.06 before handing over to Emma Holmes (Victor Oyesola, West Cheshire), who clocked 53.27 on the second leg.

Nandy Kihuyu (John Henson, Sheffield & Dearne) kept Britain in contention with a third leg of 54.50 before Rebecca Grieve (Francis Smith, Woodford Green Essex Ladies) produced the second-fast leg of the race, 52.86, to power the British quartet to a place in the final.

“I am a bit disappointed in my start, it wasn’t what I wanted to give the girls,” said Astill.
“I wanted to give them a much bigger head start.

“I have had a hamstring problem all week so just so grateful to even be here and get to the final, I am so proud of the rest of the girls they ran incredibly.”

Holmes added: “I just did my job, get out, get it to Nandy safely and let the girls do what they were going to do.

“Running with the best fields in the world, the atmosphere, just being in this place is an incredible opportunity.”

The men’s 4x100m squad of Fabian Powell (James Wright, Rugby & Northampton), Joel Masters (Jon Humphries-Cuff, BFT Track Academy), Dean Patterson (David Watson, Glasgow Jaguars), and Teddy Wilson (Marvin Rowe, Shaftesbury Barnet) then booked their place in the final in a season’s best time of 39.75.

Powell flew out of the blocks and immediately made up the stagger from a difficult lane two draw.

Masters and Thompson then expertly navigated the middle two legs before releasing 100m individual finalist Wilson to storm home and secure qualification.

“Lane two is not ideal but I just tried to get us out as fast as I could and thought I did pretty well,” said Powell.

Masters added: “It’s like a weight being lifted off the shoulders. Before going out there, I said we were going to make the stagger up straight away and that’s what we did. We executed it pretty well.”

However, the women’s 4x100m team of Mabel Akande (Denise Timmis, Lincoln Wellington), Kissiwaa Mensah (Prince Duwai, Chelmsford), Faith Akinbileje (John Blackie, Blackheath and Bromley), and Jasmine Wilkins (Mike Bennett, Bedford & County) were unable to book their spot in the final due to disqualification.

The quartet looked to have eased into tomorrow’s showpiece with victory in their heat, but were later disqualified due to a late exchange.

The morning session also saw Cleo Agyepong (John Hillier, Blackheath and Bromley) compete in shot put qualifying. She threw a best effort of 13.48m to miss out on the top 12 qualifiers for the final.