Novuna GB & NI break World U20s record on Day Two of World U20s Champs

The Novuna Great Britain & Northern Ireland mixed 4x100m relay team created history in Eugene as they broke the world U20 record in their heat on day two of the World Athletics U20 Championships.

The quartet, consisting of Divine Iheme (Radley Athletic Club, Nkiruka Iheme), Savannah Morgan-McKenzie (Rugby & Northampton AC, Matthew Thomas), Matthew Ajayi (Watford Harriers, Peter Griffiths) and Sophie Thomas (Dunfermline Track & Field Club, Agustin Osorio), delivered a sublime performance to come home in a time of 41.60 seconds, breaking the record set by Australia (41.64) just minutes earlier.

“We had a game plan and we executed it perfectly, but we know that in the final we can go a lot quicker,” said Ajayi.

Morgan-McKenzie added: “We have such a close-knit team, and you see the connection on the track and that is key.”

Thea Brown (Sale Harriers Manchester, Ashley Bryant) put in a valiant effort in the women’s heptathlon on her way to a fourth-place finish.

The 19-year-old threw a season’s best of 6.39m in the long jump and a personal best of 35.46m in the javelin before showing all her courage to complete the 800m despite being visibly hampered by a hamstring injury.

Brown finished with a personal best score of 5826 points, just 24 points outside the medal positions.

Teammate Matilda Quick (Swansea Harriers, Steve Ingram) finished 22nd overall.

Jake Odey-Jordan (Be Fit Today Track Academy, Kevin Schnexnayder) finished fifth in the men’s 100m final after clocking a time of 10.31 seconds.

There was success in the men’s and women’s 1500m as James Alexander (Garscube Harriers, Alex Chalmers) and Lyla Belshaw (Colchester Harriers AC, David Smith) both made it through to their respective finals.

Alexander’s time of 3:42.55 was the second-quickest time of any athlete in the heats while Belshaw came home fourth in her heat in a time of 4:20.19.

Meanwhile, Ethan Newell (Sutton & District AC, Nick Hancock) finished sixth in Heat 3 in a time of 3:47.74.

Daisy Snell (Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC, Guy Spencer) gave a great account of herself in the final of the women’s long jump as she finished sixth with a best jump of 6.22m.

Casey Musgrave (City of Sheffield and Dearne AC, Mark Fowler) stormed her way into the women’s 400m final after racing twice in a day.

The 19-year-old finished second in her heat and then followed that up with a third-place finish in her semi-final to book her spot in the showpiece.

Rayhan Mourtada (Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC, John Blackie) enjoyed a heat to remember as he qualified for the semi-finals of the men’s 400m hurdles with a personal best time of 50.68 seconds.

It was double delight in the men’s high jump as the recently crowned European U18 champion Samuel James (Kingston AC and Poly Harriers, James Wild) and Otis Poole (Yate & District AC, Joy Bray) both progressed to the final after clearing 2.14m.

In the men’s 3000m steeplechase, Dillon Millard (Taunton AC, Dave Lee) finished 10th in his heat in a time of 8:54.75, while Bradley Andrews-Callec (Jersey Spartan AC, Steven Purser) came home in 9:08.07 to claim 12th in the other heat.

Alani Dumbuya (Leigh Harriers & AC, Mark Edwards) placed 10th in her heat in the women’s shot put with a throw of 14.41m.

The men’s triple jump saw Sean Connor Atafo (Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies, John Herbert) finish 11th in Group A while Tito Odunaike (Marshall Milton Keynes AC, David Johnson) came 13th in Group B.