BYDGOSZCZ, Poland – South African pair Clarence Munyai and Tlotliso Leotlela produced the two swiftest times in the heats of the men’s 200m in the morning session on Day 3 at the IAAF World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz 2016 on Thursday.
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The men’s 400m hurdles heats also got under way on Thursday and World Junior 2014 champion Jaheel Hyde of Jamaica eased through.
FAST HEATS HALF-LAP RUNNING
Munyai flashed to victory in the fourth heat in 20.40 seconds, doing so in a -1.2 m/s headwind, as he clocked the fastest time going into the semi-finals.
“I feel very happy. It’s a goog time,” Munyai said after his heat win.
“I came out fast and when I got to the stretch I just kept the momentum going.
Countryman Leotlela, who just missed winning a medal in the 100m final on Wednesday, made a speedy return to the track to collect the third heat of the morning session in 20.63.
“My body wasn’t feeling ok after the three runs of the 100m,” Leotlela said.”But I’ll just have to take it from here.”
“I am very happy with the time,” he added. “I wasn’t expecting that, so I am very happy.”
Running well behind the South African were Roger Gurski (GER) 20.73 and Akanni Hislop (TTO) 20.87 – who both produced personal bests to advance.
Meanwhile, Michael Norman JR, perhaps the favourite to secure the gold medal in this event, looked impressive as well when winning the fifth and final heat of the men’s 200m in 20.74.
Other notable advancers were; Cameron Tindle (20.78) and Ryan Gorman (20.84) of Great Britain, Nigel Ellis of Jamaica (20.87) and Jun Yamashita (20.89) of Japan, and they all broke 21 seconds to go through easily.
The semi-finals of the men’s 200m will be later in the evening session.
HYDE OPENS DEFENSE WITH WIN
Also on the track in the morning session on the third day, defending champion Jaheel Hyde of Jamaica eased through his heat of the men’s 400m hurdles when winning his race comfortably in 50.81, the second fastest on the morning.
Running the quickest in the event today was South Africa’s Kefilwe Mogawane, who ran a PB of 50.53 to race to the top of the list and will be full of confidence entering the next round.
Other heat winners were Mohamed Fares Jlassi (TUN) 51.49, Kyron McMaster (IVB) 51.77 and Mikael De Jesus (BRA) 51.50.
Elsewhere in the morning session on Day 3, was the men’s 3000m steeplechase heats – topped by Getnet Wale of Ethiopia after running a personal best of 8:43.92.
The hammer throw and long jump for women also went off in the morning session, so too did the Heptathlon and the men’s pole vault qualifying round.
