Beacroft sets world U20 record to claim race walk crown in Oregon

Isaac Beacroft celebrates his world U20 5000m race walk title in in Oregon (© Getty Images)

Australia’s Isaac Beacroft roared to a world U20 5000m race walk record of 18:40.37 on the fourth morning of competition at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 on Saturday (8).

The 19-year-old turned the tables on China’s Pu Huajia, who beat the Australian to the U20 title at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Brasília in April. Timing his finish to perfection, Beacroft picked up the pace again on the final lap and Pu couldn’t respond, finishing three seconds back in an Asian U20 record of 18:43.70.

The drama continued beyond the finish line as Japan’s Naoto Roppongi completed the distance in third place but was handed a time penalty for three red cards and so bronze went to Italy’s Nicolò Vidal in a PB of 18:56.19. After that 30-second penalty, Roppongi finished fourth in a PB of 19:24.43.

Ireland’s Séamus Clarke finished fifth in 19:28.27, India’s Nitin Gupta was sixth in 19:32.30 and Mexico’s Osvaldo Miramontes set an area U20 record of 19:34.07 in seventh.

It was a second major victory for Beacroft in just over a week as he won the 10,000m race walk at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on 31 July. He improved on his fourth-place finish at the 2024 World U20 Championships in Lima, adding this title to the U20 title he claimed at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, also in 2024. Despite his nation's race walk success, Beacroft became the first athlete from Australia to win a race walk title at the World U20 Championships.

"Coming into the race, I thought that it was going to take a world record performance to win and it did," said Beacroft, who surpassed the 18:50.00 set as the time to beat for a world U20 record. "So, I was prepared for that in my head and I knew that I was capable, I have seen it in my training.

"Pu Huajia is a lovely man, he is very good to compete against. He is very gracious in winning and very gracious in losing as well. So, I think that is going to be a very long rivalry. I am super excited to continue to do it."

Italy’s Serena Di Fabio dominated the women’s 5000m race walk, clocking 20:57.57 to win by more than 20 seconds.

The 18-year-old took control of the race early on and ticked off the laps metronomically, striding away from a chase group featuring France’s Chloé Le Roch and China’s Yang Yutong. Le Roch secured silver in a national U20 record of 21:17.92, while Yang got bronze in 21:31.99 as the next 13 athletes behind Di Fabio all set PBs.

Ibuki Hori closed well to finish fourth in 21:36.62, one place ahead of her Japanese teammate Harumi Tabata in 21:57.99

Di Fabio started as the world U20 leader thanks to European U20 record of 20:42.74 she set in Caorle in July. With her win, she became Italy’s first race walk winner at the World U20 Championships and switched the top spot from the U20 race at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Brasilia where Yang beat the Italian by 10 seconds.

Yang crossed the finish line in fourth place but already had the bronze secured as Tunisia’s Imen Saii had earlier received three red cards and was subject to a time penalty. Saii was later disqualified.

Le Roch gained her first global medal after finishing fourth at the World Race Walking Team Championships in April and eighth in the 10,000m race walk at the last edition of the World U20 Championships in Lima.

"It is a big motivation knowing that Italy has so much history in race walking. I have the opportunity to meet and train with some good Italian race walkers, it is an honour," said Di Fabio. "I am going to celebrate with my team, I am actually the team captain. It is a big responsibility. I wanted to do this role in the best way possible and I think I did."

USA ran a world U20 lead of 3:04.55 to make a statement in the men’s 4x400m heats. The team won the third heat ahead of South Africa, anchored by individual 400m bronze medallist Leendert Koekemoer, and Jamaica as they respectively clocked 3:05.08 and 3:06.44. Australia won the second heat in 3:07.04 from Poland and Zimbabwe, the latter in a national U20 record of 3:08.56, while Botswana won the first heat in 3:08.22 to also make the final along with France and Germany.

The host nation also led the heats in the women’s 4x400m, clocking 3:32.66 to top the first round ahead of Italy, who won the second heat in a national U20 record of 3:33.63. Germany won the third heat in 3:34.35 ahead of Slovenia in a national U20 record of 3:35.60 and they will be joined in the final by Australia, Great Britain & NI, Nigeria, Jamaica and India.

Australia set an Oceanian U20 record of 43.44 to storm into the women’s 4x100m final. Jamaica were second in 43.61 and 17-year-old Oluebube Ezechukwu finished fast for Nigeria to edge USA by just 0.02 for the final qualification place from that race, 43.65 to 43.67. Switzerland won the first heat in 43.99 from Belgium and Spain in respective national U20 records of 44.33 and 44.54. Germany won heat two in 44.09 from Trinidad and Tobago and Canada.

USA did make the men’s 4x100m final on home soil, going quickest in the heats with 38.87. Switzerland were second in that heat in a national U20 record of 39.32. Great Britain & NI (39.38), Trinidad and Tobago (39.40) and Jamaica (39.51) were the other heat winners, while Belgium clinched the sole non-automatic qualifying spot with a national U20 record of 39.45.

Three athletes achieved the automatic qualifying mark of 13.35m to soar into the triple jump final – Romania’s Daria Vrînceanu (13.60m), Sweden’s Johanna Sundén (13.58m) and Germany’s Antonia Bronnert (13.43m). Bulgaria’s 17-year-old Viktoria Angelova (13.03m), who topped the entry list, also did enough to advance to the final.