Field Preview | World Athletics Under 20 Championships

The World Athletics Under 20 Championships are just days away from kicking off in Cali, Colombia and the Australian team is home to a number of key hopes in the field, headlined by Mackenzie Mielczarek. 

Below we preview some of the Australian talent across a range of disciplines ahead of competition begining on August 1. 

You can catch all the action on BeIN Sports via Kayo or Fox Sports, and read our TRACK preview here.

Mackenzie Mielczarek (Javelin / Steve Cain)

Strong, powerful, and focussed - Mackenzie Mielczarek is a beast.

When Mielczarek is on the runway, you get the sense that it is going to take a significant effort to beat her. The 19-year-old is ranked ninth in the field but looms as one of Australia’s strongest medal chances at the championships, ticking all the right boxes at all the right times in her preparation.

Throwing 54.64m off a restricted run up en route to the Oceania title (U20) was enough to indicate that Mielczarek is in career best shape ahead of her Australian debut, building on strong sequences throughout the season which saw her win the Australian title (U20) and finish fourth in the Open ranks.

An intimidating presence amongst her peers, Mielczarek presents as ready to take the next step in her young career, with what that looks like to be decided at the World Athletics Under 20 Championships.

Marley Raikiwasa (Discus Throw / Steve Larsson)

Despite being the youngest member on the Australian Under 20 Team at 16-years-old, Marley Raikiwasa is ready to make an impression on the world stage with the discus in hand.

Raikiwasa’s personal best of 52.59m from March sees her ranked 10^th in the encounter, with 12 athletes to proceed to the final after the qualifying round. The South Australian was clinical in her final hit-out in Miami and can achieve the automatic qualification mark to ensure her finals berth, a feat that would require a new career best throw.

Only five athletes in the field have thrown 54m or farther this year, leaving the door ajar for the Australian to connect and send one deep into the sector.

Darcy Miller (Discus Throw / Steve Larsson) and Etienne Rousseau (Discus Throw / Didier Poppe)

The discus duo of Darcy Miller and Etienne Rousseau will not be short of supporters when they take to the circle in Cali.

The pair have become a reliable source of both wit and information for their teammates in the lead into the World Athletics Under 20 Championships, maintaining their reputation as the good guys who happen to be quite good at discus.

Miller’s best of 58.66m positions him just outside the quota of 12 for the final in 14^th place but the Australian will be confident in taking scalps and forcing his way into the final, an act that Rosseau will be looking to emulate – sitting narrowly behind his compatriot with 58.29m.

Adamant that they will be two of the smallest men in the field come the competition in Cali, the duo will be doing their best rain dance to ensure they can capitalise on their speed through the circle.

Tiana Boras (Triple Jump / Alwyn Jones)

At only 17-years-old, Tiana Boras is a name that Australian athletics fans are yet to be well-acquainted with, but the triple jumper who owns a 13.10m personal best might soon be a World Under 20 finalist.

That will be the plan for Boras and coach Alwyn Jones who doubles as a team coach, allowing him to guide Boras through her maiden international experience – with Jones going full circle after finishing fifth at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Italy.

Boras will be eager to convert he regular 12.80m performances to jumps that surpass the 13m mark in Cali, and if she is able to do so, she will force her name into finals contention where the realm of possibilities begin to open.  

Liam Georgilopoulos (Pole Vault / Howard Arbuthnot)

One of six team leaders, the softly spoken Liam Georgilopoulos will require a gargantuan personal best if he is to qualify for the Men’s Pole Vault final - and what better time to pull it out than in the qualifying round.

A student of the game, Georgilopoulos radiates a genuine love for pole vault and athletics – he makes you want to try it yourself. The 18-year-old will have minimal pressure in the encounter with his career best of 5.05m ranking him in the back half of the field, allowing the Queenslander to jump with freedom and enjoy the experience on the world stage.

Georgilopoulos will be reunited with his poles in Cali after difficulties with airlines resulting in his poles traveling to Doha and Madrid.

Erin Shaw (High Jump / Jack McArdle)

Fresh off a career best jump of 1.85m on her way to the Open Oceania title in Mackay, Erin Shaw finds herself ranked ninth in the field for the Women’s High Jump to contest the world Under 20 title.

The 17-year-old is set to make her long-awaited international debut after being selected for last year’s championships in Kenya before the Australian team was withdrawn, with the extra year seeing Shaw stack the centimetres onto both the bar and herself.

With the top three seeds sitting at 1.95m or above, Shaw will be forced to bring her best to the qualifying round if she is to book her ticket to the final, but when fit and firing it is a task that she is capable of handling.

Blake Shaw (Long Jump / Chloe Stevens)

You will know if Blake Shaw is jumping well in Cali, because he won’t be able to wipe the smile off his face.

The 19-year-old delivered a clutch World Under 20 qualifier of 7.55m after two no jumps in the Open national final, returning after winning the Under 20 title with a leap of 7.49m. The resilient Shaw is in fine form ahead of his Australian debut, so much so that multiple sets of eyes have been required to confirm his distances in the sandpit whilst training in Miami.

Shaw will undoubtedly be looking to capitalise on the opportunity to represent Australia after his training partner and friend Aiden Hinson (Triple Jump) withdrew from the championships after having surgery on his hamstring.

Emelia Surch (Long Jump / Glynis Nunn) and Katie Gunn (Long Jump / Matthew Horsnell)

Emelia Surch is better known for her exploits in the heptathlon on the domestic scene, but a unique double of the long jump and 100m hurdles is on the menu for this year’s World Athletics Under 20 Championships.

A supremely talented athlete with equally impressive versatility, Surch is a strong chance to catch her competitors by surprise in the sandpit. With a 6.18m personal best to her name, the 19-year-old has flown under the radar in the lead up to the competition, focussing her time on the runway in recent weeks to make significant inroads on the tape measure.

Katie Gunn will form a two-pronged attack with her personal best of 6.23m, having secured the national title (U20) in March with a leap of 6.08m. Gunn has jumped consistently close to the 6.20m-range and will be out to slide her way up the congested rankings with a new personal best in Cali.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 29/7/2022