Easton sets national U20 record at World Championships

Tishawn Easton produced a national Under-20 record in the men’s 200 metres as Guyana’s athletes continued their campaign at the World U20 Championships in Oregon, US, on Friday.
Easton clocked 20.66 seconds in the fourth preliminary heat to finish third and secure automatic qualification for the semi-finals. His performance came with a legal following wind of 0.5 metres per second.
Switzerland’s Emile Mumenthaler won the heat in 20.62 seconds, also setting a national Under-20 record, while Bahamian Eagan Neely placed second with a personal best of 20.63 seconds.
Easton returned later in the day for the first semi-final, where he finished seventh in 21.19 seconds and did not advance to the final. American Blake Hamilton won the race in 20.38 seconds, ahead of Barbados’ Jayden Green, who clocked 20.46, and Jamaica’s Gary Card, who secured the final automatic qualifying position in 20.64.

Skylar Charles also represented Guyana in the men’s 200m but was unable to progress beyond the opening round. Charles placed seventh in heat five with a time of 21.51 seconds.
Tate Taylor of the United States won that heat in 21.02 seconds, while Great Britain’s Mayo Al-Abi finished second in 21.15 and Poland’s Bartosz Pytlik placed third in 21.17. The first three athletes in each heat, along with the six fastest non-automatic qualifiers, advanced to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Olivia Solomon delivered another encouraging performance in the women’s 800m, placing fifth in semi-final heat three with a time of two minutes, 6.15 seconds.
Great Britain’s Shaikira King won the race in 2:02.93, narrowly ahead of Ethiopia’s Habtam Gebeyehu, who recorded 2:02.99. Canada’s Chloe Symon claimed the third and final automatic qualifying spot in 2:03.22.
Although Solomon did not reach the final, she completed her World U20 campaign with another solid showing on the international stage.