South American U20 Championships in Colombia: Springer’s record-breaking performance earns gold

Guyana’s 16-year-old athletics sensation Tianna Springer yesterday ran another personal best time in the women’s 400m at the South American U20 Championships to win gold for the Golden Arrowhead and rewrite her name in the record books in Bogota, Colombia.
Springer broke the women’s 400m record held by Brazil’s Bárbara de Oliveira since 2009 with a superb run of 53.3s as against de Oliveira’s time of 53.44s.
The 16-year-old had come close in the semi-finals when she clocked 53.53s
Springer adds her first South American title to the 400m CARIFTA Gold medal that she won at the Games in The Bahamas over the Easter Weekend.
Earlier, Ezekiel Newton claimed Guyana’s first medal in athletics at this year’s South American U20 Championships when he finished third in the Men’s 100m event. Newton ran a personal best time of 10.42s in the race, which was won by Brazil’s Renan Gallina, who shattered the meet record with his 10.01s. Ronal Mosquera of Colombia placed second with a time of 10.08s.
The previous 100m record of 10.23s was held by Brazilian Erick Cardoso, and was set in 2019 at the Championships in Cali, Colombia.
Newton now adds the U20 Championships bronze to his South American U18 Championships silver medal earned in the 200m in São Paulo, Brazil last year.