The 2026 World Athletics Under-20 Championships officially kicked off on Wednesday morning at Eugene’s iconic Hayward Field, bringing together hundreds of the most promising young track and field talents from every corner of the globe to compete for global titles in their age categories. Among the rising stars competing is 17-year-old sprinter Jady Emmanuel, a product of the Laborie community of Morne Paul in Saint Lucia, who has already turned heads with a historic performance in the women’s 100-meter preliminary rounds.
Competing in Heat 2 of the opening round, Emmanuel delivered a personal best time of 11.28 seconds, outpacing a stacked field that included pre-event favorites such as Jamaica’s Sahnoya Douglas and the United States’ Maxwell twins. The legal wind reading of 1.9 meters per second confirms the result stands as an official personal best, knocking 0.11 seconds off her previous top time of 11.39 set just last month at a competition in St Kitts & Nevis. The run also broke Emmanuel’s own national Under-18 record, marking another career milestone for the young sprinter who will soon take up a collegiate athletics scholarship at the University of Texas.
Guyana’s Athaleyha Hinckson claimed second place in the heat with a time of 11.31 seconds, while Australia’s Maya Taber rounded out the top three in 11.39 seconds. Only Jamaica’s Theianna-Lee Terrelonge posted a faster time in the first round, clocking 11.21 seconds to win Heat 4. That puts Emmanuel as the second-fastest qualifier heading into Wednesday evening’s semifinals, scheduled to begin at 9:05 p.m. local time, where she will aim to secure a spot in her first ever global championship final.
The result adds to a breakout stretch for Emmanuel, who already claimed two CARIFTA Under-17 titles in 2025 and took home the senior 100-meter gold at the 2026 ANOCES/OECS Championships earlier this year. Her opening-round performance has cemented her status as a surprise contender for a podium spot in the competition, drawing international attention to one of the Caribbean’s most exciting young athletics prospects.