by Alfonz Juck
Niklas Kaul, photo by Getty Images, for IAAF
Kaul 8162 points after 71.59 javelin
BYDGOSZCZ (POL, Jul 20): Niklas Kaul scored the best ever mark in an U20 decathlon at the World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz with his total of 8162. The world youth champion trailed Maksim Andraloits by nearly 400 points after eight events but the German reduced the deficit with a world U20 decathlon best of 71.59m in the javelin before finishing the day with 4:21.70 in the 1500m. Andraloits still set PBs of 48.79m and 4:43.65 for the last two events but finished more than 100 points behind the winner albeit in a national U20 record of 8046 with Estonia’s Johannes Erm taking bronze in a national U20 record of 7879. The highlight on the track was a fast 3000m with Ethiopian Beyenu Degefa winning in a championship record of 8:41.76 to break a mark which has stood since 1992. Bahrain’s Dalila Abdulkadir Gosa (8:46.42) and Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen (8:46.74) claimed silver and bronze respectively. In the last event of the evening, Noah Lyles claimed the 100m title in 10.17 ahead of Italy’s Filippo Tortu (10.24) and Barbadian Mario Burke (10.26). On the in-field, Poland won their second medal of the champs with Klaudia Maruszewska adding four metres to her lifetime best with 57.59m ahead of South Africa’s Jo-Ane Van Dyk (57.32m) and Turkey’s Eda Tugsuz (56.71m). Elsewhere, world youth champion Maykel Masso won his second global title with 8.00m in the long jump while Alina Kenzel extended her world U20 lead to 17.58m to win the shot put.
