New Jersey had several talented athletes compete on the USATF roster during IAAF World U20 Championships from July 10th through 15th at Ratina Stadium in Tampere, Finland. Throwing star Alyssa Wilson not only competed, but brought home a medal after a solid performance in the hammer throw.
Wilson, who graduated from Donovan Catholic in 2017 and just finished her freshman year at UCLA, was the only woman to qualify for all three throwing events, the shot put, hammer throw, and discus.
Her most successful event was the hammer where she finished second to earn the silver with a throw of 64.45m (211-05.5). That was after she threw 58.71m as the last qualifier out of Group B in the preliminary round. She was only behind Canada's Camyrn Rogers who threw 64.90.
Alyssa Wilson's Full Series in the Weight Throw Finals
| Attempt 1 | 60.23 |
| Attempt 2 | 64.14 |
| Attempt 3 | 64.45 |
| Attempt 4 | 63.56 |
| Attempt 5 | 58.23 |
| Attempt 6 | 60.06 |
In the shot put, Wilson, the indoor and outdoor national high schol record holder in the shot, won her qualifying group with a mark of 17.02m, the best of the entire round by a full meter, though she didn't get a mark in the final round. In the discus, the UCLA star was fourth in Group B during the qualifying round where she threw 53.32m, In the finals she ended up 10th with a mark of 46.77m.
Cory Poole of the University of Florida, who starred at East Orange High, placed sixth in the 110 hurdles final in 13.74 after going 13.60 in the first round and 13.68 in the semis. Poole also advanced to the semifinal round in the 400 hurdles, but failed to make the final. At the USATF Junior National Championships last month at Indiana University, Poole became just the the third man to win both hurdle events.
Rey Rivera made it to the semifinals with a third place finish in the fourth preliminary heat running 1:49.53. The past Old Bridge HS star, who now attends Georgetown University, ended his meet in the semis with a seventh place finish during the second heat running 1:50.48.
Jordan West, formally of Rahway HS and now at the University of Tennessee, made it to the men's shot put finals with a qualifying mark of 19.20m for fourth in Group B. In the finals, West earned sixth with a his first throw of 19.86m.
Former Nottingham High star Boaz Madeus of Rutgers, who was competing for Haiti, made it to the semifinals of the men's 400 hurdles, but didn't advance to the final.