High School Sophomores Win Performance of the Week Honors for IAAF World U-20 Championships Performances

Track and field fans voiced their choices in this week's DyeStat's Performance of the Week poll, while DyeStat's editors made their own selection.

Readers’ Choice: Taylor Ewert

With 49.27 percent of the vote, Taylor Ewert won our Readers’ Choice vote, beating Briana Williams with her second-place tally of 15.33 percent.

The Beavercreek OH sophomore was the DyeStat editors' choice four weeks ago for her double at New Balance Nationals Outdoor and at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships where she won the 2,000-meter steeplechase at NBNO on Saturday and then broke the American Junior record in the 10,000-meter racewalk Sunday.

Now, representing Team USATF at the IAAF World U-20 Championships, Ewert broke her own American Junior record by more than three minutes. Although she finished 10th in the race, her time of 45:57.81 puts her 76 seconds behind the overall American record and ranked No. 6 in U.S. history.

With Ewert being only a sophomore, should she choose to stick with the racewalk in the coming years, she has two more years to improve at the junior level. That means she will have the chance to improve her time and place at the 2020 IAAF World U-20 Championships, assuming she once again qualifies.

Editors’ Choice: Briana Williams

The Northeast (Oakland Park) FL sophomore is no stranger to running fast. Throughout this season, Briana Williams has been one of the top prep sprinters at 100 and 200 meters in the country. This past week she showed her speed at the IAAF World U-20 Championships while competing for Jamaica.

Williams, coached by four-time Olympic medalist for Trinidad and Tobago and NBC track and field commentator Ato Boldon, doubled at the IAAF World U-20 Championships.

The 100 meters came first. Williams went undefeated through the prelims and semifinals. However, in the other semifinal, it was USC's Twanisha Terry who stamped herself as the favorite by breaking the meet record in 11.03.

However, when it comes to championship meets, it is not the time that matters, but the athlete who wins the final. In this case, Williams continued her unbeaten streak and won the 100 meters in 11.16, becoming the youngest athlete in World U-20 history to capture the 100 gold medal. Terry finished second in 11.19.

Following the 100 meters was the 200 meters. Williams once again went undefeated through the prelims and semifinals, but it was the final where she put on a show. She dominated the race, running a meet record and U.S. No. 5 prep all-time 22.50 to earn her second IAAF World U-20 Championship title, winning by more than half a second over Oregon freshman Lauren Rain Williams.

And like Ewert, Williams is only a sophomore, meaning she could feature once again at the next IAAF World U-20 Championships. That is unless she decides to try her hand at the senior level, aiming for a chance to compete at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.