IAAF Announces Changes to Events at 2020 IAAF World U-20 Championships

By Adam Kopet

The IAAF announced Friday that changes will be made to several events at the 2020 IAAF World U-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.

A mixed-gender 4x400-meter relay will be added to the program, similar to additions that have been made at the senior level at events like the IAAF World Relays and the 2019 IAAF World Outdoor Championships.

The men's 10,000 meters will be replaced with a 3,000-meter race to create gender equity. Currently, the women run 3,000 and 5,000 meters and the men run 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Both genders will run 3,000 and 5,000 meters in 2020.

The multi-events will see a change to how the final event is run. Currently the decathlon 1,500 meters and heptathlon 800 meters are run in a mass start. That will change in 2020 using the Gunderson method where the start of each athlete is handicapped based on their accumulated points. Thus, the person who crosses the finish line of the final event first will be the overall winner.