Springer ends Guyana’s 14-year World U20 medal wait with historic bronze

Aug 09, 2026 Sports

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur Sports – Tianna Springer has ended Guyana’s 14-year wait for a medal at the World U20 Championships, securing a historic bronze in the women’s 400m final in Oregon, USA.

Springer, who entered the final as one of the leading contenders for a medal after winning both her heat and semi-final, delivered a strong performance to clock 51.76 seconds and finish third.

Springer ends Guyana’s 14-year World U20 medal wait with historic bronze

Tianna Springer and her historic bronze from the Women’s 400m at the World U20 Championships.

Her bronze marks Guyana’s first medal at the championships since Kadecia Baird claimed silver in Barcelona, Spain, in 2012.

Baird’s achievement was historic in its own right, as her silver was the first-ever World U20 medal won by a Guyanese athlete since the championships began in Athens, Greece, in 1986.

Poland’s Anastazja Kuś captured the gold in a national U20 record 51.06s, while American Ataja Stephanie-Vazquez took silver in 51.36s.

For Springer, the bronze caps a remarkable championship campaign and establishes her as one of Guyana’s brightest young track and field talents.

Tianna Springer at the World U20 Championships.

The night, however, proved more difficult for Guyana’s other 400m finalist, Malachi Austin, who finished sixth in the men’s final.

Guyana also produced several notable performances in the relay events.

The men’s 4x400m team of Tishawn Easton, Dejuan Grant, Skylar Charles and Austin clocked a National U20 record 3:10.93 to finish fifth in their heat.

Easton ran the opening leg in 47.46s, followed by Grant in 48.54s and Charles in 49.54s, before Austin produced a strong anchor leg of 45.39s.

The men’s 4x100m quartet of Ezekiel Millington, Gordon Thompson, Dequan Farrell and Onesi Dunn also competed strongly, clocking 41.11s to finish seventh.

Malachi Austin had a tough men’s U20 400m final, finishing sixth.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Olivia Solomon continued to impress, setting another National U20 record in the women’s 800m.

Solomon, the CARIFTA Games U17 800m champion, ran 2:06.15 to finish fifth in her semi-final, lowering the National U20 mark she had established earlier in the championships.

While several of Guyana’s young athletes fell short of the podium, Springer’s bronze ensured the country would leave Oregon with a piece of history, and its second-ever medal at the World U20 Championships.

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bronze, Malachi Austin, Tianna Springer, World U20 Championships

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