Simon Rosselli didn’t just finish strong at the World Athletics U20 Championships. He changed the whole conversation with one final launch.
The future Oregon discus standout was sitting in fifth place heading into his sixth and last attempt Aug. 9 at Hayward Field, then uncorked a personal-best 217 feet, 9 inches to grab the men’s title and send the home crowd into the kind of finish that lingers. The throw also rewrote the U20 American record, passing Mason Finley’s 214-4 from 2009.
Rosselli said the scoreboard told him exactly what he needed to do.
"I started smiling. I looked up at the board and saw the only way I could win was to break the American record," Rosselli said.
"I said, 'Hey, pressure's on. I have to go do something special.'"
He did more than special. The Spokane, Washington, standout turned his return to Hayward Field into a statement, and he made no secret of how he sees the venue.
"I had to walk out there and protect my home. I know no one can beat me in Hayward, and that's nothing but confirmed now," Rosselli said.
"It doesn't matter if it's the first throw or the sixth throw; all it takes is one. I'm here to throw that one throw and I'm here to take home that gold every time I'm inside Hayward."
Estonia’s Sten-Erik Iir took silver at 214-8, and Joseph Richard Salmon earned bronze at 214-6.
Rosselli’s clutch finish set the tone for a busy final day at Hayward, where another future Duck, Ellery Lincoln, closed out her own strong week in the women’s 1,500 meters. Lincoln, a record-setting distance runner who enters her senior year at Lincoln High School in Portland, finished fifth in 4 minutes, 22.60 seconds after a slow, tactical race.
"We were going slow enough that I was OK with being a little bit on the outside when I needed to be. ... I made a pretty wide swing to get toward the front of the pack when they started going," Lincoln said of trying to keep pace with the lead pack for the final lap.
"I hung for a little bit. But that's really the pinnacle of U20 world talent right now.
So, I don't feel too ashamed getting a little bit dropped by them. They definitely hit some really high gears."
Lincoln now plans to step away for a bit after a packed summer that included a stop at the Prefontaine Classic. She said she intends to run for her high school, though she’ll get a late start to the fall while she rests and recovers.
Kenya’s Josephine Sembeyo Mancha won the race in 4:16.73, while American Claire Stegall, who competes for the University of Florida, surged late to finish second in 4:16.77.
The U.S. also added more gold in the relays, starting with Tate Taylor’s final flourish after a remarkable week. Fresh off sweeping the men’s 100 and 200 world titles, Taylor anchored the American men to victory in a U20 world record 38.16, shutting down Great Britain’s 38.90 with an eye-catching 8.75 split.
"All glory to God. He gave me the vision earlier this week. I was able to achieve it; I just had to trust in Him and His plan," Taylor said.
Blake Hamilton (10.54), Dillon Mitchell (9.17) and Kyler Brown (9.70) also contributed strong legs.
By the end of the day, the U.S. had tacked on two more relay wins. Quincy Wilson, Cameron Tucker, Alexander Osayemi and Jayden Deleon combined to win the men’s race in 3:01.39, and Ashtyn Lewis, Olivia Harris, Clara Adams and Taylor-Nicole Overton took the women’s title in 3:29.15.
Those victories helped cap a dominant five-day meet for the host nation. The U.S. finished with 24 total medals, 13 more than runner-up Kenya, and its haul included 12 gold, seven silver and five bronze.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Jamaica won the women’s 4x100 relay in 42.89, the fastest U20 relay time in the world this year. Switzerland finished second in 43.36, and Belgium was third in 43.91.
France’s Zackaria Dia won the men’s pole vault at 19-1/4, with Estonia’s Henri Apri taking silver at 18-10 1/4 and USA’s Isaiah Whitaker earning bronze at 17-10 1/2. Fellow American Jaxon Jerabek initially placed third but was disqualified.
Germany’s Clara Hegemann took the women’s hammer throw with a winning mark of 226-4. Finland’s Pinja Karha was second at 224-9, and Germany’s Nova Kienast placed third at 222-9.
Kenya’s Wilson Chepkwech won the men’s 1,500 in 3:37.46, with the top three all posting personal bests. David Kapaiko Sekento, also of Kenya, was second in 3:38.32, and Morocco’s Osama Er Redouani took third in 3:39.68.
Spain’s Bakr El Asri claimed the men’s 3,000 steeplechase in a European U20 record 8:28.35. Kenya’s Emmanuel Lemiso Someki finished second in a personal-best 8:32.81, and Nicholas Kitum Losiwareng was third in 8:38.05.
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