South Africa’s Jan-Hendrik Heymans claimed javelin gold in the early hours of Saturday morning (SA time) at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The 19-year-old arrived as the event favourite and lived up to his billing in emphatic fashion, saving his biggest throw for last as he launched the spear 80.50m to seal the world title.
Heymans had already established his authority in the competition with a 76.92m opening throw before improving to a personal best of 79.42m in the fifth round. But there was more to come.
With his final attempt, Heymans unleashed an 80.50m effort to add more than three metres to the personal best he held before arriving in Oregon and establish a new World U20-leading mark.
It was the perfect way to cap a dominant performance, with Heymans recording a throw beyond 76m in every round.
India’s Ashish Yadav claimed silver with 74.09m, while Addison James of Dominica produced a national record of 73.89m to take bronze.
For Heymans, however, the night belonged entirely to South Africa as he followed Jaco van Dyk’s shot-put bronze from the opening day by securing Team SA’s first gold medal of the championships.
His victory came shortly after Leendert Koekemoer added a bronze in the men’s 400m, taking South Africa’s medal tally in Eugene to three – one gold and two bronze.
His victory also adds another major milestone to what is shaping as a breakthrough year for the talented young thrower, who has now firmly established himself among the leading junior javelin throwers in the world.
