Eugene hosts the 21st World U20 Athletics Championships

The 21st World Athletics U20 Championships officially began on August 5, 2026, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States. This prestigious five-day event, running through August 9, marks exactly 40 years since the inaugural edition was held in Athens, Greece. A total of 1,858 athletes from 147 different countries are participating in this global competition designed to showcase the future stars of track and field.

Among the participants, Cyprus has sent a delegation of 11 athletes who earned their spots through qualifying performances. On the opening day, five Cypriot athletes are scheduled to compete across four events. Notably, Katerina Karagianni is set to debut in the first round of the 100m sprint. Karagianni enters the competition with a strong track record this season, having broken the Cypriot national U20 and U18 records with a time of 11.64 seconds. The Cypriot team has seen significant growth in recent years, maintaining a streak of winning medals in each of the last three World U20 Championships, following notable past performances from athletes such as Ilias Loukas, Alexandros Poursanidis, and Giorgos Koniarakis.