At the meet held at Demirjian Park in Champaign, Illinois, the Jamaican freshman won the 400m hurdles on Friday in 58.63 over Illinois freshman Franklin Jessica who clocked 58.99. Her Minnesota teammate Val Larson was third in 59.17. Her winning time was the fastest time in the conference so far this season.
Then on Saturday, Schaaffee anchored a team of Jayla Campbell, Janielle Josephs and Larson, to victory in the 4x400m relay in a conference-leading 3:38.40.
Illinois ran 3:42.01 for second place while a second team from Minnesota was third in 3:52.10.
The 2019 ISSA Boys and Girls Championships 800m bronze medalist was delighted with her weekend’s work but said there was still room for improvement, especially in the one-lap hurdles event.
“I am feeling pleased about my time and the performance,” she said. “I just need to work on my technique some more which would give me a faster time going into the championship.
“I have been working on my start, as in getting to the first hurdle in a faster spilt. My coach catches a spilt to each hurdle; my progression with that has been fluctuating. I get better then I go back to what I was doing another day. But I am just working on being consistent.”
Meanwhile, she was quite pleased with her leg of the mile relay, saying: "It felt good. I just want to get down to a faster split so we run a faster time."
The final session on Sunday witnessed an explosive showdown between Charlton and the 2022 champion, Cyrena Samba-Mayela. Fueled by the intense competition, Charlton stormed across the finish line in a remarkable 7.65 seconds, not only securing the gold but also eclipsing her previous world record of 7.67 set at the Millrose Games in February.
Samba-Mayela, the French sensation, pushed herself to the limit with a personal best of 7.73 in the semi-finals but was just shy of Charlton's electrifying pace, forcing her to settle for the silver medal with a time of 7.74 seconds.
Poland's Pia Skrzyszowka added to the drama, running a fast 7.79 seconds to claim the bronze medal in the tightly contested race. Meanwhile, Charlton's teammate Charisma Taylor, despite a strong effort, secured the sixth position with a time of 7.92 seconds.
Devynne Charlton's emphatic victory not only secured her a well-deserved gold but also ensured that the Bahamas would leave the World Indoor Championships with a single gold medal. This achievement puts the Bahamas on par with St Lucia and the Commonwealth of Dominica, where Julien Alfred and Thea LaFond claimed gold in the 60m and triple jump events, respectively.
However, the same cannot be said for Jamaica, which experienced a disappointing outing in the 4x400m relay. Despite having three bronze medals in their tally, the defending champions failed to finish the race as the third-leg runner, Charokee Young, dropped the baton, extinguishing any hopes of adding to their medal count.
McPherson anchoring the team in style, ensured a comfortable win in their heat.
However, despite Jamaica’s strong showing, it was the United States that stole the spotlight in the qualifying rounds. The American team, consisting of Quanera Hayes, Shamier Little, Aaliyah Butler, and Kaylyn Brown, stormed to victory in their heat with a blistering season-best time of 3:21.44. Their time was the fastest of the day, making them the team to beat as the finals approach.
The lone Caribbean representative will have their hands full in the final that will also feature formidable opponents in the form of Great Britain, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Canada.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 4x400m relay, Trinidad and Tobago faced a tough challenge during the heats. Despite a valiant effort, the team—comprising Renny Quow, Jereem Richards, Jaden Marchan, and Shakeem McKay—finished eighth in the first heat with a time of 3:06.73, falling short of qualifying for the finals.
The competition was fierce, and while the Trinidadian team gave their all, it was not enough to advance.
On the other hand, Botswana’s men’s team delivered a stellar performance, clocking the fastest time of the qualifiers at 2:57.76, a season-best. The team, which included Leungo Scotch, Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, Anthony Pesela, and Bayapo Ndori, demonstrated exceptional speed and coordination, making them strong contenders for a medal in the finals.
The finals for both the men’s and women’s 4x400m relays are shaping up to be highly competitive events, with fans around the world eagerly awaiting the outcome.
This means Jamaica's team comprised of 400m hurdles silver medallist Shian Salmon, Junelle Bromfield, Roneisha McGregor and Natoya Goule that ran 3:26.93 will leave Birmingham as 4x400m runners-up.
The development also means Canada has now been crowned 2022 Commonwealth Games champions. They had finished second in 3:25.84. Scotland finished fourth in a season-best of 3:30.15 but has been upgraded to the bronze medal.
On a day when Jamaica celebrated the 60th anniversary of its independence, Hill, the gold-medal favourite uncorked a blistering time of 12.77 to fulfil expectations.
It was her second gold medal of the World U20 Championships as she was a member of Jamaica's 4x100m team that set a world record 42.59 on Friday night.
Her compatriot Alexis James was also impressive securing the silver medal in a new personal best of 12.87. It was her third lifetime best in a matter of days. She ran 13.04 in the heats and 12.94s in the semi-finals.
Hungary’s Hannah Toth ran a national U20 record of 13.00 for the bronze medal.
Jamaica won two more medals on the final day following silver medal runs in the 4x400m relays.
The team of Dejanea Oakley, Abigail Campbell, Oneika McAnuff and Alliah Baker ran a season-best 3:31.59 to finish second to the USA who ran 3:28.06 for the gold medal.
Great Britain (3:31.86) took the bronze.
Jamaica’s men aided by an outstanding anchor leg from Delano Kennedy, powered their way into a podium spot in 3:05.72, finishing behind the USA, who won in a season-best 3:04.47.
Shemar Palmer, Shaemar Uter and Jasauna Dennis were the other members of the team.
Canada finished third in a national U20 record of 3:06.50.
Kennedy was fifth on the final handover and surged past the field to win Jamaica a national record 16th medal of the championships, the most by any team in Cali.
It was the highest number of medals ever won by Jamaica at the World U20 Championships topping the 12 medals won at the 2018 championships in Tampere, Finland.
Jamaica won six gold, seven silver and three bronze medals at the championships, one more than the United States, whose 4x400m victories saw them win seven gold, four silver and four bronze medals.
Aided by a wind of 2.5m/s, Anderson, in her first world championships final, ran a fast 12.23 to finish in second place behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, who clocked a ridiculously fast 12.06 to win the gold medal.
Amusan, who is coached by Jamaican Olympian Lacena Golding-Clarke, shattered the USA’s Kendra Harrison’s world record of 12.20 in the semi-final when she clocked a stunning 12.12s.
Harrison was second in the heat with a season-best 12.27 but the American was unable to handle the pace in the final and was subsequently disqualified after hitting a number of hurdles.
Anderson, meanwhile, broke Danielle Williams’ national record of 12.32 set in 2019, when she won her semi-final heat in 12.31 while holding off the Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who clocked 12.32.
Both women shared the time of 12.23 in the finals but Anderson was 0.005 seconds faster and hence awarded the runner-up spot.
Alia Armstrong of the USA was fourth in 12.38 while Cindy Sember who ran a new British record of 12.50 in the semis, clocked 12.41 for fifth.
Danielle Williams ran 12.44 for sixth with Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas running 12.53 for seventh.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s men picked up their first medal of the championships when they finished second in the 4x400m relay. The USA won the gold medal in a world-leading 2:56.17 but the Jamaican quartet of Ackeem Bloomfield, Nathon Allen, Jevaughn Powell and Christopher Taylor – spared blushes for their male counterparts with a season-best 2:58.58.
Allen ran the fastest split on the second leg, 43.95 while Taylor completed the anchor leg in an impressive 43.98.
Belgium finished third in 2:58.72.
Jamaica’s women closed the championships with the third silver-medalist on the final day when they finished runner-up to gold medal favourites, the USA which ran a world-leading time of 3:17.79.
The Jamaican quartet of Candice McLeod, Janieve Russell, Stephenie-Ann McPherson and Charokee Young, clocked a season-best 3:20.74.
Great Britain was third in 3:22.64.
Jamaica won 10 medals at the championships - two gold, seven silver and a bronze medal.
The team of Dwight St Hilaire, Che Lara, Machel Cedenio and Richards clocked 3:01.29. It was Richards' second gold medal of the Games. He won the 200m title in a Games record 19.80s on Saturday.
Botswana won the silver running 3:01.85. The bronze medal went to Kenya who ran 3:02.41. Jamaica crossed the finish line in fourth place but was disqualified.
Jamaica’s women enjoyed better fortunes as the team of Shian Salmon, Junelle Bromfield, Roneisha McGregor and Natoya Goule ran bravely for the bronze medal in 3:26.93.
The gold medal was a battle between England and Canada with both teams battling to the line with the home team winning their first 4x400m Commonwealth title in 28 years.
Their winning time was 3:25.83 with Canada 0.01 seconds behind in 3:25.84.
Meanwhile, in the field, Grenada’s Anderson Peters was upset in the javelin.
Peters struggled early but produced his best throw of 88.64m, which temporarily gave him the lead. It would not last, however, as Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem uncorked a career-best 91.18m, a new Games record to snatch victory.
Kenya’s Julius Yego, the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 World Champion produced a season-best 85.70m for the bronze medal.
