Springer smashes under-20 400m record to win Gold for Guyana!

After achieving a personal best (PB) in the 400m heat, Tianna Springer continued to impress by setting another PB in the women’s 400m event at the South American under-20 Track & Field Championships, securing a Gold medal for Guyana.

Not only did Springer secure the country’s first gold at the Championships held in Bogota, Colombia, but she also shattered the women’s 400m record.

Her remarkable time of 53.3s surpassed Brazil’s Bárbara de Oliveira’s previous record of 53.44s set in 2009. In the semi-finals, the 16-year-old came close to her record-breaking performance, clocking in at 53.53s.

Springer’s victory in the South American Championships adds to her impressive collection of achievements, including the 400m CARIFTA Gold medal she won during the games in The Bahamas over the Easter weekend earlier this year.

On a similar note, Ezekiel Newton also made history for Guyana at the same Championships, securing the country’s first medal. Newton finished third in the men’s 100m dash final with a personal best time of 10.42s.

Renan Gallina of Brazil claimed the victory, setting a new meet record of 10.01s, surpassing his fellow countryman Erick Cardoso’s previous record of 10.23s set in 2019 at the championships in Cali, Colombia.

Colombia’s Ronal Mosquera finished second in the race with a time of 10.08s.

With this achievement, Newton adds a South American under-20 Bronze medal to his collection, which already includes a South American under-18 Silver medal earned in the 200m event in São Paulo, Brazil last year.