Fresh from commentating at the World Under-20 Championships in Eugene, broadcaster Rob Walker reflects on five unforgettable days at Hayward Field – and an extraordinary generation of teenage talent that is coming for the senior ranks.

While sensational performances and drama were playing out brilliantly at home in Glasgow and Birmingham, this summer I was on the road for the age-group champs, covering the European Under-18 Championships in the scorching July sunshine of Rieti and then the World Under-20 Champs in Eugene in August.

Having had the honour of commentating on the last 11 world championships for the international TV coverage, this was my first experience of a global under-20s (or juniors, as we called it in the old days) and I was so looking forward to it.

From a broadcasting perspective, age-group champs are the hardest to cover because, by and large, you don’t recognise anyone by sight. But the raw potential you witness, along with the excitement you sense in the athletes, makes the events brilliant to work on.

Even in the pre-championships press conference, there was a glimpse of what was to come, with a line-up bursting with honest enthusiasm and personality.

In Izobelle Louison-Roe, the Australians have another star in the making. The gregarious high jumper (and a 13.73m triple jumper, by the way) was back at the under-20s trying to upgrade her silver from Lima two years ago and, judging by her bubbly interaction with the media, the press will love her in the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, should her current trajectory continue. She won gold at Hayward Field with 1.92m, too.

Also presented to the media were the Maxwell twins – Mia and Mariah. These American sisters are a marketing team’s dream and no doubt there are high-level agents circling already. After a double one-two in the 100m/200m at the US Under-20 Champs, everyone was expecting a gold rush and they were not to be disappointed. The twins also came across really well, with feet firmly on the ground. Let’s hope those around them ensure that remains the case. We will certainly hear more from them in the coming years.

The five days of action flew at us thick and fast and, with the largest field ever assembled for a World Under-20 Championships (over 1800 athletes), it was a relentless blur of stats, prep and great events.

Honestly, I said numerous times on air to co-commentators Rosie Tinbergen and Bruce McAvaney (the legendary Channel 7 broadcaster) that the standard was so good that you genuinely forgot you were watching teenagers.

It was just brilliant athletics and one of the reasons for that is the venue itself.

I’ve only ever commentated once before at Hayward Field, at the Covid-delayed world championships of 2022. The senior champs is so manic and so busy that I’m not sure I fully absorbed at the time just what an incredible athletics arena it really is.

There were far fewer people at the under-20s and that made it easier to drink in the surroundings.

It’s an amazing facility and I am certain the prestige of competing there for the first time was a major source of inspiration for many of the athletes. Almost all of them were smiling and laughing around the complex and seemed excited to be there.

It’s hard to pick out individual highlights as I really did enjoy it all but, of course, there were stars and moments we won’t forget.

The name that may have generated the most traction on social media was Tate Taylor. We already knew what a talent he is after his incredible 19.75 victory over Letsile Tebogo in the 200m at Hayward Field for the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting in early July.

In fact, after his win at the US Under-20 Champs, I don’t think he’s ever lost a race in Eugene, and in his mind he wasn’t about to start now. His big rival in the 100m was Jamaica’s Gary Card, who stormed to second in the National Senior Champs with an eye-watering 9.93 in Kingston. But Taylor was destined to repeat the 100m, 200m, relay treble we saw so memorably from Lyles at the 2023 world championships.

In fact, Taylor was so good that I’m sure the emphatic nature of the teenager’s hat-trick would have filtered back to the reigning Olympic 100m champion.

After 10.05 in the heats and 10.06 in the semis, Taylor blew the field away with a masterful 9.94 in the final, beating Card by more than one tenth of a second.

He was even better in the 200m – his favoured event – winning by almost half a second in 19.83. He really is something else.

In terms of the Maxwell twins, it was US under-20 champion Mia who came out on top in the women’s 100m, beating the excellent Shanoya Douglas of Jamaica 11.14 to 11.17 in an eagerly anticipated duel. Mariah was fifth, though she upgraded to bronze behind the same 1-2 in the 200m, Mia doing the double over Douglas 22.37-22.68.

One of the best finals of the five days was the men’s 400m, where for the first time all three medallists broke 45 seconds. It was a fabulous seesaw race in which the hugely determined South African Leendert Koekemoer stormed round the second bend with an edge over the two Americans.

Then back came Quincy Wilson and Jayden DeLeon, each looking capable of taking it. Wilson – an Olympic relay medallist from Paris 2024 as a 16-year-old – produced his best run for over a year, just pipping Koekemoer to the silver with 44.62, and thanks to a brilliant PB of 44.47, DeLeon took the title in fine style.

One of the most interesting elements of an age-group event is delving into the history books to compare current senior greats to their would-be successors. And in terms of following in mighty footsteps, nowhere is there more excitement than the men’s 110m hurdles.

Two years ago a certain Ja’Kobe Tharp won the world under-20 title in 13.05 and in June he stunned everyone at the NCAAs with that world record of 12.75.

He may well have a younger countryman challenging that mark before too long.

The US Under-20 Champs saw both Le’Ezra Brown and Zacchaeus Brocks breaking 13 seconds, and they were destined to go even faster in pursuit of the World Under-20 title.

After 12.89 in the heats and a marginally windy 12.82 in the semis, Brown scorched down the home straight to equal Sasha Zhoya’s world under-20 record of 12.72. It was an awe-inspiring sight, with Jeremy Koga of Japan and Zacchaeus Brocks both also breaking 13 seconds for silver and bronze in 12.97 and 12.98 respectively.

Brown will turn his attention to the senior ranks knowing he finished his time as a junior more than a third of a second quicker than the current world record-holder. Watch this space.

The women’s 800m was a fascinating race, with both global and domestic interest. It was great to see British athlete Shaikira King going toe-to-toe with the best in the world and the prolific junior Ziva Remic.

The Slovenian is still eligible as an under-20 at the next edition of this championships in 2028, yet she lined up for the final in Eugene as newly crowned European Under-18 champion from Rieti and silver medallist from last year’s European Under-20 Championships in Tampere.

King took a silver in the previous edition of the European Under-18 Championships in Slovakia just before the Olympics in 2024, yet this was an even more impressive run. They are both instinctive front-runners, so King had to be really smart and put herself in a brilliant position to strike with the field somewhat in awe of the 16-year-old favourite.

Remic showed great composure to take the title in a very tactical, tight finish and King should be over the moon with her bronze, making it three individual medals for the Brits (along with Wyatt Larkins’ bronze in the men’s hammer and Otis Poole’s third in the men’s high jump).

The standard was so high throughout that the six-medal haul for the British team (with three relay medals as well as the three individual accolades) was a fine effort.

The reality of life – injuries, distractions and tough career choices mean that a significant number of those I had the honour of commentating on for those five fabulous days in Eugene may not make it as seniors.

But I’m certain that, for those whose lives do take them in a different direction, they will have had an experience which will fuel their ambitions for many years to come.

For the chosen few who do make it as seniors, we are in for a real treat.

I genuinely believe this is a very special era for athletics at the moment, and those currently lighting up the global senior stages are about to be joined by an exceptional group of teenagers who won’t just be there to ask their heroes and heroines for a selfie and an autograph. They are coming and coming with ambition as big as their emerging talents. Bring it on.