What a fantastic five days at the World Youth Championships, with Herts Phoenix & GB superbly represented by Jodie Williams and Nathan Wake.  Welwyn Garden City’s Jodie Williams fulfilled her undoubted potential by becoming the world champion over, first 100m, then 200m in Bressanone in the Italian Alps, a feat never achieved before let alone by a 15 year old running against 16 and 17 yr olds.  Hoping to follow in the footsteps of gold medallist Asha Phillip and bronze medallist Ashlee Nelson from these championships two years ago, Jodie came into the event as the youngest but potentially fastest of the bunch.  Her main opposition was going to come from team mate Shaunna Thompson, American Ashton Purvis and US Virgin Islander Allison Peter.

Jodie comfortably won her heat but reported hamstring tightness immediately before and after the race and this led to the medics having to get to work quickly to identify the problem.  Eventually a back problem was diagnosed and a series of treatments including acupuncture followed as the medical team worked to keep her on the track for the following rounds.  This they did and her times gradually improved with the increased intensity of quarter (11.71s) and semi finals (11.40s).

Thursday 9th July will be a day she will never forget as, in the final, despite having by far the slowest reaction time of the field, she drove powerfully through the race to win comfortably in an astonishing time of 11.39 seconds which is the leading time in the world this year at U18 level.  Second was Allison Peter in 11.47s and third Ashton Purvis in 11.48s.  Her team-mate Shaunna was fourth.  This maintains Jodie’s unbeaten run in all 100m races at any level.

Jodie was very, very pleased to have won – this race having been her aim since winter training began in October 2008 – particularly bearing in mind her fears when the hamstrings tightened in the first round and she hoped it would be just the start of a golden double.  Her reaction?  “Amazing,” was her first word after the race. “Another PB, wow, I am happy. It’s amazing, it’s just the best feeling ever. Another personal best and a World leading time. I’m so pleased. I didn’t think I would be able to do better than in the semis, I thought that would be pushing it.  But then that happened! I’m really in shock. It’s (the win) very important, it’s such an amazing feeling to have won....I did not come here expecting to win, so it’s a shock."

She started her 200m campaign the following day (Friday) and cruised through her heat in 23.96s and eased down looking to conserve energy and allow her back condition to improve.  On Saturday in the semi final she again controlled the race from the front and eased home in an improved 23.44s with Ashton Purvis following her home in 24.00s.  A second American won her heat in 23.78 and Allison Peter recorded 23.60 with Shaunna Thompson also qualifying for the final with 24.05s.

The final, on the last day of the championships, was a terrific race which had to go to a photo for the result.  Despite the Americans trying to assert themselves on the start line and perhaps upset Jodies pre race routine, Jodie remained calm and reacted much quicker to the gun than in the 100m final.  She ran a perfect bend to come out in pole position but the 100m silver medallist Allison Peter was not going to let another gold medal go without a fight.  On the line they were neck and neck with only a photograph separating them – they were awarded the same time of 23.08s – a new personal best and world leading time for Jodie.  Ashton Purvis again took the bronze only 7 1/100ths behind,with Shaunna Thompson in fifth in a season’s best time of 23.67s.

Of her double success Jodie said: “Obviously I had heard I had been tipped for it but I never believed I would, there’s such stiff competition. It was so close. It’s the first time I’ve raced athletes from another country, it’s the biggest competition I’ve ever been to. It’s amazing.  I don’t know how I did it, my legs felt dead and I was finding it hard to run the bend but they were right there with me and taking off so I thought I had to do everything I could to keep up with them. I threw myself over the line.  My World Youth experience as a whole has been amazing, there’s been ups and downs but in the end it’s all paid off. I need to keep myself grounded when I go back home.  I’m going to go back and train harder. I want this to keep happening. I want this amazing feeling to happen again.”

Jodie is not due to return to the UK until later in the month, taking a well earned break with her family for a week or so and giving herself time to come to terms with what she has achieved and the changes that it will inevitably bring.

However, Jodie is a down to earth girl who, despite running at the world championships still missed the excitement of being with her friends at the English School Championships in Sheffield this weekend and is really looking forward to seeing them all at track in the next couple of weeks. She was kept in touch with their medal winning progress by the flurry of texts between her father Richard and Herts Phoenix coaches in Sheffield as they swapped results and news regularly over the weekend.

Also competing in Bressanone was Nathan Wake in the men’s 400m.  Cruising through his heat in second place in 48.50s Nathan knew that the pace would hot up in the semi final the following day.

And so it did, Nathan finishing 3rd in his heat but in a very fast new personal best time of 46.86s giving him legitimate hope for a medal in the final the following day as he was the 3rd fastest qualifier.

The final proved to be a race too far for Nathan who could not repeat his time of the previous day and finished an agonising 4th, pipped at the line by the Sudanese athlete Makki by 5/100 ths of a second leaving him without a medal.

The winning time of the Grenadan, Kirana James, at 45.24s was a championship record and better than Usain Bolt at the same age!  Silver was won in 46.22 by Mance of the USA which shows the quality of the race Nathan was in.  He should be proud of his efforts, particularly the personal best in the semi final and I am sure will use the disappointment to spur him on to even greater feats in the near future.

Well done Jodie & Nathan!