Team USA enjoyed a tremendous day on the track as they won six medals, including three gold, on day three of the IAAF World Junior Track & Field Championships in Kingston, Jamaica. Leading the way for Team USA was high jumper Andra Manson (Brenham (TX) HS, cleared the bar on his first attempt for 10 heights, en route to the World Junior Championships gold medal, American Junior record, a World Junior leader and a personal best. Manson made two attempts at 2.33 meters/7 feet, 7.75 inches, but decided against a third attempt. He won the competition with a final clearance of 2.31m/7-7. Manson was 14 months when the previous AJR of 2.30m/7-6.5 was set by Georgia’s Dothel Edwards on July 21, 1985.

Following Manson’s performance and on the heels of his medal presentation and the playing of the American national anthem, Team USA lined up for the finals of the women and men’s 400m dash. In the women’s final, Monique Henderson (UCLA) and Sanya Richards (St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) HS) turned in an impressive race, with the women neck and neck coming down the homestretch. With 25 meters to go, Henderson accelerated and nipped Richards at the tape, avenging almost an identical race at the 2002 U.S. Junior Championships at Stanford. Henderson ran a season’s best time of 51.10, while Richards clocked 51.49.

Darold Williamson (Baylor) and Jonathan Fortenberry (South Carolina) stepped onto the track following the women’s race and put on just as impressive of a show as the women. Williamson edged Fortenberry for the gold with a time of 45.37, Fortenberry won the silver in 45.73.

Trevell Quinley (Arizona State) capped off Team USA’s medal parade on Thursday with a bronze medal in the men’s long jump. Quinley jumped 7.71m/25-3.5 on his third attempt, winning the sixth and final medal for the day for Team USA. “I just want to thank God for bring me here to this point,” said Quinley following his performance. “Those weren’t my footsteps in the sand, those were His. Thanks to my family, my aunt and uncle, just for the support, they are God’s angels in disguise.”

In other finals on Thursday, Jesse Williams (Broughton (NC) HS) cleared 2.21m/7-3, a personal best, to finish fifth in the men’s high jump. 2002 World Junior shot put silver medalist Sean Shields (Arizona) finished 8th in the finals of the men’s discus. Shields threw 59.21m/194-3 on his third attempt. Collegiate teammates Robyn Stevens and Anne Favolise finished 18th and 19th respectively in the women’s 10,000m race walk. Both women attend Wisconsin-Parkside, and walked 52:53.94 and 55:36.09, respectively. Japan’s Fumi Mitsumura, who led for the majority of the race, won the 10,000 race walk world title with a national record time of 46:01.51. In the women’s pole vault, American Junior record holder Lacy Janson (Florida State) did not clear a height in Thursday’s final.

In the 200m qualifiers, Sanya Richards won her heat and ran the fastest 200m time for all the women on Thursday with a time of 23.13. Teammate Allyson Felix (LA Baptist (CA) HS) won her heat in 23.77. Both ladies advanced to Friday’s semi finals. For the men, Wes Felix (USC) ran 21.08 to win his heat and advance to Friday’s semis. Teammate Rubin Williams (Valley Christian (CA) HS) also advanced to the semis with a time of 21.05 in his heat.

In the morning session, Erica McLain (East (TX) HS) and Billie-Jo Grant (Arroyo Grande (CA) HS) both advanced to the finals in their respective events. McLain long jumped 6.19m/20-3.75 to qualify for Friday’s final. Teammate Marquita Aldridge (Mississippi) did not record a mark in the qualifying competition and did not advance. Grant threw the discus 47.60m/156-2 and advanced in her group. Teammate Nicole Kendrick (Syracuse) did not record a mark in the qualifier and did not advance.

With ten total medals after three days of competition, including 6 on Thursday, Team USA tops the medal count and leads the point standings. Friday’s finals will see women’s long jump (McLain), women’s 200m (Richards and A. Felix), men’s 200m (W. Felix and R. Williams), women’s discus (Grant), women’s 400H (Demus and Ross) and men’s 400H (Jackson and Ferguson).

For all the latest news on the 2002 IAAF World Junior Track & Field Championships, including quotes from the athletes, visit the USATF Web site at www.usatf.org. For complete results from the World Junior Championships, visit www.iaaf.org/WJC02/Results/Byevent.html.