Taylor's historic U20 triple earns him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS -- Becoming the first man to win gold in the 100, 200, and 4x100 relay at a single World U20 Championships, Tate Taylor (San Antonio, TX/USATF Texas Southern) earned recognition as the 29th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2026. It is his second AOW honor of the year.

A double sprint champion at the USATF U20 Championships in June, Taylor matched that feat and added relay gold at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene. He ran 9.94 in the 100 for the sixth fastest time in U20 history, and then set a Championships record of 19.83 to take the 200 gold. That was the 10th fastest U20 performance ever. 

Taylor capped off his memorable week by anchoring the Team USATF 4x100 to gold and a world U20 record of 38.16, obliterating the previous world record of 38.51 by South Africa in 2021.

Other top performances from last week:

• Mia Maxwell swept the women's sprint titles at the World U20 Championships, taking the 100 in 11.14 and the 200 in 22.37.
• Simon Rosselli bettered the American U20 record in the men's discus to take gold at the World U20 Championships, throwing 66.39 meters to add more than a meter to the ratified record.
• Le'Ezra tied the world U20 record in the men's 110 hurdles at the World U20 Championships with a 12.72 for gold. He earlier bettered his own American U20 record in the heats with a 12.89.
• Jayden DeLeon won the men's 400 at the World U20 Championships in 44.47 and anchored the U.S. 4x400 to gold.
• Maddi Cooper won the women's 100 hurdles at the World U20 Championships in 12.91.

Now in its 25th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week. 

2026 Winners: January 15, Jonathan Simms; January 22, Michelle Rohl; January 29, Josh Hoey; February 5, Roisin Willis; February 12, Jordan Geist; February 19, Cole Hocker; February 26, Cynthia McNamee; March 5, Chase Jackson; March 12, Lauren Harris; March 19, Garrett Kaalund; March 26, Cooper Lutkenhaus; April 2, Rudy Winkler; April 9, Max Thomas; April 16, Sam Mattis; April 23, Tahmar Upshaw; April 30, Kaitlin Bounds; May 7, Karissa Schweizer; May 14, Anna Cockrell; May 21, Tatyana McFadden; May 28, Masai Russell; June 4, Joe Kovacs; June 11, Gabby Thomas; June 25, Tate Taylor; July 1, Jamal Britt; July 8, Nikki Hiltz; July 15, Jamal Britt; July 22, Cierra Jackson; July 29, Noah Lyles; August 13, Tate Taylor.

We welcome your nominations!

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.

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