LIMA, Peru – Sophia Beckmon walked away a silver medalist in the long jump at the U20 World Athletics Championships on Wednesday (Aug. 28) at Estadio Atlético de la VIDENA with her leap of 6.54m (21-5 1/4). She was trading spots for the lead with Delta Amidzovski of Australia who bested Beckmon by four centimeters.
Beckmon jumped out to an early lead with an impressive 6.48m (21-3) hop on her first attempt. Amidzovski leaped 6.49m (21-3 1/4) on her second attempt to take the lead. Attempts three and four for both jumpers were shorter or fouls, but their fifth attempts were where they each jumped their best marks of the day. Beckmon reclaimed the lead with her 6.54m, but it was short lived as Amidzovski recorded her personal best and winning jump of 6.58m (21-7).
Beckmon carries a lot of momentum now with her Worlds silver medal heading into her upcoming sophomore campaign for the Fighting Illini. She had her sights set on shattering her Big Ten and school record mark of 6.86m (22-6 1/4) as well as claiming the Big Ten and NCAA titles.
Her teammate and fellow sophomore, Elizabeth Ndudi, also was competing in this competition. She placed sixth today with a jump of 6.18m (20-3 1/4) which she also recorded on her fifth attempt.
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