McLaughlin Set to Compete at World Junior Championships
7/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
July 18, 2016
» McLaughlin earned his opportunity to compete in Poland this week by winning a U.S. junior national championship earlier this summer in Eugene, Oregon.
» This weekend's events close a decorated rookie season for McLaughlin, complete with two Big Ten medals and All-America honors.
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THIS WEEK
Thu-Sat, July 21-23 -- at World Junior (Under 20) Championships (Bydgoszcz, Poland), 4:35 p.m./1:30 p.m./1:15 p.m.
• Event Information: IAAF Under-20 Championships Home | Results | Event Preview (IAAF)
Coming off his U.S. Junior national championship won at historic Hayward Field one month ago (June 26), rising sophomore Taylor McLaughlin has earned the opportunity to extend his season and represent the United States in international competition with this week's World Junior (U-20) Championships.
McLaughlin will spearhead the U.S. effort overseas, running over three days of preliminary, semifinal and final action at Zawisza Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The meet returns to Europe after having most recently been competed on U.S. soil in 2014 in Eugene, Oregon. This year, the meet returns to the same city in Poland that played host for the 2008 championships. The building was completed in 1960 and renovated in 2007-08, featuring a seating capacity around 20,000 people.
Known as the capital of Polish athletics, Bydgoszcz has also hosted the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, the European Athletics Cup and a number of other international competitions.
Live results will be provided for this weekend's championship meet, available above, and fans should also follow along with @umichtrack on Twitter for updates as they become available, including results, race highlights and post-event interviews.
SCHEDULE OF COMPETITION
Event: Athlete
Race Day/Time (all times Eastern)
400-meter hurdles: Taylor McLaughlin
Preliminary Heats Thursday (July 21) at 4:35 p.m.
Semifinals Friday (July 22) at 1:30 p.m.
Finals Saturday (July 23) at 1:15 p.m.
THINGS TO KNOW
• This week's competition will mark the close of a long but successful season for McLaughlin, who began his rookie campaign the second weekend in January. This will be his 15th meet of the season, including the U.S. Junior Championships and U.S. Olympic Trials, where he reached the semifinal round.
• Among junior athletes across the world, McLaughlin's PR time of 49.73 ranks No. 3, fastest among Americans. In fact, McLaughlin owns each of the top four fastest times by U.S. Juniors this year, and he has run races less than 50 seconds on four occasions in 2016.
• McLaughlin has strung together one of the most decorated freshman seasons in program history, earning two All-America honors (eighth; distance medley relay, fifth; 400-meter hurdles) and two Big Ten medals (bronze; 400 meters, gold; 400-meter hurdles) along the way.
• One of a program-record 20 NCAA East Preliminary Round qualifiers, McLaughlin was U-M's first NCAA Championships freshman qualifier since 2007, when Canadian cycling Olympian Mike Woods earned the distinction.
• As a program, Michigan is coming off the team's best season in 20 years. The Wolverines placed second in the Big Ten during the outdoor season, scoring in 16 of 21 events with four event titles, including McLaughlin's win in the 400-meter hurdles.
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
