Young Wolverines Excel at World U20 Championships
8/23/2021 12:35:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
NAIROBI, Kenya -- On the heels of impressive international performances by University of Michigan track and field alumni at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics earlier this month, the next generation of Wolverine talent made its mark on the global stage this past weekend at the World Athletics U20 Championships.
Incoming first-year collegian Savannah Sutherland claimed the women's 400-meter hurdles bronze medal for Canada in a historically fast performance, while rising sophomore Dubem Amene ran a leg of Nigeria's fourth-place men's 4x400 relay team and finished 13th overall in the heats of the individual 400 meters.
Sutherland battled a talented field down the homestretch and created a bit of separation from the pack late to clinch a third-place finish in a career-best 57.27 seconds, just 0.11 shy of the silver and a one-third of a second back of the gold.
She was one of five women who nearly simultaneously cleared the penultimate hurdle and was in a one-on-one battle with Italy's Angelica Ghergo over the final barrier. The Canadian found another gear in the final sprint to the line as she clinched the bronze by nearly a half-second.
The time establishes her in rarified air among teenage 400-meter hurdlers, as she is now tied for No. 83 on the all-time U20 list in the event and No. 2 among Canadians. At the NCAA level, the time would have ranked No. 18 among all collegians for the 2021 campaign.
Though she has yet to don the maize and blue in collegiate competition, with this performance she will begin her Michigan career having already eclipsed the existing school record of 57.44 set by Amber Hay at the 2009 NCAA Championships.
She will battle for the record officially in the spring with another Wolverine newcomer in transfer Nikki Stephens, who carries a comparable 57.21 lifetime best in the event.
Amene was outstanding in his leg of the relay on Sunday, clocking 46.19 -- the third-fastest second leg of any second-leg runner -- to position his squad in third place after his leg. The Nigerians ultimately fell to fourth and out of the medals by just over a second, finishing in 3:07.19.
Earlier in the week, Amene finished tied for 13th in the heats of the individual 400 meters after running 47.50 for fifth in his race.
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