When you&rsquo;re as fast as this, who needs a good start? De&rsquo;Jour Russell may have reacted casually to the gun in the boys&rsquo; 110m hurdles final, but such was the Jamaican&rsquo;s supremacy it proved irrelevant, the 17-year-old star powering away from his rivals to take gold in 13.04, a championship record.
His chief rival for gold, Lu Hao-Hua of Chinese Taipei, reacted quickly out of the blocks (0.156), giving him what amounted to a head-start over Russell, whose reaction time was just 0.227. In truth, though, it mattered little. As soon as Russell found his rhythm over the opening few barriers, which he dwarfed with his lengthy frame &ndash; his stride so long he appeared to stutter between hurdles &ndash; the Jamaican made it look like a case of man versus boys.
Russell had run a championship record of 13.08 to win his heat, and he again surpassed that here, crossing the line in 13.04 and not looking overly troubled by the effort, though perhaps if there was any trace of disappointment, it was in coming up short of compatriot Jaheel Hyde&rsquo;s world U18 best of 12.96. If anything, it would seem he has too much speed between the barriers to do justice to the event with the U18 height hudles.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a great championship for me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have learnt that every step you make, make it count. I listened to my coach&rsquo;s instructions, which helped me a lot. I really wanted to win gold for my country and I&rsquo;m happy to have set a championship record.&rdquo;
Further back, Lu came through in 13.41 to take the silver medal, and was suitably delighted with his runner-up position behind the unbeatable Russell. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s special because I ran next to my idol, Russell. My target is to eventually be in the Olympics.&rdquo;
France&rsquo;s Thomas Wanaverbecq took third in 13.55. &ldquo;I had a solid start and Russell and Lu were very strong,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It is a fantastic moment for me.&rdquo;
Spain&rsquo;s Enrique Llopis was fourth in 13.58, with Romania&rsquo;s Alexandru Iconaru come home fifth in 13.69.
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

When you’re as fast as this, who needs a good start? De’Jour Russell may have reacted casually to the gun in the boys’ 110m hurdles final, but such was the Jamaican’s supremacy it proved irrelevant, the 17-year-old star powering away from his rivals to take gold in 13.04, a championship record.


Report: boys' 110m hurdles – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

When you’re as fast as this, who needs a good start? De’Jour Russell may have reacted casually to the gun in the boys’ 110m hurdles final, but such was the Jamaican’s supremacy it proved irrelevant, the 17-year-old star powering away from his rivals to take gold in 13.04, a championship record.

The next generation of Jamaican track and field stars were on full display at the Jamaican Junior Championships, a two-day event which concluded on Saturday (24) at the national stadium in Kingston.
But the most outstanding performance by a young Jamaican athlete came during the senior National Championships, which overlapped the age-group event.
Seventeen-year-old De&rsquo;Jour Russell went up against the seniors in the 110m hurdles, competing over the 107cm barriers. Russell advanced to the final after placing second in his heat in 13.57. He shaved more than two tenths from that in the final to finish fourth in a world U18 best of 13.32 (0.7m/s) behind Olympic champion and world leader Omar McLeod (12.90), world No.2 Ronald Levy (13.13) and Hansle Parchment (13.19).
&ldquo;It was a tough decision between my family members and coach,&rdquo; said Russell, who aims to compete at the IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017. &ldquo;However, I know what my body can do and I told them to just let me take a shot at it. It was nerve-wracking competing against those guys but I held my composure.&rdquo;
Kevona Davis won the girls&rsquo; sprint double in world-U18-leading times. On the opening day, the 15-year-old blazed to 11.24 (1.6m/s) to win the U18 girls&rsquo; 100m. The next day she ran a blistering 22.97 (0.5 m/s) to take the 200m title.
&ldquo;I am more confident now going to Nairobi,&rdquo; said Davis, who feels she needs to improve her start in the 100m. In both races Davis had to chase down 15-year-old Briana Williams, who recorded a personal best of 11.30 in the 100m and 23.57 in the 200m, finishing second in both events.
The slightly overcast sky made conditions good for sprinting and the sprinters duly obliged. Tyreke Wilson achieved a personal best en route to the U18 boys&rsquo; 100m title. Wilson, known for his smooth transition phases, stopped the clock at 10.34 (1.0m/s).
&ldquo;The plan today was to come out, execute the race as best as possible,&rdquo; said Wilson. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t expecting such a fast time but I&rsquo;m grateful.&rdquo; Xavier Nairne (10.47) and Kevon Stone (10.58) rounded out the podium spots, both setting PBs.
There was major disappointment for favourite Michael Stephens, who pulled up with a hamstring injury which first came to light in his semifinal win (11.00) where he was seen walking in discomfort and clutching the back of his right leg.
Britany Anderson, the world U18 leader in the 100m hurdles, lived up to expectations. Anderson found herself trailing the fast-starting Daszay Freeman, who led marginally up to the seventh hurdle when Anderson came charging by her to eke out a hard fought victory, 12.94 to 12.98 (2.3m/s).
&ldquo;I am driven by my competitors,&rdquo; said Anderson. &ldquo;My expectations are to come back with the gold from Nairobi.&rdquo;
Rovane Williams was a runaway winner in the U18 boys&rsquo; 400m hurdles in 52.26, while world U18 leader Sanique Walker, returning from a two-week break, comfortably won the girls&rsquo; equivalent in 59.24.
Shaquena Foote scored a convincing victory in the U18 girls&rsquo; 400m in 53.69, more than two seconds faster than high school champion Joanne Reid (55.75). The boys&rsquo; section was far closer as Antonio Watson and Anthony Cox had to be separated by a photo finish. Both ran PBs of 47.05 with Watson being awarded the victory.
In his first race since the Penn Relays, world U18 400m champion Christopher Taylor ran 20.75 (0.9m/s) for an easy win in the U20 boys&rsquo; 200m.
Tyrese Reid ran negative splits to score a convincing win in the U18 boys&rsquo; 800m in 1:52.42 ahead of Kimar Farquharson&rsquo;s 1:53.65. In the U20 section, Jauavney James timed his run to perfection to edge the front-running Ackeen Colley, 1:51.25 to 1:51.36.
Elsewhere, Kevin Nedrick set a national U20 record in the shot put with a 20.94m effort.
Owayne Owens bounded out to 15.08m (-1.3m/s) to win the U18 boys&rsquo; triple jump ahead of Safin Wills, 14.90m (-2.0m/s), while Ricardo Clarke won the boys&rsquo; U18 high jump with a clearance of 2.03m.
Wayne Pinnock, fresh from final exams half an hour earlier, came to the stadium in a lively mood and proceeded to go beyond seven metres in the U18 boys&rsquo; long jump. Pinnock, also a fine hurdler, cut the sand at 7.02m.
Noel Francis for the IAAF

The next generation of Jamaican track and field stars were on full display at the Jamaican Junior Championships, a two-day event which concluded on Saturday (24) at the national stadium in Kingston.

Russell and Davis impress at Jamaican U20 and U18 Championships

De&rsquo;Jour Russell&rsquo;s memories of the IAAF World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz 2016 are bittersweet.
He recorded a world age-16 best and world-U20-leading time of 13.20 in the semifinals of the 110m hurdles to earn the favourite&rsquo;s tag ahead of the final, where the young Jamaican was hoping to make it on to the podium.
&ldquo;I felt pretty good at the time,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;I had a lot of confidence going into the final. I think I was over confident, then I got out and hit the first hurdle, something that doesn&rsquo;t normally happen to me. It threw off the rest of my race. I tried my best to get back but I have another opportunity in 2018.&rdquo;
Russell finished fourth in the final, just missing out on a medal. Two days later, he anchored Jamaica&rsquo;s 4x100m team and finished fourth again, this time by less than one hundredth of a second. But, looking back, Russell is grateful for his first global championships, which he believes has made him a better person and competitor.
&ldquo;It was a really good experience,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Going on that circuit for the first time gave me a lot of exposure to the athletics world. I was exposed to a higher standard, different languages and culture; it was different from the Boys&rsquo; and Girls&rsquo; Champs in Jamaica.&rdquo;&nbsp;
With that experience under his belt, Russell is now keen to compete at the final edition of the IAAF World U18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya. &ldquo;My expectations are to win,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just need to keep my confidence throughout the rounds. My greatest accomplishment so far was topping the world lists last year, being the fastest U18 and U20 hurdler in the world.&rdquo;
Russell, who stands at 1.88m (6ft 2in) tall, has worked on one particular element of his race over the winter. &ldquo;My start, which is the worst part of my race, has improved tremendously,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a very big person, so coming out of the blocks is really hard for me but I&rsquo;ve worked hard at it and now you&rsquo;ll see good starts from me.
&ldquo;I know how to keep my focus during the race,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Many people don&rsquo;t know how to do that and I generally have fast turnovers between the hurdles.&rdquo;
Russell started his athletics career in kindergarten at Silverstone Basic School, where his physical education teacher, Mr. Brown, spotted him on the anchor leg during a shuttle race mowing through the field from last position to first.
&ldquo;He told my mom that she had a very talented son and she should let me pursue track and field,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Things took off from there.&rdquo;
He also credits his prep school coach Mr Bennett for developing his love for the 100m and current coach Michael Clarke for making him into a champion. His father, mother and grandmother are also key figures in his life. &ldquo;They always know how to comfort me in times of disappointment,&rdquo; he says.
Olympic 4x400m silver medallist Javon Francis is a former high school teammate and Russell&rsquo;s role model. &ldquo;I like the fact that although Javon no longer attends Calabar High School, he still trains with and motivates us,&rdquo; says Russell. &ldquo;I would like to achieve or surpass what he has done internationally.&rdquo;
He has already achieved two of his key goals for 2017. He won the class-1 title in the 110m hurdles in a championship record of 13.21 at the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys&rsquo; and Girls&rsquo; Championships and two weeks later he won the Carifta Games U18 110m hurdles title in Curacao.
Aside from winning major titles, Russell also has one eye on breaking records. The Jamaican U18 record for the 110m hurdles (91cm), Jaheel Hyde&rsquo;s 12.96, also happens to be the world U18 best. Meanwhile, the national U20 record of 13.06 over the 99cm barriers was set by Tyler Mason when taking the silver medal at the 2014 IAAF World U20 Championships.
&ldquo;I really think I can challenge our national junior record, although I don&rsquo;t keep it on my mind because my main focus is winning,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just going out there to run fast and see what happens.&rdquo;
Russell has other interests outside of athletics. He plays football as a centre-forward and enjoys listening to soca and dancehall music, especially before races.
All things being well, soon after crossing the finish line in the 110m hurdles final in Nairobi later this summer, Russell hopes to be singing along to the Jamaican national anthem as he stands on top of the podium.
Noel Francis for the IAAF

De’Jour Russell’s memories of the IAAF World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz 2016 are bittersweet.

Report: boys' 110m hurdles – IAAF World U18 Championships Nairobi 2017

Russell and Davis impress at Jamaican U20 and U18 Championships

Fuelled by Bydgoszcz experience, Russell aims for redemption in Nairobi