The World Athletics U20 Championships provide an opportunity to watch some of the best young athletes in the world compete against each other.
For a young athlete watching from South Africa, it can be tempting to focus only on the performances, the times, the medals or the athletes who look almost impossibly fast. There is also another way to watch.
Watch what happens before the race.
Look beyond the race itself
At a major championship, the actual race might last only a few seconds, but watch the athletes while they are waiting. Watch how they prepare and how they move through their warm-ups. See how they position themselves in the call room and how they respond to the starter. Look at how they behave after the race because these details can tell a young athlete something that a results sheet cannot.
High-level athletics is not only about physical ability. Athletes also have to learn how to prepare themselves to perform. That is a skill and it can be developed.
Competition exposes what training cannot
Training gives an athlete a controlled environment in which to practise while competition removes much of that control. There is an audience, there are other athletes, there is a timetable, there may be several elimination rounds of and sometimes the conditions are different from what the athlete expected.
This is why competition experience is important. A young athlete may perform extremely well in training but struggle to reproduce that performance when it it comes to performing and another may discover that they actually compete better than they train.
Neither experience is necessarily a problem because both provide information. The important thing is what the athlete does with that information.
Watch the athletes who don’t win
One of the most useful exercises for a young athlete is to watch an entire final rather than only watching the winner.
Look at the athlete who finishes fourth. Then fifth. They are still among the best young athletes in the world.
What separates them from the winner on that particular day? Sometimes it may be a very small difference.
A slightly better start.
A better finish.
A technical error.
A few hundredths of a second.
At the highest level, small differences can separate athletes who are all exceptionally good.
Use elite athletics as a learning tool
Young athletes do not need to copy everything they see from an elite athlete.
Choose one thing.
Watch how an athlete approaches the start.
Watch their sprint mechanics.
Watch their rhythm through the hurdles.
Watch how they run the final 100 metres of a 400m.
Then ask:
What did I notice?
Instead of asking only:
“Who won?”
try asking:
“What did you notice?”
That question may produce a much better discussion about athletics.
A young athlete watching the U20 Championships is seeing the result of years of development.
For a young athlete, the most useful question is therefore not:
“Can I run like them?”
It is:
“What can I learn from them?”
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References and Further Reading
The following resources provide additional context on the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships and youth athletics development.
- World Athletics. World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 2026 — Official Championship Page.
Championship news, reports, schedules and results from Oregon.
View the official Oregon 2026 championship page - World Athletics. World Athletics U20 Championships — Results Archive.
Official results and historical information from the World Athletics U20 Championships.
View the World U20 Championships results archive - World Athletics. Kids’ Athletics.
Information and resources on developing movement skills, confidence and participation in athletics among children and young people.
Explore World Athletics Kids’ Athletics - World Athletics. Education Hub.
Education and development resources for athletes, coaches and other people involved in athletics.
Explore the World Athletics Education Hub
A Note for Young Athletes
When watching elite athletics, results are only one part of what you can learn from.
Pay attention to preparation, technique, decision-making and how athletes respond when things do not go as planned. These observations can help turn watching athletics into part of your own learning process.
Results
Another busy few weeks of racing for the FFA crew! 🔥
From 5 km parkruns and fun runs to half marathons, cross country and an incredible 48-mile trail race, our athletes have been putting their training to the test and achieving some fantastic results! 💪
🏅 Podium finishes
🏆 Junior victories
⭐ Top-10 finishes
🔥 PBs smashed
🏃♀️ Big miles conquered
A special shoutout to everyone who represented FFA over the past few weeks — whether you were chasing a PB, racing for a podium, tackling a new distance or simply getting out there and enjoying the run, well done! 👏
Your hard work, consistency and commitment are paying off! 💪
Keep showing up. Keep putting in the work. Keep chasing those goals! 🏃♀️🏃♂️🔥
Well done, team FFA! 👏👏
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Lightweight FFA racer running vest with a bold red, black, and white design. Built for comfort, breathability, and performance on race day or during training.
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