Welt U20 high jump champion Scottie Vines, a rookie with the Razorbacks,
Setting a career best height of 7 feet, 4.5 inches (2.25), secured the high jump gold medal for Arkansas freshman Scottie Vines on Friday evening at the World U20 Championships.
Vines is only the second American to win the World U20 high jump title since the competition started in 1986 with Andra Manson claiming gold in 2002. The United States has previously earned three silver medals and a bronze medal in the event.
He’s also the third Razorback to claim individual World U20 gold in the past two championships, joining Jaydon Hibbert (triple jump) and Gabriel Emmanuel (decathlon) from the 2022 meet held in Cali, Colombia.
Arkansas also has a pair of 4 x 400m relay gold medalists from the 2022 World U20 Championships in Steven McElroy and Grant Williams.
Another Razorback freshman, Sebastian Berntsen of Norway, competed in the final of the long jump on Friday and finished sixth with his opening leap of 24-11 (7.59).
Vines improved upon his previous career best of 7-4.25 (2.24) that won the 2024 Texas Relays high jump back in March. It also improves the Colorado all-time high school record Vines set to better the previous mark of 7-4 set by Arkansas alum Matt Hemingway in 1991.
In a tight competition, Vines cleared six of the nine bars he attempted on first attempts. He needed two jumps at 7-1.5 (2.17) and then a third attempt at 7-3.75 (2.23). Then Vines sailed over his new PR height of 7-4.5 on a first attempt to garner the gold medal position.
Italy’s Matteo Sioli set a career best of 7-3.75 in placing second. He required three attempts at 7-3 (2.21) and 7-3.75. Japan’s Kaisei Nakatani, who shared the best mark of 7-4.25 with Vines entering the meet, finished third with a clearance of 7-2.25 (2.19).
In taking a total of 14 jumps, the series for Vines included heights of 6-9.75 (2.08), 6-11.5 (2.12), 7-0.5 (2.15), 7-1.5 (2.17), 7-2.25 (2.19), 7-3 (2.21), 7-3.75 (2.23), 7-4.5 (2.25), and then three misses at 7-5.75 (2.28).
LIMA, Peru – The World U20 Championships opened on Tuesday at Estadio Atletico de la Videna and a trio of incoming Razorback freshmen will be competing in the international event this week.
Coverage of the World U20 Championships is available through Peacock.
Scottie Vines will represent the United States in the high jump where he shares the top entry mark of 7-4.25 (2.24) with Japan’s Kaisei Nakatani.
Qualification in the high jump will be held on Wednesday with the top 12 advancing to the final, which will be held on August 30. Clearing 7-1.5 (2.17) will earn an automatic berth into the final. The high jump field includes 20 athletes from 15 countries.
Long jump qualifying on Thursday will include a pair of Razorbacks in Juriad Hughes with the United States and Sebastian Berntsen of Norway. Hughes enters with a best of 25-4.5 (7.73) while Berntsen has a best of 25-0.5 (7.63).
The long jump field includes 35 athletes from 27 countries. The final will be held on August 30.
Vines joins Arkansas from De Beque high school in Colorado, where he was a three-time State 1A high jump champion. His career best of 7-4.5 from winning the 2024 Texas Relays bettered the Colorado high school record of 7-4 set by Arkansas alum Matt Hemingway in 1991.
Hughes, from Coon Rapids, Minnesota, competed at Irondale high school in New Brighton, Minnesota. In 2023 he claimed gold in the long jump at the Pan American U20 Championships in Puerto Rico with a then career best of 24-11.5 (7.61).
As runner-up in the 2024 USATF U20 Championships, Hughes improved his career best to 25-4.5.
Berntsen, of Tønsberg, Norway, recently set a season best of 24-11.25 (7.60) to win the Norwegian U20 title. His career best came in 2023 during the European Junior Championships in Jerusalem.
In the first Diamond League meet since the conclusion of the Paris Olympics, Razorback Wayne Pinnock had his lead in the long jump snatched away by double Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece on the final leap of the competition.
With a mark of 26-5.5 (8.06) on his final jump, Tentoglou edged ahead of Pinnock’s leading mark of 26-3.5 (8.01) from the fourth round. Tentoglou moved from third to first place as the pair of jumpers produced the same result from the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 Olympic Games.
In the 100m hurdles, with a -0.9 headwind, Arkansas alum Ackera Nugent finished third in 12.38 from lane 8 as she matched the runner-up time produced by American Grace Stark. Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the race in 12.35.
Finishing behind Nugent were Nadine Visser of the Netherlands (12.40) and Jamaican Danielle Williams (12.53).
“The last few moments were really special because it was my first Diamond League since turning professional, and being around all the girls, everyone was so supportive and it just felt great,” said Nugent. “My anxiety and nerves disappeared because I was with good people, which helped me give my best today. And yes, that’s exactly what I did.”
Alum Shafiqua Maloney raced in her first 800m since placing fourth in the Paris Olympic final. She produced a time of 1:59.28 to finish sixth. Kenya’s Mary Moraa won the event in 1:57.91 ahead of two British runners in Georgia Bell (1:58.53) and Jemma Reekie (1:58.73).
Jamaican Andrenette Knight, a pro who trains in Fayetteville, finished fourth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 54.93. Femke Bol of the Netherlands won in a meet record of 52.25 over Jamaican’s Rushell Clayton (53.32) and Janieve Russell (54.48).
The long jump competition included an additional pair of Arkansas alums with Carey McLeod placing seventh at 25-8 (7.82) while Jarrion Lawson finished ninth at 25-2.75 (7.69).
Silesia Diamond League in Poland is the location of the next meet, which will be held on Sunday. Entries include Ryan Crouser (shot put), Romaine Beckford (high jump), Nugent (100m hurdles), Anna Cockrell (400m hurdles), Knight (400m hurdles), Shamier Little (400m hurdles), Dalilah Muhammad (400m hurdles), and Alexis Holmes (400m).
