Nilsson Becomes U20 World Champion on Final Day in Lima

LIMA, Peru – Incoming Gator freshman Vance Nilsson became the U20 Champion of the men’s 400m hurdles on Saturday, the final day of the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima.

Nilsson’s 49.26 time was not only his new personal best, but also the best U20 performance in the world this season. He becomes the first U.S. athlete since 2012 to become the U20 world champion of the 400m Hurdles, and sets the best mark by an American in the event final since the 2008.

Had he run his 49.26 time in the 2024 NCAA Outdoor season, the mark would have been the tenth-best performance in Division I, and would have slotted in at sixth the NCAA Outdoor Championship 400m Hurdles Final.

Asia Phillips nearly broke onto the podium in the Women’s Triple Jump, securing fourth place with a 13.31m performance. Her U20 finals mark would slot in at ninth-all-time in Florida’s program history, and she will join the gators this season primed for a record-setting career in Orange and Blue.

Nilsson and Phillips round out a set of four Gators with top-five finishes in Lima, joining Gracelyn Leiseth and Jaden Wiley, who made their finishes in the women’s Discus and men’s 200m respectively.

WORLD ATHLETICS U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS
DAY FIVE RESULTS
Men’s 400mH
Final – Vance Nilsson, USA – 49.26, World U20 Champion, Personal Best

Women’s Triple Jump
Final – Asia Phillips, Canada – 13.31m, Fourth-place