Seven Moments From 2022 That Shocked, Awed And Inspired Us

If you're an elite high school track and field athlete -- the top 1-percent -- in the U.S., then the World U20 Championships are always going to represent everything a gifted athlete dreams about.

It's about competing against the best talent domestically, and globally.  

This year, the World U20 Championships were in Colombia, and the festivities included a larger contingent of nations -- for reference, the U.S. did not compete at last year's World Championships in Nairobi -- which meant a bigger and better world competition. 

This time around, we had four individual gold medal winners from the U.S., including three young women and one male and three relays. 

Their names were Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan, Roisin Willis, Hana Moll and Akala Garrett. 

The U.S. was second in medal count overall -- only one back of Jamaica but one ahead of the island nation in golds -- and hauled in four silvers and four bronze. 

Woonsocket's Robinson-O'Hagan claimed the shot put win on day two with a new personal throw of 68 feet, only he did so with the international U20 weight of 6kg.

Stevens Point's Willis accomplished a long-held dream when she broke 2-minutes and ran a winning time of 1:59.13, just a shade behind the all-time mark of 1:59.04, which Juliette Whittaker, her teammate and third-place finisher, ran in June. She earned her distinction on day three. 

On day four, it was Garrett's turn. The Raleigh, North Carolina native put down a defining 400mH race in 56.16, winning the world title and claiming the world's best time in the U18 and U20 categories. 

The same day, Moll answered the challenge and won her own world title, clearing a top height of 14-3.25. 

Of those four, two are returning to the high school seasons in 2023. 

And so perhaps a champion's welcome is deserving of Garrett and Moll, who have charted their path and could continue to break records this winter and spring.