4 T&F Student-Athletes Compete at U20 Championships

The New Mexico Junior College Thunderbirds have four student-athletes competing in the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru. The championships run from Aug. 27-31.

Day 1 on Tuesday, Aug. 27 will feature three Thunderbirds from the men's side in Ezekiel Newton of Guyana, David Nyamufarira of Zimbabwe, and Lebron James of Trinidad and Tobago.

Newton and Nyamufarira are competing in the 100m where the first two runners in the heat plus the eight fastest overall qualify for the Semi-Final of the 100m. Nyamufarira is running in Lane 5 of Heat 4 at 10:18 a.m. MDT. The Thunderbird freshman's top time is a 10.44 in the event. Newton will be in Lane 2 of Heat 5 at 10:24 a.m. MDT. The NMJC sophomore sprinter's top time in the event is a 10.39.

Nyamufarira will also race in the 200m first round on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 11:05 a.m. MDT. The races will be streamed live on Peacock.

James will compete in the javelin in Group A as the seventh thrower at 3:20 p.m. MDT. The T-Bird freshman's top mark is a throw of 69.31m. The automatic qualifying mark of 72.50 or at least the 12 best will qualify for the final in the javelin.

"Lebron is one of the best under 20 Javelin throwers in the world, and his marks certainly show it," NMJC track & field throws assistant coach David Evans said. "I was fortunate to have him here a week ago on campus, and we did some training and workouts and he's ready."

"He's a generational talent, young, raw, and untapped. I am no doubt looking forward to what he can do at NMJC. Today it's about Lebron and representing Trinidad & Tobago and doing big things for his country, and hopefully make it to the final. His goal is to make it on the podium. So, we will find out what kind of a competitor he is this week."

On the women's side, Nandy Kihuyu is set to compete in the 4x400 for Great Britain. Kihuyu will race Friday, Aug. 30 in the 4x400m first round at 10:30 a.m. MDT. The startlist is yet to be announced. The Thunderbird sophomore's best time in the 400m is a 54.28.

"We are excited that Nandy has been selected to represent her country in the World U20 Championships," women's track & field head coach Kathleen Raske said. "Competing against the rest of the world in her age group is going to give her crucial experience at the world level and serve as a part of the development process in hopes to one day compete in the Olympic Games. She has been working hard this summer to prepare for this event and help her 4x4 team win the gold. I know she is capable of doing just that."

The World Athletics U20 Championships runs through Aug. 31 and will be streamed exclusively on Peacock.