BEIJING -- Nineteen-year-old sprinter Chris Carter helped the men's U.S. junior team win their only two gold medals at the World Junior Track and Field championships in Beijing. Carter won the 400-meter hurdles on Thursday at the World Junior Track and Field Championships in Beijing.
After the qualifying round, Carter found himself anchoring the U.S. men's 4x400-meter relay team.
"To be the anchor leg, that says you're the strongest runner on the relay team," BYU head coach Mark Robison said.
Carter has anchored BYU relay teams several times including a title-winning performance in the 4x400-meter relay at the outdoor Mountain West Conference Championships.
After the U.S. qualified for the finals, the team made some adjustments. They replaced Calvin Smith and Rodney Lockhart from the qualifying team for Justin Oliver and Chris Carter. That resulted in a three-second improvement and a gold medal finish.
According to Dyestats.com, the Russian team took the early lead but Quentin Summers kept the U.S. close with a time of 46.1. Justin Oliver, who won silver in the 400 meters, cruised around the track with a time of 45.6 to give the U.S. a lead it never surrendered. Bryshon Nellum, with a 46.16 and Carter, the gold medalist in the 400 hurdles, closed things out with a 45.72 to post a world junior-leading time of 3:03.76. Russia was second in 3:05.13 and Great Britain edged Kenya at the end, 3:05.49 to 3:05.54. Russia and Kenya set National Junior Track records in the event.
"I was honored to be a part of the relay." Summers said, "I'm happy we ran as good as we did. We got gold and we're all happy about that."