BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – BYU freshman Shaquille Walker won the 800 meter final at the USA Junior Championships on Saturday to earn a spot in the IAAF World Junior Championships. Fellow Cougar freshman Kevin Nielsen competed in the decathlon and placed third with a personal-best score of 7,275.
After advancing to the final on Friday with the second-best time in the preliminary round, Walker posted a personal-best 800 meter time of 1:49.39 to win the final. Saturday’s final was hotly contested as there was less than half a second between Walker and the fourth-place finisher.
Nielsen started the day in third in the decathlon and despite another solid day of competition, was not able to make up any ground on his competitors. His best event on Saturday was the 110 meter hurdles, which he ran in 15.21 for 824 points. Nielsen ran the best 1,500 meter of all the decathletes, finishing in 4:27.81 for 759 points.
The IAAF World Junior Championships will be held in Barcelona from July 10 to 15.