EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – Stanford's Harrison Williams broke the American junior decathlon record Saturday, scoring a meet-record 8,037 points to win the gold medal at the Pan Am Junior Track and Field Championships.
Representing the United States, Williams needed at least 4:32.00 in the final event, the 1,500 meters, to break the 8,018 mark for those 19 and under set by Gunnar Nixon in 2012. Riding the tail of race leader Nathaniel Mechler of Canada, Williams ran a personal-record 4:29.20.
Williams opened the race with a fast lap of 66 seconds, but closed the gap to Mechler while reeling off laps of 73, 72, and 72 on the way to the finish. After crossing the line, Williams dropped to the track in exhaustion.
Williams completed a freshman season in which he twice broke the Stanford record, repeated as U.S. junior champion, earned first-team All-America honors with a fourth-place NCAA finish, and was Pac-12 runner-up. The score also exceeded his previous junior best of 8,001 while he earned the distinction of becoming champion of the Americas.
Williams won six events over the two-day, 10-event competition to earn a commanding lead from the start. He beat runner-up Travis Toliver of the U.S. by a huge margin of 691 points. Williams set or tied three personal bests. He entered the day with 4,182 points and registered marks of 14.41 in the 110 high hurdles, 130-2 in the discus, 16-4 ¾ in the pole vault, and 169-10 in the javelin going into the 1,500 during a competition that was interrupted by lightning.
The 8,037 total does not count as a Stanford record (which is 7,806) because, under junior rules, a lighter discus and shot and lower high hurdles were used than in collegiate competition.
This is the second American record set this year by a Stanford freshman, joining Elise Cranny's women's junior indoor 3,000 mark of 8:58.88.
Another Cardinal, Canadian Daniel Brady, ran the 400 hurdles in a season-best 52.52 – the second-fastest freshman time in school history – but missed qualifying for the final by one place.
Stanford's Olivia Baker races Sunday, on the final day of the three-day meet, as part of the U.S. 4x400 relay team.
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Pan Am Junior Championships
Stanford results
Men
Decathlon: 1, Harrison Williams (United States - Stanford) 8,037 (American junior record).
Williams scores:
First day – 100: 10.67 (935); Long jump: 22-10 ¾ (6.98m) (809); Shot put: 44-11 ¾ (13.71m) (711). High jump: 6-8 (2.03m) (831); 400: 48.28 (896). First-day total: 4,182.
Second day -- 110 HH: 14.41 (922); Discus: 130-2 (39.68m) (658); Pole vault: 16-4 3/4 (5.00m) (910); Javelin: 169-10 (51.77m) (615); 1,500: 4:29.20 (750). Second-day total: 3,855. Grand total: 8,037.
400 hurdles prelims: Heat 3 -- 3, Daniel Brady (Canada -- Stanford) 52.52 (9th overall, did not advance to final).
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Remaining Stanford Schedule (All times Pacific):
Sunday
11:20 a.m.: Women's 4x400 relay prelims (Olivia Baker)
6:10 p.m.: Women's 4x400 relay final (Olivia Baker)
