World Youth Championships from 6 to 10 July at the Lille Métropole stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq, France – THE CHAMPIONS WHO SHONE AT THE WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS

With a little less than a month until the start of the World Youth Championships (from 6 to 10 July at the Lille Métropole stadium in Villeneuve d'Ascq, France), we offer you a review of the prestigious athletes who have participated in this competition before breaking through onto the senior circuit.

New Zealander Jacko Gill, 16 years of age, dreams of being the World Youth Champion in a few weeks' time. The appearance of the prodigious shot-putter, the youngest junior World Champion in the history of the World Junior Championships in Moncton (Canada) last year, is much awaited in Villeneuve d'Ascq. However, he'll be tackling this major meeting of 2011 with the carefree attitude of youth, perhaps taking inspiration from a certain Usain Bolt. In Sherbrooke, Canada, back in 2003, after winning the world youth title in the 200m with a time of 20''40, he had this to say: "I do indeed eat like a horse. In fact I don't know how I do it. Grilled chicken, pizzas, anything goes. I never watch what I eat, in contrast to certain athletes. As long as I perform well, it'll be alright."

Today the Jamaican still performs well. And the same is true of the pole-vaulter, Yelena Isinbayeva, shot-putter Valerie Adams, hurdler Ladji Doucouré, as well as the sprinters Allyson Felix and Veronica Campbell… Six athletes, who back in the day, were World Youth Champions, before going on to win major senior titles a few years later.

1999, an exceptional vintage

1999, the year which featured the first edition of the World Youth Championships, remains an exceptional vintage. Hosted in Bydgoszcz, Poland, we were to discover a certain Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) in the women's pole vault competition, who put up a stunning performance when she cleared 4.10 m. For her part, Jamaican Veronica Campbell won the 100m in a time of 11''49, just three hundredths of a second ahead of compatriot Lisa Sharpe. As regards the French athlete Ladji Doucouré, he made it to the top step of the podium in the 110m hurdles in 13''26. "This competition brings back a lot of great memories", he recalls.

"To participate in the very first World Youth Championships was a great opportunity. It was the first time I'd travelled so far and that we were representing France, so we were kitted out in the national team's tracksuit and jacket. We also got the chance to discover lots of other cultures, young people from other countries and some home truths! Whether they are Jamaicans, Chinese or Americans… The entire competition was a journey of discovery for us."
American Allyson Felix earned herself a medal with a time of 11''57 in the 100m at the following edition in 2001 in Debrecen (Hungary), as did the New Zealander Valerie Adams, who scored a win there thanks to a throw of 16.87m.

It was the mindset highlighted by Ladji Doucouré, who is most frequently referred to as one of the reference athletes to participate in this competition. His participation was coloured by enthusiasm and pride in these initial selections; memories which tie in with the champions they have become toda

A breeding ground for champions

Looking at the results from previous editions, other prestigious patronymics catch your eye: from the Russians Anna Chicherova and Tatyana Chernova to the French athlete Christophe Lemaitre, as well as the Ethiopians Kenenisa and Tariku Bekele. Such athletes didn't necessarily stand out as juniors but that didn't stop them from breaking through into top level athletics a few years later. However, a number of other names have also been forgotten in the history of athletics. Injuries, excessive training or quite simply life and career choices, the trajectories aren't always rectilinear, which is quite normal.

The World Youth Championships, a major festival of youth athletics, nevertheless remains a terrific breeding ground for tomorrow's champions. The future Usain Bolts and Yelena Isinbayevas of this world may well be on the track in Villeneuve d'Ascq.

The selection methods

The period for the minimum standards to be achieved extends from 1 January 2011 to 20 June 2011 and the deadline for involvement is set for 12 noon local time on 20 June for all the delegations.

Click here to download the table for minimum IAAF standards.