Mizzou Track & Field Represented at World Junior Championships
7/18/2016 11:04:00 AM | Track & Field
Kahmari Montgomery, JaMari Ward Set to Compete on World Stage
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri men's track and field team will be well-represented at this week's International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Under 20 Championships, held July 19-24 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, as current star sprinter Kahmari Montgomery (Plainfield, Ill.) and highly-decorated incoming recruit JaMari Ward (Cahokia, Ill.) will be competing.
Montgomery, who just wrapped up an outstanding freshman season at Mizzou, will be competing in the 400 meter run and is part of the United States' 4x400 meter relay team at the World Juniors. Montgomery was the SEC champion this past season in both the indoor (45.78 seconds) and outdoor (45.13) championship meets as a freshman. He later won All-American honors with a ninth-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400 meters (45.81). He qualified for the IAAF meet when he finished second with a time of 45.64 in the 400 meters at the USATF Junior Championships in June in Clovis, Calif.
Ward is considered the nation's top high school athlete in the long and triple jumps, and he signed a national letter of intent to attend Mizzou last November. Since then, Ward turned in the nation's top prep triple jump mark this season (53' 7.5") and the number two long jump mark (25' 8.75"), with both marks cracking the top-10 all-time chart in American high school history (triple jump ranks 6th, long jump 8th). Ward will compete in Poland in the long jump, after he qualified by winning the USATF Junior Nationals with his leap of 25' 8.75".
"There are very few honors greater in athletics than representing your country at a major world event," said Mizzou Track & Field Head Coach Brett Halter. "The Tiger family is proud of and excited for Kahmari and JaMari as they round out a sensational 2016 season. This is a great opportunity for them both to learn about international competition and what goes into preparing and competing there, as well as having fun and building relationships. The 2016 World Junior Championship will certainly not be the last time these two will have the opportunity to represent the United States," he said.
KAHMARI MONTGOMERY IAAF WORLD JUNIOR SCHEDULE
- 400m First Round: July 20th – 4:40 a.m. CDT
- 400m Second Round: July 21st – 12:45 p.m. CDT
- 400m Final: July 22nd – 1:30 p.m. CDT
- 4x400m Relay Heats: July 23rd – 4:45 a.m. CDT
- 4x400m Relay Final: July 24th – 10:50 a.m. CDT.
JAMARI WARD IAAF WORLD JUNIOR SCHEDULE
- Long Jump Qualifying: July 19th – 4:45 a.m. CDT
- Long Jump Final: July 20th – 12:45 a.m. CDT
Click here to follow the IAAF World Junior Championships online. For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.
Players Mentioned
