World Athletics U20 Championships
The World Athletics U20 Championships is a biennial world championships for the sport of athletics organised by the World Athletics, contested by athletes in the under-20 athletics age category (19 years old or younger on 31 December in the year of the competition.
The competition was launched as the IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics in 1986 and renamed to IAAF World U20 Championships in November 2015. The current name was adapted with the name change of the sports governing body in 2019.
Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby is the most successful athlete at the championships, having won one gold and four silver in individual and relay sprinting events between 2000 and 2004. Chris Nelloms, Davidson Ezinwa and Dexter Lee share the position of most successful male athlete, at four medals each.
Championships
The 2016 Championships were due to be held in Kazan, Russia until the IAAF's suspension of the All-Russia Athletic Federation, which prohibits Russia from hosting international competitions. This event was relocated.All-time medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | United States | 108 | 77 | 62 | 247 |
| 2 | Kenya | 78 | 66 | 42 | 186 |
| 3 | Russia | 43 | 32 | 26 | 101 |
| 4 | China | 39 | 45 | 33 | 117 |
| 5 | Ethiopia | 37 | 32 | 29 | 98 |
| 6 | Germany | 32 | 37 | 35 | 104 |
| 7 | Great Britain | 30 | 26 | 35 | 91 |
| 8 | Cuba | 28 | 32 | 22 | 82 |
| 9 | Jamaica | 27 | 39 | 37 | 103 |
| 10 | East Germany | 23 | 10 | 18 | 51 |
| 11 | Romania | 20 | 19 | 15 | 54 |
| 12 | Soviet Union | 18 | 16 | 22 | 56 |
| 13 | South Africa | 16 | 14 | 11 | 41 |
| 14 | Australia | 13 | 24 | 27 | 64 |
| 15 | France | 13 | 13 | 17 | 43 |
| 16 | Bulgaria | 12 | 5 | 7 | 24 |
| 17 | Poland | 11 | 16 | 15 | 42 |
| 18 | Nigeria | 10 | 13 | 7 | 30 |
| 19 | Ukraine | 9 | 9 | 11 | 29 |
| 20 | Qatar | 9 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
| 21 | Finland | 8 | 10 | 15 | 33 |
| 22 | Sweden | 8 | 10 | 7 | 25 |
| 23 | Trinidad and Tobago | 8 | 2 | 7 | 17 |
| 24 | Belarus | 7 | 11 | 11 | 29 |
| 25 | Croatia | 7 | 2 | 4 | 13 |
| 26 | Japan | 6 | 14 | 29 | 49 |
| 27 | Czech Republic | 6 | 4 | 1 | 11 |
| 28 | Spain | 5 | 14 | 6 | 25 |
| 29 | Italy | 5 | 6 | 9 | 20 |
| 30 | Netherlands | 5 | 4 | 12 | 21 |
| 31 | Mexico | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 32 | Hungary | 4 | 13 | 4 | 21 |
| 33 | Uganda | 4 | 3 | 6 | 13 |
| 34 | Brazil | 4 | 2 | 9 | 15 |
| 35 | Unified Team | 4 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| 36 | Bahamas | 4 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| 36 | New Zealand | 4 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| 38 | Estonia | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 39 | Canada | 3 | 6 | 8 | 17 |
| 40 | Norway | 3 | 6 | 3 | 12 |
| 41 | Latvia | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 42 | Morocco | 3 | 3 | 15 | 21 |
| 43 | Switzerland | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 44 | West Germany | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 45 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 46 | Greece | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
| 47 | Bahrain | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 |
| 48 | Algeria | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 49 | India | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 49 | Moldova | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 51 | Montenegro | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 52 | Ecuador | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 53 | Turkey | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 54 | Yugoslavia | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 55 | Argentina | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 55 | Lithuania | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 55 | Slovenia | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 58 | Slovakia | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 59 | Portugal | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 59 | Serbia | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 61 | Saudi Arabia | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 62 | Sudan | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 63 | Belgium | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| 64 | Colombia | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 65 | Botswana | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 65 | Grenada | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 67 | Chile | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 68 | Austria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 68 | Iran | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 70 | Barbados | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 70 | Peru | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 72 | Dominican Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 72 | Indonesia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 72 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 75 | Tanzania | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 76 | Ireland | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 77 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 78 | Egypt | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 79 | Eritrea | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 80 | Djibouti | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 81 | Korea Republic | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 82 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 82 | Kuwait | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 84 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 84 | Burundi | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 84 | Denmark | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 84 | Guyana | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 84 | Israel | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 84 | Malawi | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 84 | Netherlands Antilles | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 84 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 84 | Seychelles | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 84 | Tunisia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 84 | Venezuela | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 95 | Ghana | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 95 | Zimbabwe | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 97 | Azerbaijan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 97 | British Virgin Islands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 97 | Cayman Islands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 97 | Chinese Taipei | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 97 | Fiji | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 97 | Guatemala | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 97 | Iceland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 97 | Kyrgyzstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 97 | Luxembourg | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 97 | Serbia and Montenegro | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 97 | United States Virgin Islands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Championships records
Men
Decathlon disciplines
Defunct events
Women
Heptathlon disciplines
Defunct event
Disqualifications
Doping
Several athletes have been stripped of medals due to doping.| Athlete | Nation | Sex | Event | Result | Year |
| Juan Miguel López | Men | Triple jump | Silver | 1986 | |
| Vladyslav Piskunov | Men | Hammer throw | Gold | 1994 | |
| Seema Antil | Women | Discus throw | Gold | 2000 | |
| Katsiaryna Artsiukh | Women | 400 metres hurdles | Gold | 2010 | |
| Geisa Arcanjo | Women | Shot put | Gold | 2010 | |
| Konrad Bukowiecki | Men | Shot put | Gold | 2016 | |
| Adel Jaber Al-Asseri | Men | 200 metres | 2008 | ||
| Jacek Wiśniewski | Men | Shot put | 11th | 2010 | |
| Aslı Çakir | Women | 3000 metres steeplechase, 4 × 400 metres relay | 2004 | ||
| Renubala Mahanta | Women | Long jump | 10th | 2010 |
Age falsification
Two athletes subsequently lost their medals as a result of fraudulently misstating their age on official documents: Bahrain's 2006 steeplechase silver medallist Tareq Mubarak Taher and Morocco's Ahmed Baday. In addition to this, later analysis of Moses Kiptanui's age when having won the 1990 1500m showed he was marginally over age at the time of his victory, though this result has not been rescinded.Title defenses
Given the age limitations on the competition it is rare that athletes get the opportunity to defend previous individual titles. A total of 22 athletes have managed this feat, eight of them men and fourteen women. In addition to this Anita Weyermann won the 3000 m title after taking the 1500 m title two years earlier.| Athlete | Nation | Event | Years |
| Wilfred Kirochi | 1500 metres | 1986–88 | |
| Dexter Lee | 100 metres | 2008–10 | |
| Jonathan Ndiku | 3000 metres steeplechase | 2008–10 | |
| Jacko Gill | Shot put | 2010–12 | |
| Ashraf Amgad Elseify | Hammer throw | 2012–14 | |
| Jaheel Hyde | 400 metres hurdles | 2014–16 | |
| Lázaro Martínez | Triple jump | 2014–16 |
| Athlete | Nation | Event | Years |
| Svetla Dimitrova | Heptathlon | 1986–88 | |
| Ilke Wyludda | Discus throw | 1986–88 | |
| Gillian Russell | 100 metres hurdles | 1990–92 | |
| Irina Stankina | 5000 metres walk | 1994–96 | |
| Osleidys Menéndez | Javelin throw | 1996–98 | |
| Blanka Vlašić | High jump | 2000–02 | |
| Ivana Brkljačić | Hammer throw | 2000–02 | |
| Carolina Klüft | Heptathlon | 2000–02 | |
| Ma Xuejun | Discus throw | 2002–04 | |
| Bianca Perie | Hammer throw | 2006–08 | |
| Mirela Lavric | 800 metres | 2008–10 | |
| Mercy Cherono | 3000 metres | 2008–10 | |
| Dailenys Alcántara | Triple jump | 2008–10 | |
| Angelica Bengtsson | Pole vault | 2010–12 |
Doubles
A total of fifteen athletes have won two individual titles at the same championships. The majority of these are sprint or long-distance combinations, although Andrew Howe, Margus Hunt and Morgan Lake managed to win novel doubles. Many others achieved a double between an individual victory and being a member of a winning relay team.| Athlete | Nation | Events | Year |
| Peter Chumba | 5000 metres, 10,000 metres | 1986 | |
| Ato Boldon | 100 metres, 200 metres | 1992 | |
| Haile Gebrselassie | 5000 metres, 10,000 metres | 1992 | |
| Daniel Komen | 5000 metres, 10,000 metres | 1994 | |
| Francis Obikwelu | 100 metres, 200 metres | 1996 | |
| Assefa Mezgebu | 5000 metres, 10,000 metres | 1996 | |
| Christian Malcolm | 100 metres, 200 metres | 1998 | |
| Andrew Howe | 200 metres, long jump | 2004 | |
| Margus Hunt | Discus throw, shot put | 2006 |
| Athlete | Nation | Events | Year |
| Yin Lili | 3000 metres, 5000 metres | 1998 | |
| Veronica Campbell | 100 metres, 200 metres | 2000 | |
| Meseret Defar | 3000 metres, 5000 metres | 2002 | |
| Tezdzhan Naimova | 100 metres, 200 metres | 2006 | |
| Anthonique Strachan | 100 metres, 200 metres | 2012 | |
| Morgan Lake | High jump, heptathlon | 2014 | |
| Briana Williams | 100 metres, 200 metres | 2018 |