(Kaieteur News) – Guyana’s largest-ever team to the World Athletics U20 Championships has made an encouraging start to its campaign in Oregon, USA, with several athletes advancing to the semi-finals as the nation pursues its first podium finish at the global junior showpiece in 14 years.

Hunting a medal at the Championships for the first time since 2012, Guyana has fielded a record 12-athlete contingent, and, up to press time, the performances have provided plenty of reasons for optimism.

Guyana has only one medal in the history of the Championships, which began in 1986 in Athens, Greece, thanks to Kadecia Baird, who captured a silver medal in the women’s 400m in Barcelona, Spain.