PITTSBURGH — An athlete from Pittsburgh won the 400-meter dash at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon. 22-year-old Ayden Owens-Delerme says this is only the beginning.
Owens-Delerme is a graduate from North Allegheny and said he just ran the second-fastest time in decathlon world history.
“I just threw my arms up in excitement. Completely in shock knowing that in the begnning of the year my goal was to run PR 45 which would have broken the world record in the decathlon. I was .700 of a second off,” said Owens-Delerme.
Owens-Delerme said Olympic gold medalist Damian Warner was supposed to be his biggest competition, but Warner was taken out by an early injury.
“I didn’t know he got injured. He was behind me. I was focused on my lane. At the end of the day, I crossed the finish line and noticed my name at the top,” said Owens-Delerme.
Overall, Owens-Delerme placed fourth at the end of the two-day event.
The athlete plans to only climb further from here.
“Now, I’m on the level of where I’m chasing to becoming a world Olympic champion,” said Owens-Delerme. “It’s cool to go up the tiers and continue to level up my career.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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