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.
Genzebe Dibaba Keneni is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. A 1,500 metres 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, she won a gold medal in this event and a bronze in the 5,000 metres at the 2015 World Championships. Genzebe is the current world record holder for the indoor events of the one mile, 3,000m and 5,000m.
Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. Kipyegon is the current world record holder for the 1,500 metres and mile, set in 2024 and 2023 respectively, and the former world record holder for the 5,000 metres. Kipyegon won a gold medal each at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 1,500 m. She also won a gold medal in the 1,500 m at the 2017, 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships and in the 5,000 m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Anežka Drahotová is a Czech athletics competitor in racewalking, middle-distance running, and steeplechase, as well an international-level cyclist. She is the Czech record holder for the 20 kilometres walk and the 10 km track walk.
Gabriela Kimberly García León is a female racewalker from Peru. She won gold medals in the 20 kilometres walk and 35 km walk at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, becoming the first ever Peruvian world medallist and the first Latin American to earn two titles at the same World Athletics Championships. García is the South American record holder for the longer event.
Yasemin Can is a Kenyan female long distance runner representing Turkey who specialises in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. She is the reigning 10,000 m European champion. Can is a six-time European Championship medalist, including three gold medals and the 5000 m/10,000 m double in 2016, and a four-time European Cross Country champion.
Konstanze "Koko" Klosterhalfen is a German middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 2019 World Championship bronze medallist and 2022 European champion in the 5000 metres, becoming the first German medalist of the event at the World Athletics Championships and the first German winner of the event at the European Athletics Championships. At the European Indoor Championships, Klosterhalfen won silver medals for the 1500 metres in 2017 and the 3000 metres in 2019 and 2023. She took four individual medals at the European Cross Country Championships. In February 2020, she set a European indoor record in the 5000 m with 14:30.79, the fourth fastest time ever.
Peruth Chemutai is a Ugandan steeplechase runner. She won the gold medal in the women's 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, becoming the first Ugandan woman ever to win an Olympic medal. She added a silver medal in this event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Meryem Bekmez is a Turkish race walker specialising in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. She is a native of Diyarbakır, Turkey. She was a member of the municipality-owned club of Kayapınar, before she was transferred by Enka SK in Istanbul.
Lilian Kasait Rengeruk is a Kenyan female long-distance runner. She won the bronze medal in the women's senior race at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships. Rengeruk is the former 3000 metres World Under-18 champion and World U20 Championship silver medallist.
Klavdiya Yuryevna Afanasyeva is a Russian racewalker. She won gold medals in the European U20 and U23 championships in the 10,000 m race walk and 20 km race walk respectively. Though she has never tested positive for an anti-doping violation, in May 2018 she was suspended from international competition due to participating in a training camp including banned coach Viktor Chegin.
Beatrice Chebet is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 5000 m event. In 2022, Chebet won the silver medal in the 5000 metres at the World Championships, and became Commonwealth, African and Diamond League champion. Chebet claimed the gold medal for the women's senior race at the 2023 and 2024 World Cross Country Championships. She is also the current world record holder in the 10,000 metres, with a time of 28:54.14, set at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic on 25 May. In setting this record, Chebet became the first woman in history to break 29 minutes for the 10,000 metres. She is nicknamed the "smiling assassin".
Ayşe Tekdal is a Turkish female race walker specialising in the 5000 m, 10,000 m and 20 km events. She is a native of Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey. She competes for Kayapınar Belediyespor in her hometown.
Ruti Aga is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She won the women's race at the 2019 Tokyo Marathon and secured five other top three finishes at the World Marathon Majors.
Katie Hayward is an Australian racewalker. She represented Australia at the 2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar and also at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. At the 2020 Olympics, she came 37th in the women's 20 km walk final with a time of 1:38.11, just on 9 minutes behind the eventual winner Antonella Palmisano.
Mathilde Sénéchal is a French long-distance runner. In 2019, she competed in the senior women's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark. She finished in 60th place.
Oscar Chelimo is a Ugandan long-distance runner. He won the bronze medal for the 5000 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
Nina Siarheyeuna Savina is a Belarusian long-distance runner.
Teresa Zurek is a German racewalker.
