Sprinter Zaya Akins, other locals make USA’s roster for U-20 world championships

Looking for your next track and field fix in the wake of the Paris Olympics?

You won’t have to wait long. And it’ll come with a local twist.

A handful of talented track and field competitors from the Kansas City and Wichita areas will be representing the United States from Aug. 27-31 at Lima ‘24, the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Peru.

Each athlete who made the U.S. team qualified with a strong showing at the USATF U20 Championships, which took place in June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Sprinter Zaya Akins, who starred at Raytown South High School and now runs for South Carolina, is on Team USA’s roster for the women’s 400 meters.

She’d also be plenty capable in the relay events. Akins enjoyed a spectacular freshman season for the Gamecocks, culminating in a national title: She ran the leadoff leg of South Carolina’s winning 4x400 entry at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Akins also competed in the 200, 300 and 400 meters as a college freshman, winning races during the league season and through the SEC championships.

Bryce Barkdull, who competed for Andover Central in high school and joins the Kansas Jayhawks for his freshman year of college, will compete in the pole vault for Team USA in Peru. He’s a two-time Kansas high school Class 5A state champion.

A pair of Johnson County natives will also be taking part in Lima ‘24.

Josh Parrish, a Wichita State sophomore who previously starred at Olathe North, will compete in the long jump. And Wyatt Haughton, who graduated from Shawnee Mission East and now competes for BYU, is slated to take part in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Haughton won the steeplechase event (and thus qualified for Lima ‘24) at the USATF U20 Championships. His time of 8 minutes, 48.17 seconds in Eugene set a new meet record.

“The race went well,” Haughton told byucougars.com after that race. “I led it from the start, so that definitely made it hard to hit splits. The time wasn’t where I thought it would be, but I am very happy and grateful for another chance in Peru.”

One more Lima ‘24 entrant from the region is Braylon Thompson, who competed for Pitt State this past year. Originally from Oklahoma, he qualified in the men’s 4x100 relay.