Country Liberia Sport Track and field | Name Welington Zaza Events 110 metres hurdles | |
Born 20 January 1995 (age 29) ( 1995-01-20 ) | ||
Iaaf world junior championships 2014 welington zaza lbr 110m hurdles final
Welington Zaza (born 20 January 1995) is a Liberian hurdler who specialises in the 110 metres hurdles and the 400 metres hurdles. Zaza is the African junior record holder in the 110 metres hurdles. He broke that record at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He has also competed at a World Championships.
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Competition
Zaza's debut at an international athletics competition was at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics. Zaza competed in both the 110 metres hurdles and the 400 metres hurdles. For the heat round of the 110 metres hurdles, Zaza was drawn in heat two, a heat containing seven other athletes alongside Zaza. The heats were held on 22 July 2014 at Hayward Field in Eugene, United States. In his heat, Zaza ran a time of 13.66 seconds, a season's best for him, to finish third in his heat. He finished 0.07 seconds behind the heat winner, American Theophile Viltz, and 0.02 seconds behind the heat runner-up, Patrick Elger of Germany. Zaza was 0.08 seconds quicker than the athlete who finished fourth in the heat, Australian Ivor Metcalf. Overall, Zaza was the equal ninth quickest athlete (equal with Hungarian Valdó Szücs) in the heat round. Zaza was 0.42 seconds slower than the quickest athlete in the heats, David Omoregie of Great Britain. As the top three athletes from each heat qualified for the semi-finals, Zaza progressed. In the semi-finals held on 23 July, Zaza competed in semi-final three. In the race, Zaza ran a Liberian junior record time of 13.53 seconds to finish second in the race. Zaza was 0.08 seconds behind the race winner, Jamaican Tyler Mason, and 0.31 seconds quicker than Elger, who finished third. Overall, Zaza's time was the fifth quickest in the semi-final round. He was 0.30 seconds slower than the quickest in the semi-final round, Frenchman Wilhem Belocian. As the top two finishers from each semi-final qualified for the final, Zaza progressed. The final was held on 24 July. In the race, Zaza ran a time of 13.38 seconds. The time was a new African junior record in the 110 metres hurdles. Zaza finished fourth, 0.39 seconds behind the winner, Omoregie. Zaza was 0.32 seconds behind the silver medalist, Mason, and 0.03 seconds behind the bronze medalist, Omoregie. In the 400 metres hurdles, Zaza did not progress past the heats after his time of 55.38 seconds was not quick enough to progress.
At the 2015 World Championships, Zaza was the only competitor from Liberia. He competed in the 110 metres hurdles. He finished last in his heat (of athletes that finished) in a time of 14.56 seconds. Zaza was the second slowest athlete overall in the heat round. The only athlete Zaza was quicker than was Xaysa Anousone of Laos who Zaza was 0.18 quicker than. Zaza did not progress to the semi-finals.