Steven McElroy Earns 400m Silver At World U20 Championships

(Archived image courtesy of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats Track & Field Program)

Steven McElroy capped off his summer track season on Thursday, impressively, by earning a 400 meter silver medal at the World U20 Championships in Cali, Columbia.

Testing his quarter-mile skills against the world's top teenage talent, McElroy, a 2021 Pickerington North graduate and an emerging star for the Cincinnati Bearcats, clocked 45.65 to finish second overall in the finals contest.

McElroy trailed only Lythe Pillay (South Africa), who produced a 45.28 winning mark. Yusuf Ali Abbas, representing the Asian country of Brunei, took third in 45.80 to round out the podium. 

McElroy advanced through the rounds with a preliminary heat winning time of 46.38 on Tuesday and then solidified his placement in the finals with an auto-qualifying 45.67 mark in Wednesday's semi-finals. 

Following the pandemic-induced break of activity in 2020, McElroy burst onto the Ohio high school sprints scene producing electric OATCCC and OHSAA seasons as a senior with the Panthers in 2021. He won indoor state finale gold in the 200 and secured second and third place hardware, respectively, in the 200m and 400m events at the outdoor state meet. 

This past year, as a freshman with the Bearcats, he collected conference titles (indoor and outdoor) and gained valuable experience at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. All coming in his marquee event, the 400 meter dash. 

McElroy qualified for the World U20 Championships by winning the 400m national championship at USA U20s. 

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