Ed Bird produced a stunning finish to clinch 3000m bronze and earn Great Britain & Northern Ireland’s first medal of the 2024 World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Lima.

Bird (Mark Pauley, Poole) stormed down the home straight to power onto the podium in 8:21.00 after impressively biding his time in a slow and tactical race.

The 19-year-old timed his sprint to the line to perfection, as he edged out Ethiopia’s Ybeltal Gashahun by just 0.02 seconds to add World Under-20 bronze to the European Under-18 bronze already in his collection.

“It was perfect,” he said. “I said in my plan I would hang around the back, get that inside lane and chill out. Every time the pace picked up I just found the gap to get through.

“I just kept going and going until we got to two laps to go, picked up got myself back. When the bell went I didn’t surge, I waited, down that back straight I started going and didn’t stop going.”

Compatriot Henry Dover (Shaftesbury Barnet) fought hard to finish in 9:14.74.

The evening closed with Charlotte Henrich (Nigel Stickings, Invicta East Kent), who finished seventh in the women’s 400m final and the 17-year-old was pleased with how she battled through the race.

“I am very happy because I have had a lot of stress coming in and I thought if I managed to get through it that was good,” she said.

“I was feeling a bit ill before the start of the race but I got through it. I am happy with the time.

“I definitely still have a lot to learn and this has taught me a lot. It has been really nice to see how much support is around me when I do need it.”

Jake Odey-Jordan (Victor Blackett) sealed his place in the men’s 200m final with a pair of impressive performances.

Odey-Jordan opened up with a time of 21.02 to win his heat in style before clocking 21.40 in his semi-final. He will go in the final at 18:47 local time on Friday, 00:47 BST Saturday morning.

“I feel great,” he said. “I was looking up at the screen to see where I was at in the race and saw he was coming up on me but I knew it was top two and I was cool with second. See you in the final.

“It went as planned. I was trying to save my energy for the final, that’s when it matters. Every time I run, the goal is to win.”

Team-mate Renee Regis (Darren Braithwaite, Shaftesbury Barnet) will compete in the women’s 200m final just minutes before on Friday evening, after she secured her place in the top eight on Thursday.

Regis opened up with 23.56 in the heats before finishing in 23.54 in the semi-finals to take the last qualification spot for the final.

“It feels good,” she said. “This race went better, I planned it out better. I am just happy I made the final, tomorrow is a new day.

“I didn’t really commit with the bend [in the heat] but this time I made sure that I did. Now I have just got to work on the end part but I am excited for the final.

“The aim was always to make the final, from there it is anyone’s game.”

Kissiwaa Mensah (Prince Duwai, Chelmsford) was unable to join Regis in the final, with her semi-final time of 23.90 not quite enough.

“I just had to go out there and see what I could do,” she said. “I feel like I executed the race the best that I could.

“I got out much better than the heat, carried that momentum in the home straight but the lactic just got to me, I could not hold it.

“I am grateful for the position I am in right now. My first major championships for this age group, I have gained a lot of experience and it has opened many doors.”

Progression for Odey-Jordan and Regis means Great Britain & Northern Ireland are the only country with representation in both the men’s and women’s 100m and 200m finals, following Nia Wedderburn-Goodison and Teddy Wilson’s fourth and seventh-place finishes in the 100m respectively.

Thea Brown (Joanne Harding, Sale Harriers Manchester) and Mia McIntosh (Jake Awe, Harrow) both progressed to the semi-finals of the women’s 100m hurdles but were unable to reach the final.

Brown qualified second in her heat in a time of 13.64 seconds before McIntosh clocked 13.54 to join her.

Brown then finished in 13.56 seconds in her semi-final to narrowly miss out on the final, while McIntosh was unable to finish after hitting a barrier late on.

In the men’s 110m hurdles, Daniel Goriola (Tony Jarrett, Blackheath and Bromley) and Noah Hanson (Carl Graham, Newham & Essex Beagles) both exited at the semi-final stage after impressive runs in the morning’s heats.

The pair qualified fourth and joint-fifth fastest for the semi-finals but Goriola fell late in his race before Hanson clocked 13.70 to just miss out on the top eight.

“I feel amazing,” reflected Hanson. “I am just thankful to God I have been here. It’s been the toughest season of my life on and off the track so I am just grateful to be here.

“This is not the last you’re going to see of me, I will be back again with a vengeance. I am super excited to be racing against the best in the world.

Will Rabjohns (Mark Pauley, Poole) and Henry Jonas (Tim Ash, City of Norwich) both just missed out on a place in the men’s 800m semi-finals.

Rabjohns was well-placed in the pack heading into the final 200m but was unable to keep pace until the end of a fast race to finish in 1:56.19.

Jonas then produced a surging finish down the home straight but was agonisingly beaten into third by 0.02 seconds behind Japan’s Ko Ochiai.

“It was a terrible race to be honest, I just didn’t have it in the legs unfortunately,” said Rabjohns.

“It is still a great experience and I am happy to have made the semi-final.

“I just had nothing to give, not sure what went on but that’s just the way it goes sometimes.”

The morning session saw progression to the women’s 3000m final for both Innes FitzGerald (Gavin Pavey, Exeter) and Jess Bailey (Matthew Long, Leven Valley). Both will compete in Friday’s final at 17:45 local time, 23:45 BST.

FitzGerald was part of a leading pack in the first of the two heats and was able to ensure her place in Friday’s final in 9:24.14.

“It was nice get a feel for the track before the final tomorrow,” she said. “The main thing was just to get in that top eight and that’s what I did, so pleased with that.

“Whatever the time is it’s always going to be painful, that’s what running is like, but I’m feeling good out there and hopefully got something left for tomorrow.

“I just try and think of it as any other race, not put too much pressure on myself even though I have got high expectations. I just want to go out there and do GB proud.”

Bailey then followed and showed all her racing nous to lead the main pack after a small breakaway group hit the front.

The Cumbria athlete was pleased with the way she adapted and got through in 9:14.49.

“I had a plan, it was to sit in the pack a bit but I ended up at the front,” said Bailey.

“I thought ‘Oh well, here we are’, I had a race earlier in the season at Loughborough International and I thought if I copy that I should be okay and that’s pretty much what we did. I’m chuffed with that.

“I looked up at the screen with a lap to go and saw there was five and thought perfect. You see nightmares of people slowing down and getting caught and I thought that cannot be me. I was a little scared, but I looked on my inside and knew I was alright, so it was a nice home straight.

“I really didn’t want to be someone that didn’t get out the heats. I thought I deserved a place in the final, I’m glad I’ve got it and now I feel like I can run free. I am not nervous now at all, I can just do my best.”