Story courtesy of Eastern Michigan's Athletic Communications Department

EUGENE, Ore. – Eastern Michigan University track & field student-athlete Alba Viñals Calixto will compete in the women's 400m hurdles at the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 2026 hosted by the University of Oregon, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., Aug. 5-6.

The first-round race of the women's 400m hurdles will be Thursday, Aug. 6, at 10:41 a.m. Qualifying times advance to the semifinals Saturday, Aug. 8, followed by the finals on Sunday, Aug. 9.

Viñals Calixto completed a strong freshman campaign in the 2025-26 track & field season for the Eagles. In the indoor season, she earned a third-place finish in the 4x400m relay at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Indoor Championships, Feb. 27-28, along with securing two 4x400m relay wins at the GVSU Holiday Open, Dec. 5, and the Heartland Invitational, Feb. 13-14. She also won the 400m in 56.83 at the Bob Parks Memorial, Jan. 24, along with running a personal-best 60m hurdles of 9.05.

In the outdoor season, Viñals Calixto excelled in the 400m hurdles as she earned an event win at the Hillsdale College Last Chance, May 6, finishing in 1:01.11, along with running a personal-best time of 59.98 at the Jim Freeman/Clark Wood Open, April 23-25, which now ranks as the ninth-best time in program history.

Viñals Calixto has also already seen summer success during her European season, as she finished second in the 400m hurdles in 1:00.82 at the Spanish U20 Championships, July 18-19.