RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The 2026 Southland Conference women's 400-meter hurdles champion and UTRGV track & field record holder Talyna Ligier was selected to represent her home country of France at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon. 
 
Ligier, who won the SLC gold medal with her UTRGV and personal-best time of 59.24, is set to run in the first round of the women's 400-meter hurdles Thursday at approximately 12:40 p.m. (CT) at the iconic Hayward Field. The semifinal round of the 400 hurdles is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. Saturday and the final will run at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. 
 
This is the 40^th year of competition for the World U20 Championships and just the second time the global event is held in Oregon, returning for the first time since 2014. The "Oregon 26" event is a premiere competition featuring top athletes from around the world, but is also designed to be a "pathway and program for the development of young athletes," said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. The event offers programming including Athletes Connect and the World Athletics Media Academy, in partnership with Sony, which gives athletes and students a chance to attend workshops and talks from track & field legends. 
 
Ligier had a tremendous freshman season in 2026. In addition to her All-Conference First Team honor in the 400 hurdles, Ligier tabbed All-Conference Second Team with the 4x400-meter relay at the 2026 SLC Outdoor Championships. She picked up two additional wins in the 400 hurdles at Houston's Cameron Burrell Invitational and Texas A&M-Kingsville's Cactus Cup during her rookie campaign. 

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