Teenage talent from Latvia shows no fear as she storms into big lead before hanging on to qualify for Saturdays final in Budapest

She may only have finished fourth in her 5000m heat but Agate Caune was one of the stars of the World Championships on Wednesday (Aug 23) in Budapest.

The 19-year-old from Latvia was unfazed by the fact her heat contained world champions such as Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia and Beatrice Chebet of Kenya as she forged a big lead alone before being finally caught and passed by Chebet, Tsegay and Margaret Kipkemboi on the final lap.

Caune, who turned 19 earlier this month, was rewarded with a personal best of 15:00.48 and with the top eight to qualify she has progressed to the final.

From the beginning I knew I wanted to run a new personal record and to do that I knew I needed to run from the beginning, she told AW.

In the last 200m I thought I cant run a personal record at this pace so I started to run faster and in the last 100m I felt like I was standing in the same place. But I enjoyed the moment. Its my first time here and a new experience and Im so excited to represent my country.

Caune, which is pronounced sown-ay, is part of a nine-strong Latvian team in Budapest and one of only two runners in the squad. She says one of her role models is Jeļena Prokopčuka, the former New York City Marathon winner from Latvia.

She also looks up to Emma Coburn, the 2017 world 3000m steeplechase champion from the United States, although Caune says she has no intention of ever taking up the chase!

Budapest was not Caunes No.1 target this season either. Earlier this month she won the 3000m and 5000m at the European Under-20 Championships in Jerusalem in the same front-running style.

Racing in similarly warm conditions she won the 3000m by 28 seconds in 8:53.20 on and followed that by breaking a 22-year-old championship 5000m record with 15:03.85 where she lapped most of the field and won by 47 seconds. Elsewhere this season she has run 8:39.78 for 3000m on the Diamond League circuit to go No.2 on the European under-20 all-time rankings behind Zola Budds 8:28.83 from 1985.

Budapest, therefore, is a bonus. But her season will carry on into October as she plans to tackle the 5km at the World Road Running Championships in Riga, about 100km from her home in Valmiera.

Will we see her leading the field again in Riga and perhaps even the 5000m final in Budapest? Its my style, she says. You need to be able to run alone, push yourself and do your best.