| XIV South American Junior Championships in Athletics | |
| Size: | 200px |
| Host City: | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  |
| Dates: | October 15–18 |
| Nations Participating: | 9 |
| Athletes Participating: | about 189 |
| Events: | 36 |
| Level: | Junior |
| Previous: | 1980 Santiago |
| Next: | 1983 Medellín |
The 14th South American Junior Championships in Athletics were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from October 15–18, 1981.
Detailed result lists can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website. An unofficial count yields the number of about 189 athletes from about 9 countries: Argentina (42), Brazil (50), Chile (37), Colombia (12), Ecuador (1), Paraguay (6), Peru (2), Uruguay (10), Venezuela(29).
Medal winners are published for men and womenComplete results can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website.
| 100 metres | 10.5 | 10.6 | 10.7 | ||||
| 200 metres | 20.7 | 21.6 | 21.6 | ||||
| 400 metres | 47.9 | 48.1 | 48.9 | ||||
| 800 metres | 1:51.2 | 1:51.4 | 1:51.6 | ||||
| 1500 metres | 3:54.2 | 3:54.2 | 3:55.1 | ||||
| 5000 metres | 14:22.2 | 14:33.3 | 14:34.6 | ||||
| 110 metres hurdles | 14.5 | 14.7 | 15.2 | ||||
| 400 metres hurdles | 52.4 | 52.8 | 52.9 | ||||
| 2000 metres steeplechase | 5:40.0 | 5:43.8 | 5:44.2 | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres relay | 41.6 | 42.0 | 42.0 | ||||
| 4 × 400 metres relay | 3:12.7 | 3:14.6 | 3:16.1 | ||||
| High jump | 2.12 | 2.09 | 2.06 | ||||
| Pole vault | 4.20 | 4.10 | 4.00 | ||||
| Long jump | 7.40 | 7.08 | 7.05 | ||||
| Triple jump | 15.35 | 14.83 | 14.66 | ||||
| Shot put | 15.81 | 15.78 | 14.98 | ||||
| Discus throw | 47.74 | 45.54 | 43.80 | ||||
| Hammer throw | 59.66 | 57.36 | 52.62 | ||||
| Javelin throw | 63.72 | 62.60 | 62.12 | ||||
| Decathlon | 7115 | 6971 | 6356 |
| 100 metres | 12.2 | 12.2 | 12.3 | ||||
| 200 metres | 24.4 | 24.8 | 24.8 | ||||
| 400 metres | 55.2 | 55.7 | 56.2 | ||||
| 800 metres | 2:10.9 | 2:11.7 | 2:13.4 | ||||
| 1500 metres | 4:35.7 | 4:39.3 | 4:40.0 | ||||
| 3000 metres | 9:58.3 | 10:01.5 | 10:06.8 | ||||
| 100 metres hurdles | 14.4 | 14.4 | 14.7 | ||||
| 200 metres hurdles | 27.9w | 28.5w | 28.6w | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres relay | 46.4 | 47.1 | 47.3 | ||||
| 4 × 400 metres relay | 3:43.9 | 3:47.3 | 3:50.0 | ||||
| High jump | 1.73 | 1.70 | 1.65 | ||||
| Long jump | 5.86 | 5.81 | 5.74 | ||||
| Shot put | 13.32 | 12.78 | 12.77 | ||||
| Discus throw | 44.24 | 41.82 | 41.78 | ||||
| Javelin throw | 46.36 | 45.04 | 44.18 | ||||
| Heptathlon | 4944 | 4940 | 4879 |