Tampere witnessed an Italian athletics celebration as the nation’s young stars secured three medals—two gold and one silver—on a triumphant day at the European Under-20 Championships. The blue wave swept Finland, headlined by two dominant final performances.
Fifteen-year-old Kelly Doualla from Pavia stormed to 100m gold in 11.22 seconds (-0.1 wind), just 0.01 shy of her Italian U20 record. Her commanding victory saw her finish 0.19 ahead of Britain’s silver medalist Mabel Akande (11.41). Ukraine’s Uliana Stepaniuk took bronze (11.53), narrowly edging Italy’s Alice Pagliarini (11.54) by 0.01. Doualla becomes the youngest 100m champion in the event’s 28-year history at 15 years and 261 days, surpassing the previous record held by East Germany’s Petra Koppetsch (16 years, 309 days in 1975). This follows her recent victory at the European Youth Olympic Festival.
“I desperately hoped to achieve something great, and I succeeded in what I set out to do this year,” Doualla stated. “I felt quite calm on the track. There was some nerves on the blocks, but that helped me run faster. Without the support of the Italian fans, I don’t think I would have made it. This victory also belongs to my coach Walter Monti for his dedication, and my training partners who always push me. I want to keep improving like this.”
Milanese jumper Erika Saraceni (17) lived up to her favorite status, dominating the triple jump from start to finish. She clinched gold with a final-round leap of 14.24m (0.0 wind), breaking her own Italian junior record by 16cm. Saraceni also set a championship record, winning by a massive 49cm margin over Romania’s silver medalist Daria Vrinceanu.
In the long jump, Daniele Inzoli (17 in four days) secured silver with a best of 7.62m. The Milanese athlete, visibly struggling with right foot pain and repeatedly removing his spike, took the lead on his third attempt (7.69m). He briefly dropped to third after Serbia’s Boskovic jumped 7.56m, but reclaimed second place with his final leap.
Italian Athletics Federation (Fidal) President Stefano Mei hailed the results, particularly Doualla’s fearless run: “Kelly seems like an adult. She fears nothing, goes on the blocks, runs, and wins,” Mei told ANSA. Regarding her future, he added: “She and her coach will decide about senior experience. We’d welcome it. Could she feature at the Tokyo World Championships? Yes, potentially in the relay. But there’s no rush with Kelly; she could last until Brisbane 2032 and beyond.”
Mei attributed the sustained youth success to athletes’ fierce determination, citing Saraceni’s “competitive fire” and Inzoli battling through injury. “This determination stems partly from the example set by senior champions like Gianmarco Tamberi and Nadia Battocletti,” Mei explained. “They are true captains who inspire our youth. Ultimately, these results are the fruit of the federation’s intensive work and investments over the last four years.”