Czechia’s Kristýna Záhorová produced a brilliant championship record of 6.47m (0.4m/s) to win gold in the women’s long jump at the Rieti 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships on Saturday.
The European U18 leader opened with a solid 6.21m, a distance matched by Spain’s Gift Okunrobo in the second round, a season’s best for the Spaniard.
Germany’s Teresie Hess also moved into medal contention with her second-round leap of 6.17m (0.2m/s).
But Záhorová took control in the third round with 6.32m (0.2m/s), just 7cm shy of her lifetime best, before adding 6.26m (0.4m/s) in the fourth round to underline her dominance.
Also in the fourth round, Latvia’s Emilija Brauna added 14cm to her personal best with 6.24m (1.5m/s) to move into the silver medal position.
Then, in the fifth round, Záhorová soared out to 6.47m, adding 8cm to the previous championship record set by Sweden’s Ayla Hallberg Hossain in Jerusalem in 2022. The mark also established a new Czech U18 best.
Brauna’s best effort of 6.24m earned her silver, while Okunrobo claimed bronze with 6.21m, ahead of Hess, who finished fourth with 6.17m.
"Big dream"
"It was my big dream for a very long time to become an European champion," said Záhorová afterwards.
"The first jump 6.21m was the best start for me and I could not ask for more. I came here with a clean head and full of self-confidence. I did not expect to break the Championships record.
"I was thinking that maybe if I jumped 6.40, that would be a really big thing. But to jump 47... I thought it was a fault, and then I saw the white flag and I could not believe it.
"My boyfriend Jakub Marek is in the 400m final in the afternoon so I need to come and cheer for him. I cannot miss it. I just hope it will work out for him the same way as it did for me. I am sure there will be some celebration with my family and friends today."
*Geoblocking restrictions apply in territories where Rieti 2026 is being covered by a national broadcaster