World U20 shot put champion Jarno Van Daalen from the Netherlands will be looking to extend the familial tradition in the heavy throwing events at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland which begin on Thursday (7) evening.
One of three reigning world U20 champions due to compete in Tampere, Van Daalen leads the European U20 list in both the shot put and discus. He has the distinct possibility of following in the footsteps of his older sister Alida who won the very same double - also on Finnish soil - at the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo.
“Alida was a huge influence - also my mum [Jacqueline Goormachtigh who competed for the Netherlands at the 1996 Olympics] who is my coach. They were both influences on me choosing the path to throwing - and doing the same as my mum and sister,” said Van Daalen who began his athletics career as a sprinter before moving to the heavy throws.
“What Alida did at the U23 Championships where she took two golds - that motivated me to want to do the same this year. Seeing what she gets out of it and also the enjoyment she has from the sport is one of the most amazing things to see and really motivated me. She is a great influence on my career,” said Van Daalen.
Like Alida, Jarno is passing through the US collegiate system at the University of Florida in Gainesville and the gregarious 19-year-old is looking forward to spending the remainder of the summer in the United States where he could return with two gold medals from Tampere for posterity.
Kangasniemi eyes unusual throws double
One of Van Daalen’s principal rivals for the shot put title is Finland’s Aatu Kangasniemi who is ranked second behind Van Daalen on the 2025 European list in the shot put - 21.08m to 20.51m with the U20 six kilogram implement.
Like Van Daalen, Kangasniemi is targeting a brace of medals at the European Athletics U20 Championships but the 19-year-old is attempting a highly unusual - and quite possibly unique - double, combining the shot put with the hammer. He is ranked second on the entry-list in both events.
"You don’t see everyday someone who can do both events but my first event was actually the javelin throw. After that I picked up the shot put and maybe the hammer after that. It has been difficult to do both events at this level but I think I will continue for at least the next two years," said Kangasniemi.
Kangasniemi might trail Van Daalen by over half-a-metre on the 2025 European U20 list but the home favourite believes he has the capabilities of joining Van Daalen by throwing over 21 metres as well.
“It will be a very nice thing [to win gold] but it will be a very tough competition with Jarno. I think we can both throw over 21 metres so it’s going to be difficult but it would be an amazing thing,” he said.
