Germany's Delisha Benelisa Domingos prevailed in an eventful and drama-filled 100m hurdles final in 13.00 at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Rieti on Sunday (19) evening.
Domingos qualified fastest from this morning's semifinals in 13.04 but the final was expected to be a homecoming for Alessia Succo from Italy who equalled the European U18 best with 12.86 earlier this season and came close to that mark with 12.91 in yesterday's heats.
But sprint hurdles finals are seldom without some jeopardy, as Succo acknowledged in her post-race interview.
Domingos blasted from the blocks and rose to the first hurdle in the lead while the normally technically proficient Succo clattered through the first two barriers. She was somewhat fortunate to stay on her feet, a fate which Slovakia's Nina Hejcíková, who impressed with a 12.96 clocking in the heats, was unable to avoid after hitting the sixth hurdle with her lead leg while in title contention.
Domingos put together a near-perfect race as she stopped the clock at another German U18 best of 13.00 with Succo gallantly fighting back to win silver in a distant 13.14. France's Anna Peeters denied heptathlon winner Alisa Launonen from Finland her second medal of the championships, winning bronze by 0.004 with both athletes timed at 13.21.
"It was important for me to be by myself, today I managed that. I showed everybody that I am here and that I can run 100m hurdles. I focused on what I do and not on what the others do in the lanes on my right and my left.
"My goal was to run faster in every round and I achieved that. I improved with every race and now I am down to 13.00. Well, it would have been nice to break the 13 second-barrier, but I guess then I will do it next year," said Domingos after winning Germany's fourth gold medal of the championships.
Silver was scant consolation for a visibly disappointed Succo but the 17-year-old took the defeat philosophically as she turns her attention to next month's World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
"In this moment, I have to admit I feel a bit disappointed because I wanted to win. I came here for the first-place with the fastest time in Europe, so I was hoping for a medal. But the race did not go as I expected.
"But this is athletics, this is hurdles. I was in a good shape but I had a little anxiety and I hit almost every hurdle. I do not know why, I was so excited. In Rieti I learned that we do not always win. We have to learn to learn from the losses too," said Succo.