Individual 100m winner Kelly Doualla dazzled again in the women’s 4x100m final, anchoring Italy to gold on the final evening session of the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere on Sunday (10) evening.
The Italians were fortunate to reach the final, only qualifying after the Germans were DQ’d for a lane infringement but a rejigged team - with Doualla running the anchor leg instead of the first leg which she ran in the heat - stormed to victory in a national U20 record of 43.72, the fourth fastest time in championship history.
The Italians were already in title contention by the time Doualla was handed the baton by Margherita Castellani and the 15-year-old individual champion blazed away from her pursuers in lane two for her second gold medal of the championships, letting out a scream of delight as she crossed the finish-line.
Anchored by 100m silver medallist, Mabel Akande brought the baton home in 43.98 for Great Britain with Poland winning bronze in a national U20 record of 44.07.
In the very next race, France were crowned men’s 4x100m champion in an eventful and dramatic final which saw Italy and Great Britain drop the baton on the first changeover and initial winners Spain disqualified for a late first changeover.
France were duly promoted to championships in 39.57, winning ahead of Germany (39.78) and Poland (40.17).
In one of the most fraught and unpredictable of events, 10 of the 24 teams either did not finish or were disqualified across the heats and final.
France and Czechia dominate 4x400m finals
France also retained their title in the women’s 4x400m, the penultimate event of the evening.
In less dramatic circumstances than two years ago when the French quartet ran down the Dutch on the line, Romane Trinquant gave 400m hurdles silver medallist Meta Tumba a clear lead heading into the last leg and the reigning world U20 champion - who was also part of their gold medal-winning 4x400m team two years ago - duly brought the baton home in 3:33.56.
Less than two hours after winning the 800m title, Jana Marie Becker anchored Germany to silver in 3:34.35 with Italy adding bronze to their medal haul in 3:34.65.
A 51.80 anchor leg from European U18 champion Anastazja Kus brought the Poles from sixth to fourth but some way adrift of the medals in 3:35.30.
With three individual 400m finalists and European U20 400m hurdles champion Michal Rada on the team, the men’s 4x400m was a procession for Czechia who led from start to finish.
Rada produced a 45.69 anchor leg for Czechia who won gold in the final event of the championships in 3:05.79 ahead of Spain (3:06.83) with Italy overhauling Germany in the last 50 metres for bronze - 3:07.39 to 3:07.66.
A Polish team which was led off by world U20 decathlon record-holder Hubert Troscianka finished fifth in 3:08.23.