Lilliana Batori and Bori Rozsahegyi made it a Hungarian double in the jumps on the final day of the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere on Sunday (10).
In between Sarolta Kriszt’s silver medal-winning performance in the heptathlon, Batori added the European U20 high jump title to her U18 title from Banska Bystrica last year and Rozsahegyi landed gold in the long jump.
Batori cleared 1.89m on her second attempt in the high jump final to win the title on countback from Finland’s Ella Mikkola with Spain’s Ona Bonet taking the bronze medal with a 1.86m clearance
“From 1.86m, I felt so good. I felt like myself. I was just so happy that I could feel good again when jumping and to jump as good as I can. The best feeling in the last four months. I was not sure that I was going for a medal but to be European champion, that is so exciting.
“For the first time in my life, I was not really nervous before the final. I wanted to jump good again and to express myself like in the indoor season,” said Batori who cleared 1.93m in February but has struggled for this level of form since then until today.
Rozsahegyi added to the Hungarian medal haul, winning the women’s long jump final with a best jump of 6.46m.
British heptathlete Thea Brown took the lead from Rozsahegyi with a fifth round lifetime best of 6.44m - the only athlete in the 12-woman final to set a PB in cold and windy conditions - but the Hungarian regained the lead instantly, improving to 6.46m to win the title.
“I could not be happier because this season was so hard for me - I have a new coach, I have new technique so it was hard. Last year, I was injured, so I could not compete…it’s a huge celebration of Hungarian medals today,” said Rozsahegyi.
Ukraine’s Diana Myroshnichenko won bronze ahead of European U20 leader Ayla Hallberg Hossain on countback. Both athletes jumped 6.37m but the Ukrainian made the podium by virtue of a better second effort - 6.36m to 6.23m.
Crotti begans Italian title haul with triple jump gold
A brilliant day for Italy, who topped the medal table with six gold medals, began in the men’s triple jump final with Francesco Crotti bounding out to the title.
Jumping in front of a significant crowd in the Ratina Stadium which included the legendary Christian Taylor who is part of the Austrian delegation in Tampere, Crotti set the standard in the second round with a lifetime best of 15.93m, a distance which couldn’t be caught.
“It is a fantastic championships for Italy, we have a great team. I am looking forward to the celebration with my team. I am ready to sing the national anthem on the podium. I heard that there is Christian Taylor in the crowd which is very interesting. He is one of my idols,” said Crotti.
The destination of the silver and bronze medals was fraught with incident. Initial silver medallist and reigning European U18 champion Emmanuel Idinna, who jumped 15.85m, was disqualified after the final for wearing non-compliant spikes.
Türkiye’s Emre Colak was promoted from bronze to silver with a lifetime best of 15.75m while Bulgaria’s Zinga Barbosa Firmino’s last round effort of 15.71m was rewarded with a bronze medal.
