So nice they did it twice! We put the spotlight on the five athletes who won two gold medals at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere.
Jarno Van Daalen (NED)
- Shot put - 21.07m
- Discus - 63.18m
Jarno Van Daalen followed the footsteps of his older sister Alida by sweeping the shot put and discus titles in Tampere, two years after she won the same double also on Finnish soil at the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo.
Van Daalen’s dual aspirations started shakily, beginning with two no-throws in the shot put final before he unleashed a winning throw of 21.07m in the fourth round. The 19-year-old won the discus title the following day with 63.18m to double his gold medal tally.
What they said:
“Double gold feels amazing. I am very satisfied with both my competitions and I also had a great time, best moments of my life ever. It is important to have fun - having fun is one of my most important things together with good throwing conditions. Finland is a great country. It is a great country for van Daalens so hopefully we will have more competitions here.”
What's next?
Van Daalen will be following the same tried and tested path as older sister Alida. He will be relocating to the United States to train and study at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Innes FitzGerald (GBR)
- 3000m - 8:46.39
- 5000m - 15:09.04
Innes FitzGerald covered 27-and-a-half laps in total across the 5000m and two rounds of the 3000m and the precocious Brit led virtually every step of the way en route to double gold in Tampere.
FitzGerald won the 5000m on the opening evening session in 15:09.04 by 34.54 seconds and the 19-year-old was in similarly destructive form on the last evening session, winning in 8:46.39 to break a championship record which belonged to future world and Olympic champion Gabriela Szabo since 1993.
What they said:
“It was a big task to do the 5000m and the 3000m. I knew it was in me, but it was whether I could actually execute it on the day. So I am pleased to come away with that win today. And I knew that the championship record was there as well. So to get that is just the icing on the cake.”
What's next?
FitzGerald will be racing over 5000m in the Brussels Diamond League on 22 August where she could challenge her European U20 record of 14:39.56 ahead of a possible senior debut at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo from 13-21 September.
Kelly Doualla (Italy)
- 100m - 11.22
- 4x100m - 43.72
At 15, Italy’s Kelly Doualla scorched to double gold in Tampere. On a chilly evening in the Ratina Stadium, Doualla blazed to victory in the 100m in 11.22 - just 0.01 shy of her European U18 best and 0.03 shy of the championship record - before anchoring Italy to gold in the 4x100m.
The Italians were somewhat fortunate to even reach the final, only qualifying after Germany were disqualified for a lane violation. But a revamped team with Doualla on anchor were an irresistible force in the final as they blazed to victory in 43.69, the fourth fastest winning time in championship history.
What they said:
“I am very excited for this result. I was very emotional at the finish because it was a very important competition for me. This is a huge success for me and for my career. My mum is a big fan of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, so my middle name is also Ann. I have been following her since my childhood.”
What's next?
Doualla has ruled herself out of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo where she could have been part of the Italian 4x100m team. Her next main goal could be the 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships which take place on home soil in Rieti.
Hakon Moe Berg (NOR)
- 1500m - 3:47.36
- 3000m - 8:43.20
Hakon Moe Berg has the distinction of winning a European title that was to elude Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Eight years after Ingebrigtsen fell in the 1500m final at the 2017 European Athletics U20 Championships, Moe Berg sprinted to victory in the 1500m and leading a Norwegian 1-2 in the final.
This was the second half of a distance double for Moe Berg who won a tactical 3000m the previous day, unleashing a 52.5 last lap to open his medal account.
What they said:
“Jakob (Ingebrigtsen) is a very big inspiration for me so I am very excited to kind of walk in the same shoes.
What's next?
Moe Berg has already had some early success at senior level, beating world bronze medallist Gilje Narve Nordas in the 1500mat the Norwegian Championships a fortnight ago. The 19-year-old is currently just outside the rankings quota for the World Athletics Championships but he is hoping that he might just make the cut for Tokyo.
Michal Rada (CZE)
- 400m hurdles - 48.78
- 4x400m - 3:05.79
The way Michal Rada attacks the 400m hurdles is reminiscent of world record-holder Karsten Warholm and the Czech, who was drawn in Warholm's preferred lane seven in the final, shattered the championship record by almost half-a-second.
Rada became the first athlete in championship history to break the 49 second-barrier and came within touching distance of the European U20 record of 48.74 which had stood since 1984. And for good measure, Rada anchored Czechia to a dominant gold medal in the 4x400m on the final day of the championships.
What they said:
“One of my targets was to run the European record, but I still have one more year to break it. Still, I am very satisfied with this time and this result and the championship record is like a cherry on top. We did a great job with my coach in the last part of preparation so I knew I was ready to run such a time. I could have run the first 200m a bit faster but I cannot change it now.”
What's next?
Rada's next target is the Czech Championships which take place from 22-24 August. The 18-year-old is also just out of the rankings quota for Tokyo although a good performance at his domestic championships would boost his prospects.
