Alexandrina Mihai went one better from the Espoo 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships at half the distance as she won gold in the women’s 10,000m race walk at Bergen 2025 on Saturday (19).
Bergen 2025 is being live streamed on the European Athletics website courtesy of Eurovision Sport.
The Italian, who won silver two years ago over 20km on the roads, was a class apart as she dominated the race in heat-sapping conditions in the Fana Stadium, slashing her personal best by one minute.
Golden intentions
Mihai’s golden intentions were clear from the off as she led the group from the start and stayed in front almost for the entirety of the race. Mihai set a relentless pace which whittled down the lead pack to four by halfway.
The quartet included Italian teammate Giulia Gabriele and France’s Ana Delahaie, the European U20 silver and bronze medallists from Jerusalem 2023 and Spain’s Lucia Redondo.
But shortly after 5000m, Mihai surged again and built a 20 metre gap as the group completed 6000m. By this point, Redondo began to fade from medal contention.
Mihai did not let up and held a 100 metre-lead by the final kilometre, Delahaie also took a tighter grip on silver leaving Gabriele to dig in for bronze.
Mihai could afford to smile as she navigated the final lap, crossing the line in 43:49.55. Delahaie took silver in 44:07.59, hacking 90 seconds off her lifetime best and an exhausted Gabriele won bronze in 44:19.31.
A difficult path to victory
"I wanted the gold and I took it. Last year was a very bad year for me, so I am kind of reborn this year. I changed all my mindset, I want to do a perfect season and now I do not regret anything. So I am very happy to be here today and to have the gold medal I had a lot of fun, that is the most important thing for me: to have fun," said the winner.
"Last year I had an injury and I stayed three weeks in hospital. But that is over now, I am here now. It was a bad period, I spent the summer doing a lot of alternative things like swimming and gym. In September I started my season and now I'm here.
"Sport is not just sport, it is also fun, friends, it is a school. I learnt a lot of things thanks to athletics and I am thankful for the person I am thanks to athletics," said an effusive Mihai.
Redondo was fourth in 44:37.40, another personal best. There was a national U23 record for Hungary’s seventh-placed Tiziana Spiller with 45:46.61.
