Czech rising star Michal Rada destroyed his rivals and the championship record in the men’s 400m hurdles final with another destructive demonstration at the Tampere 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships on Saturday (9) evening.
Tampere 2025 is being live streamed on the European Athletics website courtesy of Eurovision Sport.
Demolition job from Rada
Running from lane seven which is the favoured lane of world record-holder Karsten Warholm, there was something reminiscent about the Norwegian in the way that Rada attacks the hurdles and the 18-year-old was rewarded with gold in a championship record of 48.78, his first ever sub-49 second clocking.
As Rada rounded into the home straight, it was a race between the Czech and the clock. And he became the first athlete in championship history to break the 49 second-barrier, taking the championship record which had belonged to Russia’s Timofey Chalyy at 49.23 from 2013 down to 48.78, just missing the European U20 record which had stood since 1984 by 0.04.
But Rada still has one full season in the junior ranks next year to add this record to the many records he owns already, including the European U18 best of 49.42 set in winning the European Athletics U18 Championships title in Banska Bystrica last year.
“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,” said Rada.
After a one-two for the Czechs in Banska Bystrica last year, Rada led a Czech one-three this time. Spain’s Iker Moreno, who only took up the 400m hurdles this season, ran a lifetime best by over one second to win silver in a national U20 record of 49.66.
"The race was the best race of my entire life. I came here without any expectations, I just wanted to enjoy being here and finish my season best way possible. I didn't imagine that I would make a new personal record and run under 50.75 which I ran yesterday. This race changed the course of the next season completely," said the delighted silver medallist who comes from a combined events background.
Marek Vana, a distant silver medallist behind Rada last year, initially won outright bronze ahead of Quinten de Vos from the Netherlands in 50.46 by an infinitesimal margin of 0.001 but after a closer inspection of the photo finish, a joint bronze medal was awarded.
Uta pips Tumba in women’s 400m hurdles thriller
While the men’s final was a one-man demonstration, the women’s 400m hurdles final was only decided in the very final strides.
A bronze medallist two years ago at the age of 15, Romania’s Alexandra Stefania Uta scuppered Meta Tumba’s aspirations of adding the European U20 title to the world U20 title in the very final metres, running the Frenchwoman down on the line for a dramatic victory.
Now 17, Uta not only upgraded her medal to a brighter hue in Tampere but she stopped the clock at 55.55 to prise the title away from Tumba by 0.01. The Romanian’s time was not just a lifetime best but also a championship record, breaking the previous mark of 55.89 which had stood to future two-time world champion Zuzana Hejnova from Czechia since 2005.
“I did not expect to run this fast because this season was a bit hard for me. But I am very proud of myself and glad that I did it. I did not know who was the winner because we were so close. I did not even care if I won or not. The time for me is the best thing. And now that it came with the gold medal, that is an extra bonus,” said Uta who moves to equal fourth on the European U20 all-time list which is headed by her compatriot Ionela Tirlea with 55.21.
Tumba was visibly disappointed to miss out on the title but her silver medal-winning time of 55.56 was still a lifetime best and a French U20 record. In other words, she ran faster than she did to win the world U20 title last year when she won in Lima in 55.59.
"I want to be European champion and the world champion so this result is very disappointing to me," said a disconsolate Tumba who was still in tears at the medal ceremony. "I am wearing the blue bib so it means I was the favourite. It was a bit heavy wearing it. I will try to learn from this for the future and continue with all the hard work."
As Uta and Tumba battled it out for the title, Estonia’s Viola Hambidge - who had qualified fastest for the final - came away with bronze in a national U20 record of 56.71, dashing the hopes of home favourite Mila Heikkonen although the Finn did have the consolation of setting a lifetime best of 56.78 in fourth.