Records, Doubles, and Rising Stars Shine at the European U20 Championships in Tampere
The 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, delivered a spectacular showcase of emerging talent, highlighted by Poland’s Hubert Troscianka’s world U20 decathlon record, Great Britain’s Innes FitzGerald completing an impressive 3000m–5000m double, and Italy’s Kelly Ann Doualla Edimo storming to 100m and 4x100m relay gold. Across five action-packed days at the Ratina Stadium, six championship records fell, alongside a host of personal bests, national records, and breakthrough performances that signalled the arrival of the next generation of European athletics stars. Below is our round-up of the highlights from the championships.
Hubert Troscianka (Poland) decathlon:
Hubert Troscianka won the gold medal in the decathlon with 8514 points breaking the previous world record of 8435 points set by Germany’s Nicklas Kaul in Grosseto in 2017. Troscianka smashed the world all-time best time in the 400 metres with an impressive 46.21 and set a championships record with 68.87m in the javelin throw. Troscianka, world under 20 silver medallist in Lima 2024, also set a PB of 10.74 in the 100 metres, leapt to 7.26m in the long jump, threw 15.48m in the shot put, cleared 1.94m in the high jump, clocked 14.23 in the 110 metres hurdles, threw 43.36m in the discus, set a PB of 4.80m in the pole vault. Luuk Pelkmaans from the Netherlands won the silver medal with a PB of 8293.
Innes FitzGerald (Great Britain) 3000m/5000m:
Innes FitzGerald from Great Britain completed the 3000m and 5000m double win. The two-time European under 20 cross country champion won the 5000 metres in 15:09.04 on the opening day of the European under 20 Championships. Three days later FitzGerald won the 3000 metres by more than 22 seconds in 8:46.39 breaking the championships record held by Romanian legend Gabriela Szabo since 1993. FitzGerald improved the European under 20 record in the 5000m with 14:39.56 at the London Diamond League meeting on 19 July.
Innes FitzGerald: “It was a big ask to do the double, but I knew it was in me. I’m pleased to come away with the win today and to get the championship record was the icing on the cake.”
Kelly Ann Doulla (Italy) 100 metres( 4x100 relay:
Italian 15-year-old rising star Kenny Ann Doualla stormed to a sensational win in the women’s 100 metres in 11.22 against sprinters three years older than her. Doualla claimed her second title following her win at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje in a European under 18 all-time best time of 11.21 over Swiss rising star Xenia Buri last July. Last February Doualla broke the European under 18 indoor best time with 7.19 in Ancona.
Kelly Ann Doulla: “I am very excited for this result. I was very emotional in the finish because it was a very important competition for me. This is a huge success for my career. I felt stress before the race but this helped me preform better. My mum is a big fan of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, so my middle name is also Ann. I have always been following her since my childhood.”
Doualla anchored the Italian team to win in the women’s 4x100 relay in a national record of 43.72. The Italian sprinter, who was born in Pavia to Cameroonian parents, clocked 10.30 in the anchor leg.
The other members of the Italian team were Alice Pagliarini, Margherita Castellani and Elisa Valensin.
Michal Rada (Czechia) men’s 400 metres hurdles:
Michal Rada won the men’s 400 metres hurdles with 48.78 breaking the championships record set by Russia’s Timofey Chalyy in Rieti 2013. Rada just missed the 41-year-old European under 20 record by 0.04.
Rada became the first hurdler in European under 20 Championships history to dip under the 49 seconds barrier. The Czech hurdler completed a double following his win at last year’s European under 18 Championships in Banska Bystrika in 49.42.
Michal Rada: “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”
Jana Koscak (Croatia) women’s heptathlon:
Croatia’s Jana Koscak won the womnen’s gold medal in the heptathlon equalling her national record with 6293 points, the fourth highest winning score in European under 20 Championships history. Sarolta Kriszt from Hungary won the silver medal with 6251 points. European under 18 champion Enni Virjonen from Finland claimed the bronze medal with 6060 points following in the footsteps of this year’s European under 23 champion Saga Vanninen, who won the European under 20 title in 2021.
Koscak completed her collection of major titles that includes gold medals at the European under 18 Championships in Jerusalem 2022, at the World under 20 Championships in Lima and at the European Youth Festival. Koscak set a championships record of 1.92m in the high jump during the first day. Kriszt set a PB of 6.33 in the long jump to close the gap on Koscak to 87 points. Koscak threw the javelin to 43.91m. Kriszt produced a throw of 43.51m. Koscak led by a margin of 95 points after six events. Kriszt was the fastest on paper in the 800 metres (2:08.38 to 2:18.10) and needed to beat her Croatian rival by 6.7 seconds. Kriszt crossed the finish-line in 2:10.84. Koskac finished within three second of Kriszt in 2:14.56.
Koscak bounced back from the disappointment of the European under 23 Championships, where she was forced to retire from an injury issue.
Jana Koscak: “I was looking forward to this competition and I have been dreaming about this title ever since what happened in Jerusalem.
Jarno Van Daalen (Netherlands) men’s shot put/discus throw:
Dutchman Jarno Van Daalen won the men’s shot put with 21.07m and completed the double by claiming the gold medal in the discus throw with 63.18. Van Daalen followed in the footsteps of his older sister Alida Van Daalen, who won the shot put and the discus throw at the European under 23 Championships in Espoo 2023.
Jarno Van Daalen: “Double gold feels amazing,” he said. “I am very satisfied with both competitions and I had a great time. Having fun and good throwing conditions are very important for me. If you like what you do and have fun doing it, that is extra motivation for me.”
Armin Szabados (Hungary) men’s hammer throw:
Armin Szabados from Hungary won the men’s hammer throw with 82.91m with a 6 kg implement in the fourth round. He broke the 80 metres barrier with 82.05m and 80.16m in the third and sixth round.
Armin Szabados: “This performance was not super special to me because I was ready to show throws on the level of 85m, like I was attacking it in my trainings. So it is not too big for me. I will compete in Tokyo because I am 25th place in the ranking at the moment. I hope I will show some good throws at the level of 77-78m with the 7kg hammer there.”
Hakon Moe Berg (Norway) men’s 1500 and 3000 metres:
Norway’s Hakon Moe Berg won two gold medals in the 3000m in 8:43.20 and in the 1500m in 3:47.36 following in the footsteps of his compatriot Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who won the 5000m and the 3000m steeplechase in Grosseto 2017.
Hakon Moe Berg: "The most difficult part of this race was the technical aspect. I did not know if I should push like from the start or stay behind. So I ended up staying like behind. When there was 500m to go then I just slowly ramped up the pace. We have got a lot of good guys and it is very hard to beat these guys so my all respect goes to them definitely.”
Axel Rogo (Sweden) men’s pole vault:
Sweden’s Axel Rogo set a PB of 4.5m to win the men’s pole vault following in the footsteps of two-time Olympic champion and world record holder Armand Mondo Duplantis, who won the European under 20 title in Grosseto 2017.
Axel Rogo: “It is so amazing to win here. I have been dreaming about this since last year's U18 championships. I just believed in myself and believed that I can jump higher than anyone else.”
Erika Saraceni (Italy) women’s triple jump:
Erika Saraceni from Italy won the women’s triple jump improving her own national record to 14.24m one week after winning the Italian senior title in Caorle. Saraceni, the daughter of former 400m national team sprinter Enrico Saraceni, broke the 24-year-old championships record set by Anastasia Ilyna in Grosseto in 2001, moving to sixth on the European under 20 all-time list Saraceni set her previous national under 20 record with 14.08m when she finished third at the European Team Championships in Madrid.
Erika Saraceni: “My plan was to get it with the first jump. I wanted to jump over 14m with the first attempt to confirm my shape and then I could be more relaxed. I was even thinking about the championships record because I felt I was ready for it. My last attempts are always different than the others. I am more focused and more determined. I wanted a new PB, but the CR is even better bonus.”
Matteo Togni (Italy) 110 metres hurdles:
Matteo Togni won the women’s 110 metres hurdles in 13.27 improving the Italian under 20 record set by Lorenzo Perini, who won the European Junior silver medal medal behind Wilhelm Belocian in Rieti 2013.
Jil Sanchez (Switzerland) women’s 100 metres hurdles:
Jil Sanchez from Switzerland won the women’s 100 metres hurdles in 13.24 into a headwind of -1.5 m/s following in the footsteps of her compatriot Ditaji Kambundji,who won this title in Tallin in 2021. Melissa Benfarah from France finished second in 13.29 ahead of Italian under 18 record holder Alessia Succo (13.32).
Alexandra Stefania Uta (Romania) women’s 400 metres hurdles:
Romania’s Stefania Uta won the women’s 400 metres hurdles holding off France’s world under 20 champion Meta Tumba by 0.01 in 55.55. Both hurdlers dipped under the previous championships record.
Joan Querol (Spain) men’s 10000 metres walking race:
Joan Querol from Spain won the men’s 10000 metres walking race on the track in a championships record of 39:10.04 beating world under 20 bronze medallist Giuseppe Disabato, who won his fourth international medal setting the Italian record with 39:20.87.
Sofia Santacreu (Spain) women’s 10000 metres walking race:
Sofia Santacreu won her second consecutive European under 20 gold medal in the women’s 10000 metres waking race in a world lead of 43:47.89. Santacreu beat European under 18 champion Serena Di Fabio, who won the silver medal with the national under 20 record of 43:56.25.
Diego Nappi (Italy) 200 metres:
Diego Nappi won the men’s 200 metres in 20.77 into a headwind of -2.9 m/s on his 18th birthday beating 200m and 400m national under 20 record holder Pedro Afonso (20.85) and Spain’s Oriol Sanchez (21.03). Nappi made his breakthrough last year when he broke Filippo Tortu’s Italian under 18 record with 20.79 in Molfetta and won the European under 18 title in Banska Bystrika with 20.81.
Diego Nappi: "I am very satisfied with the way I managed to run this raceI felt very well in the bend and in the last 100m, I had a head wind, so it was a bit more difficult. But I am the winner so all is good. Tomorrow is my birthday and this is the best gift I received - this year and also in my entire life.”
Petr Meindlschmidt (Czechia) men’s long jump:
Petr Meindlschmidt leapt to 7.89mm to win the men’s long jump. Daniele Inzoli from Italy won silver with 7.69m beating Serbia’s Luka Boskovic on countback. Inzoli added the European under 20 silver medal to last year’s European under 18 bronze.
Conor Kelly (Ireland) men’s 400 metres:
Conor Kelly from Ireland won the men’s 400 metres in a national under 20 record of 45.83 one year after finishing third at the 2024 European under 18 Championships in Banska Bystrika.
Charlotte Henrich (Great Britain) 400 metres:
Charotte Henrich from Great Britain won the women’s 400 metres in a personal best of 51.68 ahead of European under 20 indoor record holder Johanna Martin from Germany (52.00) and Anastasja Kus from Poland (52.23). Henrich added this title to her collection which includes a European under 18 title in Jerusalem 2022. She entered these championships with a European leading time of 51.95 set at the Diamond League meeting in London.
Lyla Belshaw (Great Britain) women’s 1500 metres:
Lyla Belshaw from Great Britain won the European under 20 gold medal in 4:14.59 adding this title to the European under 18 win she won in Banska Bystrika in 2024. Sweden’s Susan Cernjul, who won European under 18 bronze last year, claimed silver in 4:15.00.
Rafferty Mirfin (Great Britain) 800 metres:
Rafferty Mirfin from Great Britain won the men’s 800 metres in 1:48.09 ahead of his compatriot Tom Waterworth (1:48.20) and Aaron Ceballos from Spain (1:48.74). William Rabjohs crossed the finish-line first but was later disqualified for a lane infringement for stepping inside the track.
Andrea Nygard Vie (Norway) 3000 metres steeplechase:
Andrea Nygard Vie from Norway won her first international gold medal in the women’s 3000 metres steeplechase in 9:57.19.
Judith Bilepo Mokobe (Germany) women’s 200 metres:
Judith Bilep Mokobe won the women’s 200 metres in 23.40 into a headwind of -2.0 m/s after equalling her PB with 23.11 in the semifinals. Lucy Tallon from Great Britain won silver in 23.49 edging Terezie Taborska on a close photo-finish.
Elijah Pasquier (France) men’s high jump:
France’s Elijah Pasquier won the men’s high jump breaking the 35-year-old national under 20 record by clearing 2.25m.
Elijah Pasquier: “I do not think I would have managed to jump 2.25m without the support of the crowds. There was a great atmosphere. This was my first experience with such great crowds cheering for me. It was unforgettable.”
France (Delaumenie, Chanteur, Jacquet-Dzong, Bizasene) won the men’s 4x100 relay in 39.57 over Germany (39.78).
France (Kwarteng, Tanon, Trinquant, Tumba) also claimed the women’s 4x400 in a European under 20 leading time of 3:33.56 ahead of Germany (3:34.35).
Czechia (Loupal, Mareš, Horák, Rada) won the men’s 4x400 in a European under 20 record and national under 20 record of 3:05.79 beating Spain, who set a national under 20 record of 3:06.83.
Italy won the medals ranking with 14 medals (6 gold-3 silver-5 bronze) ahead of Great Britain (5-7-1) and Spain (5-3-6), while Germany topped the place-points ranking with 147.5 points over Great Britain (141.5) and Spain (139).
