Kelly Doualla not only lived up to the hype surrounding her going into Friday’s 100 metres final at the European Athletics U18 Championships, she demolished her competition with a blistering time of 11.14 seconds for gold.
In front of her compatriots in Rieti, Italy, Doualla made quick work of the field. From the opening gun, the 16-year old phenom created a visible and insurmountable distance between her and the next closest sprinter, Greece’s Apostolia Antonatou, who finished in 11.46.
“Obviously, the cheering here is much more intense, and that’s definitely a huge help for the race I just ran,” Doualla said following the meet.
Doulla set the event record and she’s the second Italian woman to record a 11.14 time after Manuela Levorato in 2001. Doualla beat her own U18 record from last season by 0.07, setting a personal best.
“I actually didn’t know that — I’m so happy about it,” she told Olympics.com. “It means I can always improve and keep moving forward. This is just the first step toward the future.
“My next goal is the U20 World Championships. I’m not aiming for a medal, but I know that if I have fun and stay calm, I’ll put on a good show. That’s what matters.”
“Lightning” strikes for Rieti
Time flies when one has fun, especially in the case of 16-year-old British sprinter Divine Iheme, who took gold with a brisk 10.29-second performance.
Asked how everything was going for him at the Championships, he told Olympics.com that he was particularly happy with setting a new meet record.
“I found it very fun – of course this is new to me – to meet new people. run faster tracks,” Iheme said.
The newcomer began his athletics journey eight years ago in private school, and the last three he began to train seriously. In that time, he has quickly earned the nickname “Lightning”. Iheme explained that it stems from his admiration of Jamaican gold-medalist sprinter Usain Bolt and as a reminder to always aspire for more.
“Yes, I’m very inspired,” he said. “He was always a target to reach higher goals.
“It would mean everything [to make it to the LA28] This sport is my life, so getting to those heights is mind blowing. I’d love to go down [to the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar]. It’s going to be amazing.”
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/2026-european-athletics-u18-championships-italy-s-kelly-doualla-sets-event-record-en-route-to-gold-british-sprinter-divine-iheme-looks-ahead-to-dakar
