Athletics: 15-Year-Old Kelly Doualla Claims Gold in Women’s 100m at European U20 Championships
Tampere, August 8, 2025 – Italian sprinting prodigy Kelly Doualla Edimo, aged just 15, stunned the athletics world by winning gold in the women’s 100m at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland. The teenager clocked an impressive 11.21 seconds, securing her first major international title and cementing her status as one of Europe’s brightest track talents.
Doualla, born on November 20, 2009, to Cameroonian parents, dominated the final with a blistering performance, finishing nearly two-tenths of a second ahead of the field. Great Britain’s Mabel Akande took silver in 11.41, while Ukraine’s Uliana Stepaniuk claimed bronze in 11.53. Italy’s Alice Pagliarini finished a close fourth in 11.54. Doualla’s time matched her European U18 record set just weeks earlier at the 2025 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Skopje, where she also won gold with 11.21 seconds, the fastest ever by a European U18 athlete.
The young sprinter showcased remarkable composure, winning her heat in 11.56 and her semifinal in the same time, before unleashing a powerful start in the final with a reaction time of 0.115 seconds. Her seamless acceleration and relentless drive to the finish line left competitors trailing, earning her a triumphant roar as she crossed the line. “I just focused on running my race and giving everything,” Doualla said post-race. “This gold means so much, but I know I can go even faster.”
Doualla’s 11.21 ranks her as the third-fastest Italian woman ever over 100m, behind only Zaynab Dosso (11.01) and Manuela Levorato (11.14), and level with Irene Siragusa’s 11.21 from 2018. Her performance also smashed the Italian U20 and U18 records, previously set at 11.40 by Vittoria Fontana in 2019 and 11.44 by Erika Marchetti in 1997, respectively, with a 11.37 run in Brescia in June.
Italian Athletics Federation president Stefano Mei praised Doualla’s potential but urged patience, saying, “She’s a rare talent, but we’ll let her and her coach decide her path without pressure.” Doualla, a member of CUS Pro Patria Milan and trained by Walter Monti, is eligible for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar and the 2026 European U18 Championships in Rieti, where she could further rewrite the record books.
Her meteoric rise has sparked excitement on social media, with fans on X calling her “the future of Italian sprinting” and predicting she could challenge Dosso’s national record. With a 60m European U18 record of 7.23 set in Ancona in January, Doualla’s versatility and speed mark her as a potential star for the 2028 Olympics and beyond.