The last time Kadrioru stadium saw this level U20 competitions was ten years ago, when Kevin Mayer, Jimmy Vicaut, Dafne Schippers, Mariya Lasitskene and Pierre Ambroise Bosse were competing in the U20 age group. They won gold medals and broke records here. And now, just like in 2011, the weather is hot and U20’s brightest stars will compete in Tallinn.
U20 European Championships taking place at Kadrioru stadium from 15th to 18th of July offer a rare opportunity to peek into the future. Who will shine brightest in Tallinn this summer?
Mykolas Alekna, Virgilius Alekna’s 18-year-old son will be competing in discus throw this weekend. He has already thrown the all-time second-best result in his age group with a 1.75 kg discus – 69.77 metres. This is not far from U20 world record, which is 70.13.
Oliver Koletzo is also one to keep an eye on. The young German long jumper’s personal best is 7.90 metres. Koletzo’s age would also allow him to compete in U18 European championships, which are unfortunately not taking place this year. Thus, many U18 young athletes are hoping to bring their best performance to the upcoming competitions in Tallinn.
UK sprinter Amy Hunt won gold medal in both 200m and 4x100m relay races in U20 championships in Boras in 2019. Her 200m winning time was 22,94, despite 1,7 m/s headwind. In more favourable conditions, Hunt could have beaten one of the longest standing records from 1973 – 22,85, which was run by the German sprinter Barbel Wockel in U20 championships.
19 year old Alida van Daalen from the Netherlands is competing for a rare double in these championships. Already a U20 champion in discus throw, she currently holds second place in her age group’s shot put top list with 17.65 metres and third place in discus throw with 57.20 metres.
Greek javelin thrower Elina Tzengko is also one to look out for. Only a few weeks ago she managed to throw a strong result of 61.42 metres. Also, Swiss 100m hurdler Ditaji Kambundji, who has run under 13 seconds twice this season already. If you think you have heard the name before, it’s because you probably have – she is the sister of sprinter Mujinga Kambundji.
Only 19 junior decathletes have managed to achieve 8000 points in their career. One of them is Jente Hauttekeete from Belgium, who recently broke Belgium’s U20 decathlon record, scoring 8034 points. He also holds the U20 world record for indoors heptathlon. The championships in Tallinn are one of his most important objectives this summer – Hauttekeete’s medal collection is missing an European championships gold.
Alongside these names, many other U20 leading athletes are competing for gold in Tallinn. From 15th to 18th of July, a total of 1247 Europe’s best athletes will be competing in U20 European Championships. All officially accredited guests must follow the COVID-19 prevention protocol – among other requirements, guests must present a negative covid test result to enter Estonia. All competitors must take the test no more than 48 hours before entering the country.
39 athletes will represent Estonia at the European Athletics U20 Championships.
For the first time in history, both U23 and U20 European championships will be held on two consecutive weeks in Estonia. Sunday marked the end of U23 championships and U20 European championships will take place from 15th to 18th of July. Fans are welcome to enjoy the competition from the stadium or follow along via European Athletics livestream.
Find the final list of U20 European championships participants here: https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/3037fcc2-1db9-4d84-b050-b0a65983073b
Championships info and timetable: https://tallinn2021.ee/u20/ajakava/
The official international partners of the 2021 European Athletics U23 and U20 Championships are Spar and Le Gruyère, the broadcasting partner is Eurovision and the official cooperation partner is Mondo. The supporters of the competition are Audi, Kalev, NIKE, Postimees, SYNLAB Eesti, Tradehouse, Utilitas and Värska Vesi. The competitions are organized by the Estonian Athletic Association in cooperation with the European Athletics Association, the City of Tallinn and the Ministry of Culture.