(July 6 ) — Jolanda Kallabis lived up to her pre-race favorite tag with a dominant performance to lead a 1-2 German finish in the girls’ 2000m steeplechase –setting a championship record of 6:20.22 at the European Athletics U18 Championships 2022 on Wednesday (6).
In the other final that took place on Day 3 in the morning session, Turkey’s Ali Peker made his only legal throw counted after winning the boys’ Shot Put with a measure of 21.03 meters. Read more: Day 2: Finals only European Athletics U18 Championships 2022 results
Back on the track and Kallabis, who entered the championships with a world U18 and U20 leading time of 6:23.82, improved that mark in the first track final on the third day in Jerusalem after she made a decisive move with just over 400 meters remaining and then build a big lead en route to securing the steeplechase victory in a devastating manner.
The last-lap move from the 17-year-old saw her picking up a winning margin of nearly eight seconds en route to improving the previous championships record by almost 14-seconds.
She smashed the championship record of 6:34.52, set in the first edition in Georgia in 2016 by Anna Mark Helwigh of Denmark, but she just missed the European U18 best of 6:19.23.
Embed from Getty ImagesKallabis’ German teammate Adia Budde finished strongly to take the silver medal in a personal best of 6:28.09 with Denmark’s Sofia Thøgersen, the European U20 3000m silver medalist, collecting the bronze on Wednesday with a season-best in 6:29.68.
“Competing in Tallinn last year was perfect, because I was much more relaxed here than back then,” said Kallabis on the European Athletics website.
“I already knew what the atmosphere was going to be like, how the call room and everything else works, so I am glad that I went to Tallinn last year.”
Meanwhile, in the boys’ Shot Put final at the European Athletics U18 Championships 2022, Ali Peker of Turkey had only one valid throw on the day but eventually, that was all he needed in the end.
The 16-year-old who scratched his first attempt, returned to throw a world U18 lead of 21.03m in the second round to win the first gold medal of the championships for Turkey at this year’s championships.
Germany’s Georg Harpf won the silver medal with a measure of 20.16m and the bronze medal went to Aatu Kangasniemi of Finland who threw 19.48m.
“I threw 21.03 meters which is lower than my personal best – 21.73m – I still think it is a good throw and I am happy anyway.
“I only had a valid throw, which was a good one, but the fact I had so many fouls is bad. I don’t know why it happened because I wasn’t feeling nervous at all – but my last throw was actually really bad,” he said.
Complete results here.
