The European Athletics U23 and U20 Championships are over – Estonia proved to be a strong host for both events and the last day of the competitions brought home two medals for the host.
On Sunday, the European Athletics Championships for the U23 and U20 age groups ended at Kadriorg Stadium, where athletes from 50 countries competed for two weeks. Personal, national and European records were renewed, and a number of athletics stars offered nerve-wracking experiences for spectators.
Among other results, some records of the European Championships were made in Tallinn – in U23 age group, Slovenian discus thrower Kristjan Čeh threw a new CR of 67.48 and Ukrainian high jumper Jaroslava Mahuchich jumped a great result of 2.00. In the U20 age group, Finnish hammer thrower Silja Kosonen threw a new CR of 71.06. French 110m hurdler Sasha Zhoya ran a new CR of 13.05 and his performance in the semi-finals was also memorable, when Zhoya completed the race with a time of 12.98, which in normal wind conditions would have been the new U20 world record! Unfortunately, a slightly stronger tailwind was blowing than allowed. Estonian athletes won two bronze medals in the U20 championships – in high jump Elisabeth Pihela (1.86) and in triple jump Viktor Morozov (16.14).
“The Estonian Athletic Association and its partners had the challenging task of organizing the two largest athletics title competitions in Europe in the summer season of 2021 – thanks to the help of hundreds of people involved, we can consider the events successful and we are proud of all the records set at our home stadium. The valuable help provided by the City of Tallinn and the Estonian Ministry of Culture gave an opportunity for young Europeans not to be deprived of competing for medals and realizing their athletic goals during this difficult time, ”said Erich Teigamägi, President of the Estonian Athletics Association.
According to Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, Vadim Belobrovtsev, the European Athletics U23 and U20 Championships offered positive emotions and empathy to all sports fans. “However, the greatest joy is for the athletes who were able to compete with the encouragement of the audience, because such experience is especially needed by younger athletes,” Belobrovtsev noted.
“We will certainly continue in the future when the coronavirus crisis has subsided in the world – with hosting top-level sports competitions here in Tallinn because we have once again proven to be a reliable partner in organizing international competitions. Many thanks and recognition to the Estonian Athletic Association, who successfully managed to organize two major competitions, “said Belobrovtsev.
“In addition to the long-planned U20 European Championships, organizing the U23 European Championships in Tallinn was a big challenge for the Estonian Athletic Association. Despite time pressure, extreme weather conditions, and virus constraints, it was well managed. All this thanks to the hard work of the organizing team, close cooperation with partners, and the hard work of the volunteers,” said Tarvi Pürn, Undersecretary for Sport of the Estonian Ministry of Culture.
More than 2,000 young athletes entered the competition during the European Championships held at Kadriorg Stadium in Tallinn on two consecutive weeks. 240 individual medals and 96 relay medals were awarded at the competitions. U23 championships medal table was led by Italy (6 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze medals), Germany (6 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze), the Czech Republic (4 gold, 1 silver), Spain (3 gold, 7 silver, 5 bronze) and France (3 gold, 6 silver, 8 bronze). The U20 championships medal table was led by Great Britain (6 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze medals), Germany, (4, gold, 4 silver, 7 bronze), Ireland (4 gold), Spain (3 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze), Poland (3 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze), Sweden (3 gold, 2 silver), Finland (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze), France (2 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze), Norway (2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze) and Turkey (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze).
The official results of European Athletics U20 and U23 Championships can be found on: https://european-athletics.com/.
Photo galleries:
- U23 photos: https://tallinn2021.ee/en/u23/pictures-thank-you-u23/
- U20 photos: https://tallinn2021.ee/en/u20/thank-you-u20-images/
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.