Kelly Doualla, the new queen of Italian speed

Be fifteen years old. Knowing that a wind friend blows behind you. Run the 100 meters in 11 “21, a fabulous time, pregnant with a future that will soon arrive. Kelly Doualla It is the new star of Italian athletics. The blue is rewriting the history of the female declined speed. On the debut in blue he conquered the gold medal at the European Youth Olympic Festival. It happened a few hours ago in Skopje, Macedonia, the European Under 18 European title earned her. For her the Federation has already set the appointment that counts: i Tokyo World Championships scheduled from 13 to 21 Septemberperhaps as a relay of the 4×100.

Doualla – Full name Kelly Ann Maevane Doualla Edimo – He is experiencing a dream. But he does it with rare maturity. He says of himself: “While I run I am in my world and I’m fine as on any other side”. Born in Pavia, raised in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, in the province of Lodi, a family of Cameroonian origin (the father and mother, both Italian citizens, work as health workers), the young sprinter is currently in force at the Cus Pro Patria Milan and is trained by Walter Monti.

It is he who, to measure its growth, also made him compete with male colleagues. And it is always on the advice of Monti that the athlete has been split, competing for a certain period even in the long jump, discipline momentarily left pending for the desire to devote himself only to speed. Maturity, we said. Doualla attends the scientific high school Pandini and – results in hand – is proudly demonstrating that sport and study can live together.

Kelly Doualla is an announced phenomenon. At the 2022 student games he had recorded, in the 80 meters, an amazing 9 ”79 which had allowed her to detach the second classified by about 30 meters (!). A splinter, a gust of wind. It has yet to grow, as is normal that it is, in the management of the race, but the acceleration and explosiveness of the race already represent a marked difference today. In February 2023, when he was not yet 14 years old, he had made himself the protagonist of a sensational test in a meeting in Bergamo, where he raised all the youth records.

In February of this year, in Ancona, he had touched the Under 18 world record in the 60 meters indoor. This time, at the Olympic Festival of European Youth, Doualla – overcome the preliminary phases of great looseness – had the best on Switzerland Xenia Buri, silver in 11 “30, and on the Portuguese Carolina Ventura classified third in 11” 56. It is the third Italian ever in the Queen test of Athletics. Only Zaynab Dosso (11 “01) and Manuela Levorato (11” 14) did better. With his fairytale time – 11 “21 – Kelly Doualla can now take the run -up for glory. The premises are there, the promises as well.