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Kelly Doualla

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Kelly Doualla
Kelly Doualla in 2025
Personal information
Full nameKelly Ann Maevane Doualla Edimo
NationalityItalian
Born (2009-11-20) 20 November 2009 (age 16)
Pavia, Italy
Sport
SportAthletics
Event
Sprinting
ClubCUS Pro Patria Milan
Coached byWalter Monti
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Italy
World U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2026 Eugene4×100 m mixed
Bronze medal – third place2026 Eugene100m
European U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2025 Tampere100 m
Gold medal – first place2025 Tampere4x100 m relay
European U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place2026 Rieti100 m
Bronze medal – third place2026 RietiMedley relay
European Youth Olympic Festival
Gold medal – first place2025 Skopje100 m
Gold medal – first place2025 SkopjeMedley relay

Kelly Ann Maevane Doualla Edimo (born 20 November 2009) is an Italian sprinter. She has set European U18 best times for the 60 metres and 100 metres.[1]

Career

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Doualla is a member of CUS Pro Patria Milan and trained by Walter Monti.[2] By the age of 12 years-old, Doualla had run the outdoor 60 metres in 7.94 seconds.[3]

2024

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In February 2024, at the age of 14 years-old, she ran 7.27 seconds for the 60 metres.[4] In April 2024, she ran the best time by an Italian in the under-16 age-group for the 80 meters, whilst competing in Pavia, Italy, with a run of 9.39 (+1.8 m/s).[5] That month, she also recorded a run of 11.70 seconds for the 100 meters at the Italian Student Championships.[6] In Pescara, Italy, in May 2024, she ran 11.52 for the 100 metres.[7]

2025

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Podium of women's 100 m of Tampere 2025: Mabel Akande (silver), Kelly Doualla (gold), Uliana Stepaniuk (bronze).

She ran 7.23 seconds, the fastest ever 60 metres by a European U18, at the Memorial Giovannini, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Challenger meeting, in Ancona, Italy, on 18 January 2025.[8] The previous European under-18 record was 7.24 seconds, by the Dutch sprinter N'Ketia Seedo. This also placed her fourth on the all-time senior Italian list behind only Zaynab Dosso, Marisa Masullo and Manuela Levorato.[9] In Ancona, Italy on 8 February 2025, she ran in the final of the Campionati Italiani Allievi, registering a time of 7.19 seconds.[10] Speaking after that race, the president of the Italian Athletics Federation, Stefano Mei, said there would be no pressure on Doualla to compete at the highest level given her young age saying "I don’t choose the schedule if they [athlete and coach] decide they are ready to compete at the top level, I have no objections. And I don't have any demands, either."[11]

On 21 July 2025, she won the 100 m race at 2025 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Skopje, with a new U18 European best of 11.21 seconds, breaking the record set by Jodie Williams in 2010.[12] Later at the Festival, she was also part of the gold medal winning Italian team in the Swedish relay, setting a new European age-group record, running the first leg alongside Alessia Succo, Laura Frattaroli and Margherita Castellani.[13] At the age of 15 years-old, she was selected for the Italian team for the 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, winning her 100 metres semi final in 11.56 (-0.3 m/s) before winning gold in the final ahead of Mabel Akande of Great Britain with 11.22 (-0.1).[14][15] She also anchored the Italian women's 4x100m relay team to the gold medal.[16] In 2025, Douala also experimented with the long jump, with a best jump of 6.42 metres.[3] In September 2025, she was nominated for the European Athletics female rising star award.[17]

2026

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Doualla won the 60m title at the Italian U18 Championships in Ancona in February 2026.[18] On 1 March, she placed second in 7.21 seconds in the 60 metres behind Zaynab Dosso at the senior Italian Indoor Athletics Championships in Ancona.[19][20] She was selected for the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, in March 2026.[21] The youngest competitor in the field and the youngest ever athlete to compete for Italy at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, she ran 7.27 in her heat to advance to the semifinals.[22][23]

Doualla ran 11.14 seconds (0.6m/s) to win the gold medal at the 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships over 100 metres in Rieti, breaking her own European U18 best time to win ahead of Celine Obinna-Alo and Apostolia Antonatou.[24] Later at the championship she ran the 200 metres as part of the Italian 1000 metres medley relay team, winning the bronze medal.[25] On 6 August, she won the bronze medal in the final of the 100 metres race at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, United States.[26][27]

Personal life

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She was born in Pavia, Lombardy, to Cameroonian parents.[9] She was reportedly given her name Kelly Ann in honour of the Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.[28][3]

Achievements

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YearCompetitionVenueRankEventTimeNotes
2025 European U20 Championships Finland Tampere 1st 100 m 11.22
1st 4 × 100 m relay 43.72
2026 World Indoor Championships Poland Torun Semifinal 60 m 7.36 [a]
2026 European U18 Championships Italy Rieti 1st 100 m 11.14 EU18B, WU18L
3rd Medley relay 2:07.43
2026 World U20 Championships United States Eugene 3rd 100 m 11.27
1st mixed 4 × 100 m relay 41.21 W20R [b]

Notes

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  1. ↑ She ran a better crono, 7.27 in heat
  2. ↑ She ran a crono of 10.17

References

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  1. ↑ "Kelly Ann Marvane Doualla Edimo". World Athletics. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  2. ↑ "Regional Individual Championships. Long and 80 meters. Double cadet record for Doualla Edimo". Quotidiano.net. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Collett, Jasmine (5 December 2025). "KELLY DOUALLA'S RAPID PROGRESS". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  4. ↑ Meyers, Christaline (20 February 2024). "Track and Field: 14-Year-World Shocks the Athletics World With Historic Achievements". Essentially Sports. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "Athletics, Trevisan's first 400m of the season is good. Doualla sets another youth record in the sprint". oasport.it. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Landoni, Luca (30 April 2024). "Lodi, Studenteschi Kelly Doualla Edimo runs a time in the 100 three tenths under the Italian record (but it is not homologated)". Atletikalive.it. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  7. ↑ Landoni, Luca (30 May 2024). "Student: Kelly Doualla (stratospheric time) wins an epic duel with Margherita Castellani in the 100! (VIDEO)". Atletikalive.it. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "Douala runs 7.23 for 60m in Ancona aged 15!". European Athletics. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Kelly Dualla: Breaking Records and Expectations". ilmessaggero.it. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "Doualla senza limiti: 7.19 nei 60 di Ancona!".
  11. ↑ "Mei, the blue future is running fast. "This is the strongest Italy ever. No pressure on Doualla and Succo"". Quotidiano.net. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  12. ↑ "ATHLETICSTORNADO DOUALLA! At 15, she wins the EYOF with a crazy time: the European U18 record is shattered!". oasport.it. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  13. ↑ Brunetto, Alma (26 July 2025). "Alessia Succo sets a record, winning a double gold medal and setting a European record at the Youth Festival". Lastampa.it. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  14. ↑ "Italian sprint star Doualla Edimo speeds through to 100m final". European Athletics. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  15. ↑ Mills, Steven (28 July 2025). "Italy selects star-studded team of 91 athletes for Tampere 2025". European Athletics. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  16. ↑ Mills, Steven (10 August 2025). "Doualla strikes again! 15-year-old anchors Italy to 4x100m gold in Tampere". European Athletics. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (25 September 2025). "Nominees revealed! Vote for 2025 women's Rising Star". European Athletics. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  18. ↑ Mills, Steven (15 February 2026). "World lead of 20.49m for Schilder in Apeldoorn". European Athletics. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  19. ↑ "Italian Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  20. ↑ Mills, Steven (2 March 2026). "Fast 60m hurdles for Visser and Kambundji at Dutch and Swiss Indoor Championships". European Athletics. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  21. ↑ "Mondiali indoor: gli azzurri per Torun". Fidal.it. 11 March 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  22. ↑ "Belgium makes world indoor history on day two in Kujawy Pomorze". World Athletics. 21 March 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  23. ↑ Mills, Steven (14 April 2026). "Teen talents Doualla and Succo confirmed for Savona on the road to Rieti 2026". European Athletics. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  24. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (17 July 2026). "11.14! Doualla blasts to 100m gold in European U18 best in Rieti". European Athletics. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  25. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (19 July 2026). "Czechia sweeps medley relays with record-breaking runs at Rieti 2026". European Athletics. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "THEA BROWN ENJOYS FINE START AT WORLD U20 CHAMPS". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "TAYLOR AND MAXWELL COMPLETE US 100M DOUBLE AT WORLD U20 CHAMPS". Athletics Weekly. 7 August 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "At the indoor meeting in Bergamo. Doualla-record in the 60. The Lombard improves her u20 times twice". Quotidiano.net. 15 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
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