Ireland's Conor Kelly produced a stellar performance to win gold in the 400m at the Under-20 European Athletics Championships in Finland.
The Finn Valley AC athlete lowered his own Irish Under-20 record, clocking a time of 45.83 to win by a comfortable margin from France's Milann Klemenic who finished over half a second behind.
Kelly, who turned 18 three weeks ago, had set a new national record of 45.85 at the Morton Games last month but improved on that time in Tampere.
What a performance! 🙌
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) August 10, 2025
Conor Kelly 🇮🇪 storms to 400m gold by a massive margin at the European U20 Championships! ⚡️ #Tampere2025 pic.twitter.com/1QzIt6QzKh
Last year, he claimed bronze at the European Championships in Slovakia but has climbed to the top of the podium this year, becoming the ninth Irish athlete to take gold in the championships and underline his status as the leading Under-20 400m sprinter on the continent.
Kelly, who was born in London to Irish parents, said he had dreamt in finishing top of the podium at an international podium.
"It's special. Honestly, I've dreamed about this everyday. Every minute of every day," he told Athletics Ireland after his victory.
In the same race, Athenry's Seán Doggett placed seventh in a time of 47.16. Earlier, Cormac Dixon finished ninth in the final of the 3000m, while Precious Akpe-Moses was run out of the medals in the 200m, finishing fourth in a time of 23.72.
