We take a close look at the Italian teenager whose sprinting performances belie her tender years.

Kelly Doualla turned 16 last month, another celebration to add into a year that on one hand must almost feel like dream and, on the other, entirely earned. Named AW’s International Female Under-20 Athlete of the Year, she has spent 2025 exceeding expectations, collecting medals, breaking records and demonstrating a talent on the track far beyond her years.

Born in Pavia to Cameroonian parents, Doualla's path in athletics seems to have almost been pre-destined. Her full name – Kelly Ann Maevane Doualla Edimo – and middle name, “Ann,” honors Jamaican sprint legend Shelly‑Ann Fraser‑Pryce, a hero she has followed since childhood thanks to her mother’s admiration for the sprinter. 

By the time she was 12, Doualla had already made her mark, running the outdoor 60m in 7.94 seconds – an early sign of the talent that would soon explode onto the European stage.

Now based in Milan and coached by Walter Monti at elite club CUS Pro Patria Milano, she has continued to refine her speed and technique. Watching her this year, it’s impossible not to notice just how naturally she carries herself on the track. There’s a quiet confidence in her stride that suggests she knows she belongs, even when racing against athletes older than herself.

Her performances in 2025 have also been impossible to ignore. She began the indoor season with a European U18 best in the 60m, running 7.23 and later improving it to 7.19 – a time that makes her the second-fastest Italian woman ever over the distance.

Even a muscle injury that cut short her indoor campaign couldn’t stop her momentum.

By June, she was back outdoors, setting Italian under-18 and under-20 100m records with times of 11.37 and 11.36, before lowering that mark to 11.21 in July. 

But what really stood out to the wider athletics world was her performance at the European Under-20 Championships in Tampere. Despite being younger than nearly all of her competitors, Doualla approached the heats and semi-finals with ease, then made the final look almost effortless. She surged ahead to finish in 11.22, comfortably beating Great Britain’s Mabel Akande, and became the youngest-ever European under-20 100m champion. 

“I really hoped I could achieve something big,” Doualla told European Athletics at the time. “And I can say I’ve done it. This was what I had set for myself since the start of the year. On the track I was quite calm, at the blocks there was a bit of anxiety, but that was good because it helped me run faster. Without the support of the Italian team I don’t think I could have done it. I’ve dreamed of this victory many times.”

Doualla’s success didn’t stop with the individual sprint. Returning to anchor Italy’s 4x100m relay, she helped her team claim gold in 43.72, another national U20 record. 

Beyond sprinting, Doualla has experimented with the long jump this year, too, reaching 6.42m – a distance that speaks volumes about her natural athleticism. Seeing someone so young with this much talent, it’s exciting to think about what the future might hold, provided she continues to have the right support and environment.

That support seems to be in place. After the European Championships, there were whispers about whether or not Doualla might compete for her country in the 4x100m relay at the World Championships in Tokyo. On paper, she looked more than ready but Monti ruled it out immediately, choosing instead to protect her development. 

Despite being an U20 European champion, Doualla is still very much an U18 athlete. Born in 2009, she has another year at that level, which could culminate in a European U18 Championships in Rieti next year. That opportunity alone makes her 2026 season one to watch closely. 

Even at this early stage, Doualla’s times are remarkable on a senior level. Her personal best of 11.21 now ranks her as the joint third-fastest Italian woman ever over 100m, alongside Irene Siragusa and behind only Zaynab Dosso (11.01) and Manuela Levorato (11.14). Yet, while the numbers are impressive, what strikes me most is her attitude. She isn’t chasing the senior ranks recklessly; she’s building deliberately and steadily without risking burnout or pressure too soon.

“For the future I want to keep going this way… improving more and more.” she says.