European Athletics U20 Championships 2023: Melwin Lycke Holm wins men's high jump

Posted : 11 August 2023

On the final morning session of the Jerusalem 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships, another familiar name claimed the top spot on the men's high jump podium.

Stefan, the 2004 Olympic champion, watched proudly from the sidelines as his son Melwin Lycke Holm clinched a hard-fought victory in the final. Going head-to-head with Italy's pre-competition favorite Edoardo Stronati, Melwin secured a first-time clearance at 2.18m, ultimately winning on countback.

Melwin shared, “My strategy was to clear each height on the first attempt, and that approach earned me the gold in the end.”

This accomplishment surpasses his father's performance at the European Athletics U20 Championships. Stefan had placed 11th and seventh in 1993 and 1995 respectively before becoming a top-notch jumper in the early 2000s.

Coached by his father, Melwin Lycke has ambitions of surpassing his father's achievements as a senior athlete. He explained, “I'm striving to pave my own path. In Sweden, people often attribute my success to my father's Olympic gold, but I'm determined to make my own mark. We actually have different jumping styles. I aspire to outdo my father, which would require winning the Olympic gold and achieving a 2.40m jump. I believe that's a worthy goal.”

Slovakia's Robert Ruffini, whose father of the same name secured silver for Czechoslovakia in 1985, clinched the bronze at 2.15m.

For the first time in Ireland's history at the European Athletics U20 Championships, a field event gold medal was achieved. Following her high jump victory, Angelina Topic aimed to become the first athlete to win both high jump and long jump titles.

However, after competing in four events within as many days under challenging conditions, the Serbian contender finished in sixth place with a best jump of 6.42m.

In a dynamic competition, Ireland's Elizabeth Ndudi surged ahead in the second round with a 6.48m jump. She extended her lead to an Irish U20 record of 6.56m in the third round.

Bulgaria's Plamena Mitkova emerged as a strong contender, recording jumps of 6.54m and 6.53m in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively, earning her European U20 silver to complement her world U20 title from the previous year.

Germany's Laura Muller secured bronze with a personal best of 6.51m. Last year's European U18 champion Ayla Hollberg Hossain from Sweden narrowly missed the podium with a sixth-round personal best of 6.50m.

This achievement marked a historic moment for Ireland, securing their first-ever field event gold medal at the European Athletics U20 Championships. For Ndudi, this victory marked redemption after missing out on medals at the U18 Championships last July.

Reflecting on her win, Ndudi shared, “Last year, I was disappointed with my seventh-place finish. I owed it to myself to improve. Despite a foul in the first attempt, I remained confident. This is a significant improvement and another national U20 record.”

She added, “This year, I increased my training and improved mentally. I had more confidence today. While it may be ambitious, my main goal is to participate in the Paris Olympics next year, as that is where I currently reside.”

In the discus final, it was Germany's triumph. Despite barely making it to the final in 12th place, Curly Brown, the European U18 champion, unleashed a remarkable sixth-round personal best of 53.93m. This effort outperformed her compatriots Milina Weipwe (53.83m) and Lea Bork (53.46m).

“I was surprised by my final attempt's distance. Winning this competition was unexpected. It felt like déjà vu, winning the U18 championships in Jerusalem and now the U20 title,” Brown exclaimed.

The German dominance persisted as Frederick Weigel, the son of the 1983 world 50km race walk champion Ronald Weigel, secured gold in the 10,000m race walk with a lifetime best of 41:53.58. With one session left and numerous medal opportunities ahead, Germany sits atop the medal table with six golds and a total of 18 medals.

European Athletics U20 Championships 2023: Melwin Lycke Holm wins men's high jump

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