Eleni Iakovaki, just 17 years old and the youngest competitor in the race, won bronze in the 400m hurdles at the U20 Wor...

Eleni Iakovaki, just 17 years old and the youngest competitor in the race, won bronze in the 400m hurdles at the U20 World Athletics Championships on Monday, clocking 55.99 and breaking the Greek national record for her age category in the process. She became only the third Greek woman in history to run the 400m hurdles under 56 seconds, and the first Greek woman ever to reach the final of the event, let alone stand on the podium. The time also shattered her own Greek U20 record of 57.10, which she had set just days earlier in the semifinal. Iakovaki started the final cautiously, passing through the first 200 meters in sixth place, before steadily accelerating to take third. The gold went to Romania's Alexandra Stefania Utsa in 55.33, with South Africa's Tumie Ramogopa second at 55.89. This is also a story with deep family roots. Her father, Periklis Iakovakis, won gold at the same U20 World Championships in 1998, also in the 400m hurdles. His daughter just climbed the same podium 28 years later. What makes the achievement even more striking is that Iakovaki only started competing in hurdles this year. She still has two years of eligibility remaining in the U20 category and has said her primary focus for next season will remain the flat 200m and 400m, meaning the hurdles are a secondary pursuit at this stage. Coached by Christos Katsikos, she is expected to arrive at future competitions considerably stronger. #Greece #Athletics #EleniIakovaki