We take a close look at the Italian teenager whose sprinting performances belie his tender years.
Kelly Dualla turned 16 last month, another celebration that adds to a year that must be almost a dream on the one hand, and completely earned on the other. Named AW’s Under-20 Female Athlete of the Year, she has spent 2025 defying expectations, racking up medals, breaking records and showing talent on the track well beyond her years.
Born in Pavia to Cameroonian parents, Douala’s path in athletics seems almost preordained. Her full name, Kelly Ann Maevan Dualla Edimo, and middle name Ann, honors Jamaican sprint legend Shelley-Anne Fraser-Pryce, a hero she has followed since childhood thanks to her mother’s admiration for sprinting.
By the time he was 12, Dualla had already made his 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, he continues to improve his speed and technique. Watching him this year, it’s impossible not to notice how naturally he carries himself on the track. There’s a quiet confidence in his stride that suggests he knows he belongs, even when competing against athletes bigger than him.
His performances in 2025 were also impossible to ignore. She started the indoor season with Europe’s best under-18 60m, running 7.23, later improving it to 7.19, making her the second-fastest Italian woman ever over the distance.
Even a muscle injury that cut short his foray indoors couldn’t stop his momentum.
He returned to the outdoors in June, 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 his performance at the European Under-20 Championships in Tampere. Despite being younger than nearly all of her competitors, Dualla cruised through the heats and semis with ease, then made the final look almost effortless. She took the lead and finished in 11.22 minutes, comfortably beating Great Britain’s Mabel Akande to become the youngest European under-20 100m champion.
“I was really hoping I could achieve something big,” Dualla told European Athletics at the time. “And I can say I did it. This was what I had set myself since the beginning of the year. I was pretty calm on the track, there was a bit of anxiety in the blocks but that was good because it helped me run faster. I don’t think I could do it. I have dreamed of this victory many times.”
Duala’s success didn’t stop with the individual sprint. Returning to anchor Italy’s 4x100m relay, she helped her team win gold in 43.72, another national under-20 record.
In addition to the sprints, Dualla also attempted the long jump this year, reaching 6.42m, a distance that speaks to his natural athleticism. Seeing someone with so much talent, it’s exciting to think what the future could hold, provided he continues to have the right support and environment.
That support seems to be in place. After the European Championships, there were rumors about whether or not Duala could compete for his country in the 4x100m relay at the World Championships in Tokyo. On paper, he looked more than ready, but Monty immediately ruled that out, choosing instead to defend his development.
Despite being European under-20 champion, Dualla is still an under-18 athlete. He was born in 2009 and has one more year at that level, which could end at next year’s European Under-18 Championships in Rieti. That opportunity alone makes him one to watch for the 2026 season.
Even at this early stage, Duala’s times at senior level are remarkable. Her personal best of 11.21 now ranks her as the third fastest Italian woman ever over 100m, alongside Irene Siragusa and behind only Zeinab Dosso (11.01) and Manuela Levorato (11.14). However, while the numbers are impressive, what shocks me the most is his attitude. He does not recklessly pursue senior titles. he builds deliberately and steadily without the risk of premature burnout or pressure.
“For the future, I want to continue on this path… improve more and more.” he says
