Maria Rafailidou brought home a gold medal for Greece at the European U20 Athletics Championship in Tampere, Finland, reaching the top of Europe in shot put with a throw of 16.16 meters.

The 18-year-old champion entered the competition determined to claim the gold and did exactly what was needed to achieve it.

With an initial throw of 15.58 meters, she immediately secured a place in the medal zone, shedding any doubts or pressure about the outcome. Rafailidou didn’t stop there; after a 15.28-meter throw on her second attempt, she soared to the top of the leaderboard on her third throw with a mark of 16.16 meters, clinching the gold medal.

Following her gold at the European U18 Championships, Rafailidou has now risen to the top in the U20 category as well. This is Greece’s first-ever medal in women’s shot put at this level, surpassing the previous best—a fourth-place finish by Sofia Orfaniotou with 15.97 meters.

Another strong performance came from Elektra Chioutakakou, who placed fifth with a best throw of 14.84 meters. The young athlete started with 14.60 meters, followed by 14.25 meters and 14.60 meters again, before reaching 14.84 meters on her fourth attempt to move up to fifth place. She closed the competition with a final throw of 14.79 meters.

The Greek team made their presence felt in the stands, with the entire squad supporting the two athletes throughout their efforts.