The 18-year-old sprinter produced an incredibly powerful performance in Grosseto to become the first Irish athlete to win gold at these championships since Colin Costello in 2005.
After finishing second in her heat yesterday, Akpe-Moses had ground to make up on her rivals after coming out of the blocks slowly but powered through the second 50 metres to cross in a time of 11.71.
Germany’s Keshia Kwadwo finished second and Ingvild Meinseth of Norway came home in third, with Ireland’s Ciara Neville finishing seventh.
“It was amazing, I am so, so, so happy,” she said afterwards. “I can’t believe it. The start was okay, I wasn’t out first but I knew I could get them and the last 30 I had to hit it hard and I was catching up with them.
“I could see them in the side of my eye, and I knew I just had to keep pushing to get to the finishing line and just made sure it was the run of my life. And I got the gold.
“It’s just amazing, I don’t know how to describe it. I’m just so so happy I got a gold medal.”
Akpe-Moses was born in Nigeria but moved to Dundalk when she was just three and began running with St Gerald’s Athletics Club from the age of eight.
A prodigiously talented youth, Akpe-Moses won national titles at club and school level, as well as silver at the European Youth Olympics in both the 100m and 200m events.
Gold for Ireland! Gina Akpe-Moses wins European U20 100m title
IRELAND HAVE STRUCK gold on the track at the European U20 Championships after Gina Akpe-Moses stormed to a sensational victory in the 100m final.
The 18-year-old sprinter produced an incredibly powerful performance in Grosseto to become the first Irish athlete to win gold at these championships since Colin Costello in 2005.
After finishing second in her heat yesterday, Akpe-Moses had ground to make up on her rivals after coming out of the blocks slowly but powered through the second 50 metres to cross in a time of 11.71.
Germany’s Keshia Kwadwo finished second and Ingvild Meinseth of Norway came home in third, with Ireland’s Ciara Neville finishing seventh.
“It was amazing, I am so, so, so happy,” she said afterwards. “I can’t believe it. The start was okay, I wasn’t out first but I knew I could get them and the last 30 I had to hit it hard and I was catching up with them.
“I could see them in the side of my eye, and I knew I just had to keep pushing to get to the finishing line and just made sure it was the run of my life. And I got the gold.
“It’s just amazing, I don’t know how to describe it. I’m just so so happy I got a gold medal.”
Akpe-Moses was born in Nigeria but moved to Dundalk when she was just three and began running with St Gerald’s Athletics Club from the age of eight.
A prodigiously talented youth, Akpe-Moses won national titles at club and school level, as well as silver at the European Youth Olympics in both the 100m and 200m events.
She was also a member of the Irish U20 4x100m relay team which smashed the national junior record at the Diamond League meet in Switzerland at the start of this month.
In 2014, her family moved to Birmingham and Akpe-Moses has been running out of one of the UK’s top clubs, Birchfield Harriers, since.
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