🇮🇹 Kelly Doualla

The progression is documented year by year, which is unusual for a sprinter this young and is the reason her results are taken seriously rather than treated as a novelty. In April 2024 she ran the fastest 80 metres by an Italian under-16. In May 2024 she ran 11.52 for 100 metres. On 18 January 2025, at the Memorial Giovannini in Ancona, she ran 7.23 for 60 metres — the fastest ever by a European under-18, taking the record from the Dutch sprinter N'Ketia Seedo — and moved to fourth on the all-time senior Italian list behind Zaynab Dosso, Marisa Masullo and Manuela Levorato. Three weeks later, in the same arena, she ran 7.19.

The summer of 2025 turned the indoor times into outdoor titles. On 21 July she won the 100 metres at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje in 11.21, breaking Jodie Williams' 15-year-old European under-18 best. Days later she ran the opening leg of Italy's gold-medal Swedish relay team, which set a European age-group record. At 15 she was selected for the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere against athletes up to four years older, won the 100 metres in 11.22 ahead of Great Britain's Mabel Akande, and anchored Italy's 4x100 metres relay to gold as well.

In March 2026, still 16, she was selected for the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland. She was the youngest competitor in the field and the youngest athlete ever to represent Italy at the championships, and she advanced to the semifinals with 7.27 in her heat. A week earlier she had finished second in the 60 metres at the senior Italian Indoor Championships, in 7.21, behind only Dosso — the national record holder.

Eugene in August 2026 produced her first global medals. She took bronze in the individual 100 metres in 11.27, Italy's first world under-20 medal in the women's 100 metres. Then, in the inaugural mixed 4x100 metres relay, she combined with Edwin Fermin Galvan, Elisa Valensin and Francesco Pagliarini to run 41.21 and break the world under-20 record of 41.60 that Great Britain and Northern Ireland had set in the heats of the same competition — which had itself beaten the 41.64 Australia ran in the first heat. Great Britain finished second in 41.38, the United States third, 0.01 behind.

The Italian federation has been explicit about not forcing the pace. Its president, Stefano Mei, said in February 2025 that there would be no pressure on Doualla to compete at the highest level, that the decision belonged to the athlete and her coach, and that he had no objections and no demands either. She trains with CUS Pro Patria Milan under Walter Monti. She has also experimented with the long jump, with a best of 6.42 metres. The name Kelly Ann was reportedly given in honour of the Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.