We can reveal the three men's finalists for the 2022 Rising Star award, a category which was introduced in 2007 to recognise outstanding young European athletes.
The winner will be announced and presented with their trophy on-stage at the annual Golden Tracks award ceremony in Tallinn, Estonia on 22 October. The ceremony will be streamed live through the European Athletics website and YouTube channel.
Last year's winner was France's Sasha Zhoya who won the 110m hurdles title at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn and the World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi, setting a world U20 record of 12.72 in the latter.
Mykolas Alekna (LTU) | Profile
Year in summary:
Following in the path of a two-time Olympic and world discus champion might be a daunting prospect but Mykolas Alekna looks poised to match, or very possibly surpass, the achievements of his father Virgilijus who dominated the discus in the early-to-mid 2000s.
While Virgilijus won his first major title aged 28, Mykolas reached the top of the podium at the European Athletics Championships in Munich in his first season as a senior, becoming the youngest ever discus winner at the age of 19. The teenager launched a championship record of 69.78m to turn the tables on Kristjan Ceh who had beaten Alekna for the world title one month prior to Eugene.
These medal-winning performances came at the end of a long and demanding season on the US collegiate circuit. Alekna trains and studies at the University of Berkeley in California where he intends to major in business administration.
Did you know?
Alekna surpassed the 69 metre-line in four competitions in 2022: 69.00m at the Lithuanian Championships, 69.81m in the Stockholm Diamond League, 69.27m at the World Athletics Championships and 69.78m at the European Athletics Championships.
What they said:
Mykolas on being inspired by Virgilijus: “I started to do sports because of him. I always saw him competing when I was young. It was inspiring so I started to do sports because I wanted to be like my dad. At the time, it didn’t matter if I was a soccer player or in the discus. I just wanted to be a successful athlete.”
Mykolas in action:
Mattia Furlani (ITA) | Profile
Year in summary:
It is no secret Mattia Furlani has been considered Italy’s brightest prospect in the high jump but the Italian has showcased his immense all-round ability this season with superlative performances in both the high jump as well as the long jump.
It only took Furlani two serious outdoor competitions before he surpassed the eight metre-barrier in the long jump, winning his first of two gold medals at the Jerusalem 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships with a European U18 outdoor best of 8.04m.
And despite the criss-crossing schedule, Furlani added to his title haul with gold in the high jump on the final morning session of the championships. After needing three attempts at 2.13m to remain in medal contention, Furlani put the title beyond the reach of his challengers with a second-time clearance at 2.15m on tired legs.
What they said:
Furlani on winning European U18 long jump gold in Jerusalem: “To be honest, I didn't expect something like this at my first attempt, especially after having gone through the qualification in the high jump just before…all I can think right now is that I want to cry, because I am so proud of myself.”
Did you know?
Athletics runs in Furlani’s family. His father Marcello has a lifetime best of 2.27m and his older sister Erika has cleared 1.94m. He is also coached by his mother Khadidiatou, a national-level Senegalese sprinter.
Mattia in action:
Niels Laros (NED) | Profile
Year in summary:
A highly vaunted prospect by the Dutch, Niels Laros came to wider prominence at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Jerusalem where he glided to gold medals in both the 1500m and 3000m in seemingly effortless fashion.
And the 17-year-old finished the year with a record-breaking spree across all distances. Laros eclipsed Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s European U18 1500m best with 3:39.46 in Luzern before shattering the long-standing 3000m record in Zagreb, clocking 7:48.25 to improve the previous European U18 best of 7:56.4 which had stood since 1976.
Laros’ range of abilities also extends down to the 800m. He forged through the 1:50-barrier for the first time in August with a hand-timed 1:46.3, the second fastest time in the world in his age group.
What they said:
Laros on winning 1500/3000m gold at the European Athletics U18 Championships. “Thank you to everyone who helped me achieve this. It’s just the beginning.”
Did you know?
Laros’ father Marcel was an international level steeplechaser in the 1990s. He clocked 8:21.90 in 1997 and won a bronze medal at the World University Games in the same year.