The Italian Dariya Derkach wins the gold medal in the triple jump at the European Championships: last year she was in a hospital bed

From the nightmare of the operating rooms to the ecstasy of the top step of the European podium. Dariya Derkach signed one of the most moving and historic pages of Italian athletics, winning the gold medal in the triple jump at the continental event in Birmingham. The thirty-three-year-old Italian dominated the final from the first attempt with a measurement of 14.53 meters, and then reaffirmed her superiority with a second jump at 14.48 meters.

The apotheosis occurred in the fourth bout, when she flew to 14.60 metres: a measurement which represents her personal best as well as the best European performance of the season. This extraordinary achievement allowed her to overtake the Belgian Saliyya Guisse, silver medalist at 14.46 metres, and the Bulgarian Aleksandra Nacheva, bronze medalist with 14.40 metres. This is the third gold medal for the Italian expedition at the European championships, which follows the triumphs achieved by Leonardo Fabbri in the shot put and Nadia Battocletti in the 5,000 metres.

An ordeal overcome with steely character

The triumph in Birmingham takes on the contours of a real feat if you look at Dariya Derkach’s recent past. In 2025 alone, the triple player ended up in hospital for three operations on her Achilles tendon, following a very serious injury suffered in February of the same year during the indoor season. After documenting the painful rehabilitation on social media, the jumper got back up with determination, returning to competitions at the highest level.

From its origins in Ukraine to the blue shirt

Born in Ukraine in 1993, Derkach moved at the age of nine with her father Serhiy to Pagani, in the province of Salerno, to reunite with her mother Oksana. Both parents, former athletes, soon directed her towards the track. Since she was a child she took her first steps between Nocera Inferiore and Salerno, wearing the colors of Cus Salerno and Atletica Vis Nova. Although he has only been able to compete for Italy since 2013 with the granting of Italian citizenship, the athlete has always refused the courtships and memberships offered by foreign federations such as Spain, Qatar and Ukraine itself.

The successes of an extraordinary career

Before consecrating herself in the British facility, the Italian’s palmarès already included 14 absolute Italian outdoor and indoor titles, 26 youth titles, silver at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul 2023 and eighth place at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Today, the girl who played with the sand in the long jump pit while her parents trained, has reached the continental summit of the discipline, projecting her gaze with newfound energy towards the Olympics of Los Angeles 2028.