That is Stuart Weir’s function on Swiss star Ditaji Kambundji, the sister of Mujinga Kambundji. Ditaji has her first senior title, the Ladies’s 60-meter hurdles, in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.
Ditaji Kambundji’s second of glory
Ditaji Kambundji had been knocking on the door for the previous couple of years. On Friday night time in Apeldoorn, she kicked it open.
The 22-year-old Swiss hurdler delivered the race of her life on the European Indoor Championships, successful the 60m hurdles in a shocking 7.67 seconds. The time wasn’t simply quick—it was historic. She broke the European indoor report set by Sweden’s Susanna Kallur in 2008 and moved to joint second on the all-time record. Solely Devynne Charlton’s world report of seven.65 sits forward of her.
For Kambundji, this wasn’t only a win. It was validation.
She had spent the final two years chasing the game’s greatest prizes, at all times inside attain however by no means fairly there. She took Bronze on the earlier European Indoors. Final summer season, she received silver within the 100m hurdles on the out of doors European Championships in Rome. Every time, she acquired nearer. Every time, she left realizing there was extra to present.
This time, she took all of it.
Kambundji’s rise by the ranks has been regular, if not spectacular. As a junior, she was some of the promising hurdlers on the planet. She got here by the ranks alongside Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, each teenage stars with huge futures. However whereas Nugent thrived within the NCAA, making an Olympic ultimate, Kambundji’s development was slower.
Nonetheless, she stored working. And he or she confirmed simply how far she had come final yr in Rome. Her 12.40-second run within the 100m hurdles ultimate was the very best of her life. It earned her a Silver medal but additionally signaled one thing larger—her time was coming.
She entered this yr’s indoor season in prime kind. Final month in Torun, she ran a Swiss report of seven.80. In Apeldoorn, she regarded even higher. She received her warmth in 7.92, then her semifinal in 7.82. However ultimately, she was untouchable.
Ladies’s dash hurdles are in a golden period. The competitors is as fierce because it has ever been. Charlton set the world indoor report simply weeks in the past. Nugent is coming off an NCAA title and an Olympic ultimate. Tobi Amusan, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, and Keni Harrison have elevated the out of doors occasion.
Now, Kambundji is a part of that dialog. Her 7.67 doesn’t simply make her a European champion—it makes her a worldwide contender. The 100m hurdles at this yr’s World Championships will likely be brutal. However after what she did in Apeldoorn, nobody will overlook her.
Skrzyszowska, POL, bronze, Apeldoorn2025, photograph by Sona Maleterova
Till now, Kambundji had by no means received a serious senior title. The expertise was there, however the podium at all times appeared simply out of attain. The race itself was a masterclass. She exploded out of the blocks from the gun, staying low and aggressive over the primary hurdle. By halfway, she had already separated herself from skilled Dutch hurdeler Nadine Visser. Her kind was crisp, and her rhythm was flawless. She barely misplaced momentum as she powered by the ultimate strides, an indication of how well-drilled her method has turn into.
The victory locations her in uncommon firm. Breaking a European report is not any small feat, however to do it at 22 years outdated suggests there may be nonetheless extra to come back. With each race, she is proving she will be able to deal with the stress.
The ladies’s 100m hurdles are stacked like by no means earlier than. The World Champs in Tokyo will function a deep, unpredictable subject. However together with her European report, Kambundji has introduced herself as a critical contender. The competitors will likely be fierce, however she has momentum on her aspect.
Apeldoorn was her breakthrough. Now, the problem is to construct on it. The out of doors season will deliver new checks. The expectations will likely be greater. But when there may be one factor this race proved, it’s that Kambundji is prepared.
