Patrizia van der Weken, Luxembourg's sprinter;
Credit: Ievgenii Karanov, Chronicle.lu
On Friday 19 June 2026, Luxembourg sprinter Patrizia van der Weken claimed third place in the women's 100m at the Diamond League meeting at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
The 26-year-old equalled her season's best performance of 11.05 seconds. She finished four hundredths of a second behind Italy's Zaynab Dosso (11.01), while Jamaica's Kemba Nelson secured victory in 10.88 seconds, leaving the Luxembourg athlete seventeen hundredths adrift of first place.
“Patrizia's performance today was satisfactory, even though her race was not yet optimal. There are still several aspects that can be improved and we know that she still has significant room for progression. In recent weeks, Patrizia has also had to deal with some physical discomfort, which has not made the succession of competitions any easier,” Arnaud Starck told Chronicle.lu. He added that part of her training programme had been adapted to manage the situation as effectively as possible.
The result matched van der Weken's performance at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm on Sunday 7 June 2026, where the Luxembourg athlete also finished third in 11.05 seconds.
“In this context, the two third-place finishes recently achieved in the Diamond League are results of a very high standard that we can be satisfied with. At the same time, there is a certain frustration because Patrizia herself feels that she still has considerable reserves and is capable of running faster,” Arnaud Starck said. He added: “For now, the positive aspect is that, despite circumstances that have not been ideal, she continues to remain highly competitive against the world's best sprinters. This is an encouraging sign for the rest of the season.”
The main target of the summer season for Luxembourg's leading athletes will be the European Athletics Championships, scheduled to take place in Birmingham, United Kingdom, from 10 to 16 August 2026.
Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Jean-Sébastien Dauch, Director General of the Luxembourg Athletics Federation (FLA), said he was optimistic about the country's prospects at the championships. “I think this time we have a very good chance to have very, very good results with Patrizia van der Weken and also with Ruben Querinjean,” he said, referring to Luxembourg's leading hopes in the women's 100m and men's 3000m steeplechase, respectively. Dauch added that middle-distance runner Fanny Arendt had recently suffered an injury, but nevertheless expressed confidence that the Grand Duchy could have “at least two finalists, and why not maybe more”.
According to Jean-Sébastien Dauch, Luxembourg is expected to be represented by between two and five athletes in Birmingham. The final composition of the national team will be determined following the Luxembourg National Athletics Championships, scheduled for Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July 2026.
