Considered one of the best European juniors in the 400-meter race, young British athlete Kara DaCosta has just committed to the University of Arkansas, a renowned institution known for developing the elite of global athletics. At just 17 years old, she already boasts an impressive track record and rapid progress, which bodes well for her future ambitions on the international stage.
A strong track record despite her young age:
Between 2023 and 2024, the young athlete’s personal best improved from 54.69 to 52.60, a two-second improvement. This impressive progression helped her win her first international medals. At the U18 European Championships, she reached the final with great ease and composure, impressing those following the competition. She finished in second place in the final, behind Anastazja Kuś with a time of 51.89, the second-best performance in the world for the year. It was in this final that DaCosta set a new personal best of 53.60, becoming the fifth-best performer of the year for U18 athletes. She also later claimed third place in the relay, behind Poland and Italy. In the summer of 2024, she traveled to Peru for the U20 World Championships, where, despite competing against opponents often two years older than her and in tough conditions, Kara DaCosta reached the semifinals, finishing with the third-fastest time of all competitors born in 2007. Along with Rebecca Grieve, Emma Holmes, Charlotte Heinrich, Nandy Kihuyu, and Jessica Astill, who also competed in the heats, they finished third in the 4×400-meter relay, behind Australia and the United States. Rebecca Grieve and Emma Holmes have since joined U.S. universities, New Mexico and Memphis, respectively.
The best choice for her career ahead:
The prestige of the American NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) circuit is well known and widely recognized. Among the top universities in this circuit, the University of Arkansas undoubtedly represents the perfect choice for Kara DaCosta’s career. In the 2023-2024 academic year, the NCAA 400-meter final was won by Jamaican Nickisha Pryce, followed by Kaylyn Brown, Amber Anning (a compatriot of DaCosta), and Rosey Effong in fourth place. Last year, Arkansas also placed athletes in second, third, and fourth place in this same event, showcasing the university’s quality and dominance in the 400 meters recently. The top three finishers in the NCAA final ended up among the top nine performers of the year, and two of them won Olympic medals in Paris. One of Kara’s goals for 2025 will undoubtedly be the U20 European Championships, scheduled from August 7-10 in Finland. Another more personal goal could be to take advantage of the excellent infrastructure and coaching at Fayetteville to break the British U20 400-meter record, currently held by Lindsey MacDonald, who set a time of 51.16 seconds at the age of 16 and a half in 1980. Currently the 11th-best British performer in history for U20 athletes, two years at the best university for the 400-meter race could be more than enough for Kara to make her mark in British athletics before turning 20.
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