Albanian athlete Luiza Gega was crowned the European champion in the 3000 metres steeplechase at an event in Munic, Germany at the weekend.
She completed the course at 9:11:31, shaving six seconds off the previous record. She is the first Albanian athlete to win such an accolade at an international event.
Following the end of the race, 33-year-old Gega celebrated with the Albanian flag and tears in her eyes.
Prime Minister Edi Rama reacted to the news and congratulated her on the achievement.
“No one has ever managed to climb the top of Europe with the red and black flag on the athletics track,” he wrote on Facebook.
Gega specialises in middle distance running and competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2020 Summer Olympics and is the Albanian record holder in the 800, 1500, 3000, 5000, and 10,000 metres, half marathon and marathon. She also competed in the 2019 World Athletics Championship but finished in ninth place.