Nastya Koloda

Happy birthday to Kazakhstan’s 400m hurdler Anastassiya Koloda, who won a continental medal at sixteen and then came back and ran the fastest race of her life.

In June 2023 at the Asian U20 Championships in Yecheon, South Korea, Anastassiya took the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles in 1:00.40 and added a silver in the 4x400m with Mariya Shuvalova, Sofya Kidenko and Anna Shumilo. She was sixteen years old, at her first continental championships, standing on two podiums in the same week.

Six weeks ago she went to the Kosanov Memorial in Shimkent and ran 59.66 for second place, a personal best by three quarters of a second. Third in that same final, in 1:00.30, was Ekaterina Koloda (@koloda.katya) — same surname, same birthday, same event, same podium. The two of them share 15 August, and today they both turn twenty.

There is one more thing linking them, and it is a nice one. In 2023 Anastassiya ran the Asian U20 4x400m to silver alongside Kidenko and Shuvalova. In 2024 Ekaterina ran the Asian U20 4x400m to silver alongside Kidenko and Shuvalova. Same event, same medal, same two teammates, one year apart, one Koloda each time. They have never handed each other the baton in a race. They have handed it to each other across a season.

The 400m hurdles is the event Kazakhstan does best on the women’s side, and a 59.66 says there is a good deal more to come.

С днём рождения, Анастасия! Желаю здоровья и счастья на долгие годы, и ещё много быстрых барьеров впереди. Құтты болсын! 🎂🎁🎉🫶🫶🇰🇿