Countdown to Pombal: Portuguese teams ready to face Europe’s best in Clash of the Clubs III
13 September 2024

As the host country for the third edition of the Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) U20 Clubs, the Clash of the Clubs III, on 21 and 22 September, Portugal has the unique opportunity to be represented by two clubs instead of the usual one and as the competition approaches both of the selected team leaders have shared their thoughts about preparations for the event.

We caught up with Ricardo Abreu from the youth-oriented Clube Pedro Pessoas Escola de Athletismo, which he helped found in 2013, and Paulo Reis from Sporting Clube de Portugal, one of the country’s three powerhouse multi-sport clubs, to learn which athletes they expect to shine at the Estadio Municipal in the city of Pombal as well as their views on the DNA team athletics concept.

Clube Pedro Pessoas Escola de Athletismo

Abreu explained that this year’s Clash has become a major target for his club of 120 members based in Almada, just south of Lisbon, as it will be the first international event for many of his athletes, the majority of whom will still be 18 or younger when they compete next week.

“Although we had one athlete who was on Portugal’s team for last year’s DNA U20 Indoors in Madrid and is now over 20 years-old, the rest only had their first contact with DNA at the national selection competition this past June. They were pleasantly surprised by the format and have all been very excited since we found out we would be participating in Pombal,” he said.

“We respect the strength of all the teams we will meet but, as always, we will do our best and I am sure that whatever the result this will be an unforgettable experience for everyone.”

Asked for team members to watch, Abreu pointed to 17 year-old Rita Martins, a strong long jumper – her best is 5.41m and she has done 5.69m wind-aided – who also does the sprint hurdles and has already gained experience competing in U20 events at the national level.

On the men’s side he highlighted 18 year-old steeplechaser Tiago Machado, who has competed twice at the European Youth Olympic Festival and will bring his 1:56.17 800m speed into the mix.

Sporting Clube de Portugal

For Reis, the Clash represents another chapter in the storied athletics history of his club stretching back to 1906, which includes individual Olympic and world championships gold medals, numerous national championships and no less than 20 senior European Athletics club championship gold medals in track and field and cross country.

“Our primary aim for Pombal is to compete well enough on Day 1 to qualify for the A Final,” he said.

“We recently conducted an online clinic to make sure all the team members understand the DNA scoring system as well as the head-to-head format for the field events in order to give ourselves the best possible chance for success.”

Reis said Sporting is expecting big things from two athletes who competed in the recent World Athletics U20 Championship in Lima, Peru – 18 year-old middle distance runner Beatriz Azevedo, who earlier in the summer showed her 800m speed when she placed 6th in the Portuguese senior championships with a personal best time of 2:13.13, and 19 year-old javelin thrower João Fernades, who placed 8th in Lima and has a personal best of 74.43m.

He also said to look out for the talented 16 year-old sprinter Margarida Oliveira, who was a semi-finalist in the 200m at this summer’s European Athletics U18 Championships in Banská Bystrica, Czechia.

“For Portuguese clubs September is not the best time to expect top performances because our season normally ends on the first of August. But everyone on our team really likes the idea of an international event on home soil and I am sure they have all been preparing to give their best.”

“Though it is always difficult to predict results in DNA, from what I have heard I think our athletes are hoping we can make the podium.”

The future of DNA

Although Pombal will be the first time its teams have competed in the Clash of the Clubs, Portugal has been a supporter of the DNA concept from the beginning, having participated in all the national team competitions staged to date including the 2018 launch at the European Games in Minsk, Belarus, the 2022 DNA Indoor International in Glasgow, Scotland, and last year’s “Matchup in Madrid” U20 indoor international showcase event in Spain.

However, June’s national event to select the teams for Pombal was the first time DNA has been used on the domestic level and both coaches see potential for the concept, especially for the younger age groups.

Reis explained that though top-level senior athletes might find the field event format somewhat disruptive for their normal preparations, it is clear that club-level U20 athletes enjoy the team aspect and DNA events can appeal to social media audiences.

Abreu said “I have known the format and the idea of the competition almost since its inception and my opinion is that the future of athletics involves this type of competition. I have been arguing for many years that athletics should innovate and adapt to the new challenges it faces.

“This concept is one way to retain young athletes and attract more audiences and sponsorship for our clubs and our events.