Balkan athletics indoor championships U20

10 February 2025

For the third time (after 2018 and 2021) in the renovated (after 2017) “Festivalna” hall, Balkan athletics indoor championships U20  were scheduled and held in a hall. Exactly 263 athletes from 19 BA member federations competed in 24 disciplines – 12 for juniors and 12 for girls. Only Austria, Albania and Malta missed the Balkan Championship.

Among the juniors, the representative of the hosts Ioan Kamenov, who is not yet 17 years old, impressed. He wrested victory in the short 60m sprint, albeit by just one-hundredth, from Israel’s Ido Peretz (6.78 vs. 6.79). Kamenov’s achievement is also a new Bulgarian national record for juniors under 18 years old in indoor (the old one is also his – 6.79 from this winter)…

The junior 800m race was very contested, where the first four were only within  69 hundredths. However, the Turkish runner Muhamed Agjun -1:52.21 was the sharpest final sprint, followed by the Bulgarian Dimitar Pandeliev 1:52.54, the Romanian Flavius ​​Justin Kazaku 1:52.64 and the Greek Vasileios Salpas 1:52.90 min.

Another Turkish runner – Kiyasetin Kara was convincing in the 1500m (3:52.21), as was his teammate Ali Tunc in the 3000m (8:18.73). In general, the Turkish athletes dominated the middle distance races.

Talha Gunihal (7.86) and Koray Uygun (7.92) congratulated themselves with a double victory (gold and silver medal) in the 60m hurdles, bringing the triumph to Turkey.

Yasser Kuduban from Turkey was the only one who managed 2.13 m in the high jump, and somehow more was expected in the pole voult – all three medalists finished “only” with 4.72 m.

In the long jump, the Greek Tselepis congratulated himself with the victory (7.46 m), while for the silver medal only 16-year-old Bulgarian Teodor Yankov (with a personal record of 7.27 m) overtook the favorite for the title, Luka Boskovic (Serbia). In general, a lot more was expected from Bošković, but inaccuracies in his reinforcement prevented him from showing a much stronger result. A real drama unfolded in the sector. The fifth attempt of the “host” Stiliyan Orlinov of 7.33 m was initially declared successful. But after a contest by the opposing team, Jury D’Appel reviewed the video from the special camera on the foul line and declared Orlinov’s jump as foul. Thus, from a silver medalist, Stiliyan suddenly sank to the seventh position.

After the fourth attempt of the junior triple jump, Romanian Eduard Unguroaika (15.62) was in the lead. But, inspired and inspired by his native audience, the Bulgarian Zinga Firmino improved his personal record three times – 15.37, 15.66 and 15.74 m and deservedly won the title.

The Croatian Jan Ferina took the lead (18.75) with only his fifth shot put attempt, which was eventually enough for him to win the gold, ahead of the Romanian Ciobanu (18.44).

The hosts suffered a real disappointment in the junior 4x400m relay, where their relay team (and Vasil Antonov in the last post) dropped the baton.

The girls’ 60 m final was very contested, where the European champion for female cadets from Radina Velichkova (Bul) surpassed the favorite Mia Wild (Church) by centimeters – only by one hundredth – and won the gold with a personal record – 7.37 seconds.

Only one sprinter (Eda Nur Tulum from Turkey) managed to “go down” under 55 seconds in the 400 m – 54.77 seconds. And in the 800 m, the quality of the achievements was not at all high – the winner Tara Vuckovic from Serbia congratulated herself with the gold, but she was not particularly satisfied with her result (2:10.41).In the 1500 m, the Slovenian Anna Vita Wernecker managed to won a gold medal (4:24.23 min.). The Serbian Meira Mehmedovic left the second behind her (the Slovenian Emma Pika Rai) by more than 12 seconds in the 3000 m (Mehmedovic won with 9:35.05 min.).

Only a miracle could take away the gold from Croatia’s Mia Wild (silver medalist at the girls’ world championships in Lima, Peru). She was more than convincing in her victory in the 60m hurdles. – 8.11 seconds, just one hundredth off her national girls indoor record!

Although there were only five participants, pole voult competition turned out to be of sufficient quality – all three medalists succeeded at 4.00 m and above. And the winner, the Ukrainian Olga Belchenko, even succeeded at 4.20 m!

Very nicely and steadily participated in the jump of the Bulgaria Siyana Brambarova. In four of her six jumps, she achieved more than her old personal record (6.00 m) and congratulated herself with the Balkan title – 6.23 m. Only the Croatian Anna Churkovic resisted – 6.13 m. Good technique in the triple jump was demonstrated by the Romanian Daria Maria Vrancianu – 13.40 m, and in the shot put, the Greek champion Maria Raffailidou only in her last attempt with 14.68 m was able to overcome the Slovenian Nusha Luzhnik (14.55)….

The representatives of the former Yugoslav republics shared the medals in the girls’ 4x400m relay (Slovenia 3:45.13, Serbia 3:45.91 and Croatia 3:49.35).

The athletes from Turkey left with the most medals (including gold), followed by Bulgaria and the third place for Romania.