Belgrade Hosted the Best Balkan Athletes

15 February 2025

The Balkan Senior Indoor Championships took place today at the Athletics Hall in Banjica, bringing together over 250 athletes from 21 member countries of Balkan Athletics.

The opening ceremony was led by the president of Balkan Athletics, Slobodan Branković, who welcomed all participants and emphasized the significance of the event:

“Dear friends, guests, and athletics enthusiasts, welcome to Belgrade, welcome to Serbia. This is one of the biggest competitions in Balkan athletics, and I wish all the competitors to achieve their best results and secure spots in even bigger international events this winter. A great thank you to the Serbian Athletics Federation, the City of Belgrade, and the Ministry of Sport of the Republic of Serbia for ensuring that this event meets the highest standards. Long live Serbia, long live the Balkans!”

The championship brought five medals for the Serbian national team—two gold and three silver.

Notable Results from International Athletes

• Rustam Mammadov (Azerbaijan) won the triple jump with 16.30m.
• Vadym Kravchuk (Ukraine) claimed victory in the high jump with 2.19m.
• Ertan Ozkan (Turkey) won the men’s 60m sprint in 6.63, while Maria Mihalache (Romania) took gold in the women’s event with 7.31.
• Mikdat Sevler (Turkey) secured the men’s 60m hurdles title with 7.68, while Mia Wild (Croatia) won the women’s race in 8.06.
• Omer Faruk Bozdag (Turkey) triumphed in the men’s 800m with 1:48.42, and Carolina Bredlinger (Austria) won the women’s event in 2:02.16.
• Stella Jepkosgei Rutto (Romania) dominated the women’s 3000m with 8:59.45.
• Yervand Mkrtchyan (Armenia) won the men’s 1500m in 3:49.82.
• Veronika Drljačić (Croatia) was victorious in the women’s 400m with 53.82, while Oleksandr Pohorilko (Ukraine) won the men’s event with 46.49.

Medal Standings

Turkey topped the medal table with 18 medals, followed by:
2️⃣ Ukraine – 7 medals
3️⃣ Romania – 6 medals
4️⃣ Croatia – 5 medals
5️⃣ Serbia – 5 medals

The Balkan Championships were broadcast live on Arena Sport, allowing athletics fans across the region to enjoy top-tier competition from Belgrade.