Serbia begin the European U18 Championships in Rieti with 14 athletes

Serbia's 14-athlete team has begun the European U18 Championships in Rieti. The competition runs from July 16 to July 19 at Raul Guidobaldi Stadium. The Serbian programme covers sprints, hurdles, jumps and throws. Several athletes are entered in more than one event.

The national federation changed its original list before departure. Andjela Cvetkovic withdrew because of injury. The published Serbian travelling team therefore contains 14 athletes. The European Athletics entry system may still show 15 names because it includes the earlier entry.

The sprint entries

Sara Djokic and Ana Cakan are entered in the 100 and 200 metres. Teodora Popovic will run the 400 metres. These three athletes also give Serbia options for the sprint medley relay. The final relay order appears on the official start list.

Djokic completed Serbia's first women's 100-metre heat in 12.00 seconds. She finished sixth in the opening heat, which carried an NWI wind status. Her 200-metre entry remains part of the programme. Cakan is also listed for both short sprints.

The final travelling list contains 14 athletes and more than 14 individual entries. Some competitors appear in two disciplines, while relay runners can also take part in individual races. The late withdrawal of Andjela Cvetkovic explains why the Serbian federation's final total differs from the older European entry page.

Four athletes in the hurdles

Ivona Knezevic is entered in the 100-metre hurdles. Lena Bogdanovic, Petra Dimitrijevic and Aleksa Bajin will contest the 400-metre hurdles. Their events take place across separate sessions. Start lists confirm the lane and heat shortly before competition.

The longer hurdles event includes both women's and men's entries for Serbia. Each athlete competes for an individual result in a separate race. The published timetable places these events in different sessions. Progress depends on the place and time recorded in Rieti.

Serbia's under-18 team after winning four medals at the Balkan Championships in Novo Mesto

Competition began on July 16, so the entry list is no longer the only record. Sara Djokic ran 12.00 seconds in the first round of the women's 100 metres. She finished sixth in her heat. The published result included a wind status of NWI for that race.

Three different jumping events

Ivan Pajkic represents Serbia in the high jump. Lazar Stojiljkovic is entered in the long jump. Andreja Radisavljevic competes in the triple jump. The three athletes therefore cover different events with separate qualification standards and finals.

Serbia's recent athletics context also includes Angelina Topic's Serbian high-jump record.

Each jumping event has its own qualification line and final. Pajkic faces a height progression, while Stojiljkovic and Radisavljevic receive a series of measured attempts. Their results will be recorded separately, even though all three belong to the same Serbian team.

Djokic remains entered in the 200 metres, while Ana Cakan has the same sprint double. Serbia's programme also contains the 400 metres, three hurdle events, three jumping events, shot put, discus and the sprint medley relay. Those events are spread across the four-day timetable.

The throwing group

Jana Stosic and Jana Lovcevic are entered in the shot put. Lovcevic also appears in the discus. Martina Burcer joins the women's discus, while Petar Cvokic represents Serbia in the men's discus. This group gives Serbia five entries across two throwing disciplines.

Lovcevic is the only Serbian athlete listed in both shot put and discus. That double entry increases the number of event places without increasing the travelling team. It also explains why athlete totals and entry totals are not identical in official databases.

Under-18 sprinters competing at the Serbian Championships in Kraljevo in June 2026

Each result page now gives the athlete's place, mark and progress status. It also shows wind readings for the events that require them. The opening 100-metre result is one completed part of a longer Serbian programme that continues through July 19. Serbia still has scheduled entries on the track and in every field-event group named by the federation.

Why the official totals differ

Serbia's federation published a final travelling list of 14 after Cvetkovic's injury. The older European entry page still contains 15 names and 14 events. The difference reflects the late withdrawal rather than a second Serbian squad.

The 14 athletes in the travelling notice form the active Serbian group in Rieti. Start lists then show who is entered in each session. Result pages record the athletes who actually compete and provide their marks and progress status.

Four days in Rieti

The European U18 Championships bring together athletes from 48 countries. Serbia enters with historic medals in the competition, but past results do not change current qualification. Each event begins from its own start list and rules.

The opening day has already produced Djokic's 100-metre result. More Serbian entries follow across the remaining sessions. Each completed event adds a place, mark and qualification status to the team record. The championship continues through July 19.