Vita Barbic launched a world U18 lead and championship best to win the women’s javelin in brilliant style on the final session of the European U18 Athletics Championships in Banska Bystrica on Sunday (21).
It was the Croatian's second medal of the championships, after taking bronze in the women’s discus earlier in the day. In the javelin, she made her intentions clear early with a superb world U20 leading 60.72m in the second round.
With gold safely secured, she took it to another level in the final round, sending the javelin deep into the sector to a championship best of 61.07m, extending her own short-lived best.
Germany’s Konstanze Irlinger also had a quality competition, peppering the 55 metre line, her best being a final round 57.64m. It gave her a new national U18 record and a silver medal. Bronze went to Turkiye’s Rabiye Çiçek with a fourth-round personal best of 54.52m.
A few hours earlier, Barbic had also threatened to win her less favoured event, the women’s discus. She led into the fifth round with a personal best of 49.50m from the third round.
But after three fouls, European U18 leader Nadjela Wepiwe of Germany got her act together in the fifth round with 51.61m which was enough for gold. In the final round Spain’s Andrea Tankeu Djeudji unleashed her best throw, 50.01m, to relegate Barbic to bronze.
Barbic: "You do not have to mean to others"
“I did not expect a medal in discus, there are girls who have better PBs than I had,” said Barbic. “I threw my PB here both in discus and javelin. I love the atmosphere and this stadium. I would really love to come back here to compete. The organisation was amazing, everything was on time and so on.
“My personality is to be communicative, cheerful. I want to show that even when you are the best athlete as I am today, you do not have to be mean to others.”
For the discus winner, Wepiwe, there was satisfaction in emulating her sister Milina as a European medallist.
"In my fifth throw I said to myself that I have to do what I can do. My PB from qualifiers put some pressure on my shoulders. It sounds really really good that I am European champion.
“Next week there is a German U20 National Championships, and I will be competing next to my older sister Milina. She already won silver at European U20 Championships [Jerusalem 2023]."
15-year-old wins triple jump gold
France’s Emmanual Idinna took charge of the men’s triple jump from the opening round, where he took an early lead with 15.36m (-1.8m/s). He went further still in the second round with 15.57m (-2.2m/s).
Italy’s Francesco Crotti landed a fourth round personal best of 15.49m (-1.2m/s) to make his presence felt. But none could threaten Idinna and with victory assured, he added the cherry on the cake with a final round European U18 lead of 15.85m despite jumping into a significant headwind of 2.0m/s.
Crotti won silver and bronze went to Germany’s Benedikt Maurer with 15.11m (-1.0m/s).
European U18 leader Anastasia Boumpoulidi of Greece reaffirmed her status by winning the women’s pole vault. She stuttered slightly with first attempt failures at 3.80m and 4.10m. But when she cleared 4.20m second time, gold was all but confirmed.
Norway’s Embla Matilde Njerve, Sweden’s Beate Pott and Czechia’s Nicole Krutilová had all set new personal bests at 4.15m, also a new national U18 best for Njerve, and the extra 5cm was beyond them.
Njerve got silver on countback and Pott the bronze with Krutilová missing out. Boumpoulidi made three attempts at a championship record of 4.30m, but in the end, settled for gold.
Konso seals decathlon with world U18 lead
Estonia’s Tristan Konso sealed decathlon gold and a world U18 lead with 7549 points by posting personal bests in both the final two events. He sent the javelin to 47.29m and then dug deep in the 1500m to grind out a finish of 4:59.69.
“Two days of competing in decathlon plus two days of hurdles is not easy,” said the gold medallist, who false started in the individual 110m hurdles semi finals. “This is not for the weak people. All the competitors are strong. I was disqualified from hurdles, it hurt me. I wish I could run again.
“High jump and pole vault went pretty well. I didn’t want to risk in the last discipline even though I knew I was close to the first place. It is never over until it is actually over. It never crossed my mind to run easy. As I said, every athlete here is strong.”
There were some remarkable performances in the final two events of the ten event discipline. In the javelin, Germany’s Anton Steffen launched the spear to a championship decathlon javelin best 68.66m. And in the 1500m, Portugal’s Denis Hrabar set a championship best run of 4:24.83. Of course, Tonso was also rewarded with a championship best earlier in the day with 13.52.
Sweden’s Liam Da Silva emerged as silver medallist with a personal best 7318 after a topsy-turvy two days that included personal bests in the shot (14.95m), high jump (2.02m), 400m (53.15) and javelin (56.95m).
France’s Kilian Trochain won bronze after a solid two days with a personal best of 7290. Despite a gutsy final bid for bronze, Hrabar finished fourth, albeit with a national U18 best of 7268.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics